PBS vs line bidding.


PBS is inherently neither good or bad - it is a computer program that turns your PWA into a schedule.

Good PWA = good schedule.
Weak PWA = crappy schedule.

FOr example, PBS does not cause anyone to lose trip touching - that is done via your PWA. PBS can just as easily build you a schedule and then drop your vacation down over your schedule - bingo you retain trips touching.

What PBS does is enable much greater fidelity for both the company and Pilots to fine tune and make adjustments to your schedule. What adjustments are actually made all depends on your PWA and how PBS is implemented.

From a Pilots perspective this enable thousands of additional combinations for your monthly schedule - this is a good thing. It is much easier to fine tune your schedule whether that means individual days off, commutability, pattern bidding etc.

From the companies perspective it enables many additional efficiencies that the company will attempt to secure via the PWA that first incorporates PBS - this is a bad thing for Pilots.

I have been senior and junior with both PBS and LOT and here are some general observations:

Benefits of PBS:

Senior or junior, I have always been able to get a better schedule via PBS.
Many fewer reserve Lines - great for commuters.
Many more combinations of possible lines.

Negatives of PBS:

Much less open time available.
Fewer Pilots required.

Fewer Pilots required is perhaps the biggest drawback, but as I already pointed out that is partially PWA related and partly attributable to PBS.
If you are hiring this drawback may not even be noticeable. At DAL we switched to PBS in the middle of the "lost decade" and the switch was painful. I for one am now very happy with PBS and would not want to switch back.

One of my favorite things to do via PBS is to easily get two weeks off in a row at the end of a month - even while junior. Unless there is a holiday, it is pretty easy to bid the last week of a month off and the first week of the next month off - thus building two week "vacations" into your schedule.

Scoop