Originally Posted by
klondike
No offense, Sir, but that's because NOBODY ever trains the pilot group on HOW to use the *******ed thing.
Yes, XS, goes around the bases and sits in the various pilot lounges helping guys with their bids but one has to be lucky enough to be going through there that particular month/day.
That doesn't count.
I'm talking about a formal class given by someone to everyone. There is nothing.
Personally, when I am at the airport I am flying and when I am not flying I am not at the airport. So I agree, although it is nice to have someone from the union taking the time to go around the bases to help with PBS, one has to be kind of lucky to take advantage of one of those PBS tutorials.
Originally Posted by
flapshalfspeed
It's impossible to develop a "formal class" teaching PBS--bidding is such a subjective thing with so many variables/options that it's pretty much impossible to pare that down to a "class." It'd be like developing a class on "how to talk to your girlfriend in every scenario imaginable"--can't do it--too much complexity, subjectivity, and individual differences/preferences/intricacies.
The only way to "learn" PBS is to have a face-to-face with Xan or someone who really knows how to convert your verbally-stated priorities/desires into a bid that the machine can read and not mess up.
It's hard to interpret the complexity of human preferences into something a computer can understand--you can't teach a formal class on that, and if you tried it'd be the most basic, unhelpful minimum set of information--there's no point. It just takes time and trial & error (hopefully with the assistance of someone who can give you a good foundation from which to tweak your bids).
Just my opinion, but I don't think a formal class on PBS would be helpful at all--and it'd be insanely boring also lol.
True... but PBS is not very intuitive, and some basic guidance on its logic could give individuals the skills needed to properly use it to their advantage.
I personally found the following video very helpful:
It is a Delta video and not all of the content applies to Mesa because of the different CBA's, but the program and its logic is the same.