Just a reminder: ACARS isn't private

[killbilly]

An urban legend that I've heard a few times is an FO that bid avoided every captain, they were awarded no trips with whatever their company's min credit was. Allegedly lasted a few months before that loophole was closed. "I have a buddy over at ABC/XYZ airlines, did you hear about the guy that bid...."

Makes me wonder if that kind of scenario is why our PBS works the way it does.

 

[Hiboglossi]

An urban legend that I've heard a few times is an FO that bid avoided every captain, they were awarded no trips with whatever their company's min credit was. Allegedly lasted a few months before that loophole was closed. "I have a buddy over at ABC/XYZ airlines, did you hear about the guy that bid...."

That urban legend has never seemed believable to me. Wouldn't you just be awarded reserve for the month/ bid period if you were awarded no trips?

 

[BobDDuck]

That urban legend has never seemed believable to me. Wouldn't you just be awarded reserve for the month/ bid period if you were awarded no trips?

You would. In a PBS world if you can't reach min credit, you get unstacked into a line (with none of your avoid preferences protected) or you get reserve. In a paper bid world, if none of the lines match your bid order you get juniored into a line, or get reserve.

 

[Cherokee_Cruiser]

You would. In a PBS world if you can't reach min credit, you get unstacked into a line (with none of your avoid preferences protected) or you get reserve. In a paper bid world, if none of the lines match your bid order you get juniored into a line, or get reserve.

You mean my trick of “Bid Avoid CA EMP #” and entering my own employee number won’t force the system into an endless never awarding loop?

 

[///AMG]

You would. In a PBS world if you can't reach min credit, you get unstacked into a line (with none of your avoid preferences protected) or you get reserve. In a paper bid world, if none of the lines match your bid order you get juniored into a line, or get reserve.

Honest question because i dont understand PBS as well as many of you all, where is the line drawn between unstacked to a bunch of trips you wanted to avoid for whatever criteria, and straight to reserve/secondary bid? I’ve been very generic in my bids over the last nearly year because i have wanted to avoid reserve, but is there room to get more aggressive with my avoids/awards without triggering that?

 

[BobDDuck]

Honest question because i dont understand PBS as well as many of you all, where is the line drawn between unstacked to a bunch of trips you wanted to avoid for whatever criteria, and straight to reserve/secondary bid? I’ve been very generic in my bids over the last nearly year because i have wanted to avoid reserve, but is there room to get more aggressive with my avoids/awards without triggering that?

If you don't put an "else start next" with a reserve bit afterwards, the system will build you a line of flying if it has the pairings to do it, regardless of your preferences.

 

[killbilly]

If you don't put an "else start next" with a reserve bit afterwards, the system will build you a line of flying if it has the pairings to do it, regardless of your preferences.

The problem there is that “else start next” is a grenade on your bid. If there was a way to tie it conditionally to unstacking it would be nicer.

IF UNSTACK THEN START NEXT

Or something like that

 

[///AMG]

If you don't put an "else start next" with a reserve bit afterwards, the system will build you a line of flying if it has the pairings to do it, regardless of your preferences.

Thank you!

 

[BobDDuck]

The problem there is that “else start next” is a grenade on your bid. If there was a way to tie it conditionally to unstacking it would be nicer.

IF UNSTACK THEN START NEXT

Or something like that

Put a Bid group of exactly what you want, followed by mostly want you want followed by the bare minimum you will accept followed by reserve.

Should work unless reserve is going senior and you get juniored into an unstacked line. Also helps if you have practice bids so you get a sense of how things are going to go.

 

[killbilly]

Put a Bid group of exactly what you want, followed by mostly want you want followed by the bare minimum you will accept followed by reserve.

Should work unless reserve is going senior and you get juniored into an unstacked line. Also helps if you have practice bids so you get a sense of how things are going to go.

That’s a good strategy - especially for someone more senior than I am.

“Exactly what I want” doesn’t exist at my level. I seem to be in the “get about half sort of in the range I’m willing to accept” echelon right now.

 

[adk]

The problem there is that “else start next” is a grenade on your bid. If there was a way to tie it conditionally to unstacking it would be nicer.

IF UNSTACK THEN START NEXT

Or something like that

The simplest explanation of unstacking (coverage award) is that the PBS software will try to force you to work a date you don't want to work because you're junior. It sees a large "stack" of open pairings on a date that it knows it needs to cover, and it decides that it's going to make you work that day (legalities permitting) before even looking at your bid. PBS has the authority to do this based on the fact that you're junior and it has been allowed to unstack junior line holders (usually up to a specific seniority).

So, if your PBS decides it's going to unstack you onto Memorial Day before looking at your bid, and your bid includes "give me May 31st off else start next" you are in fact telling the software "if you are going to unstack me onto this date, go to my next bid group."

The problem is that if it can legally unstack you in one bid group, it can probably legally unstack you in subsequent bid groups too.

TLDR: if you're junior your line is going to suck

 

[scooter2525]

Burls, farts,…..

Maybe he should be an arborist.