Originally Posted by
mainlineAF
PBS is so much better on a month to month basis.
I think this is quite debatable, as you'll have to specifically define your terms with respect to "much better".
Line bidding has predictability and visibility/transparency that doesn't exist in PBS, even if the "blind to your conflicts" method could correct for the harm to the vacation system. You know beforehand exactly what schedules are available, and you can generally predict what you can and cannot hold on a regular basis. These are substantial QOL elements in and of themselves.
The PBS slot machine's random payoff of the layovers I want on the dates I want (sometimes) doesn't necessarily counter that predictability for many folks.
Again, PBS is an efficiency tool for schedulers and IMHO a sucker bet for pilots that offers fleeting bright, shiny things without actual gains in QOL behind them.