Originally Posted by
Bait
I am trying out the Swap Tool and have a question. Does the tool update real time as the open trips (and my schedule) change? The only trips it let me "drop" are old ones that I swapped out of earlier in the month. And the recommended trip it offered me was not currently available in open time. Am I missing an option to sync and update my schedule, or is it just geared for fixing the initial award? Thanks!
Sorry for the delayed response. Hadn't checked in here in awhile...
No, the Swap Tool does not update/sync to your schedule. The rotations you see on the "Drop" screen are pulled once a month (from the PBS composite report) and are just provided as a convenience to speed up entry into the program.
This is because we do not have approval from Flight Ops/IT to log into iCrew on behalf of other pilots. Actually, we have been specifically told NOT to do so.
To overcome this limitation, there is a manual entry field on the same screen. Just enter a valid rotation/date combo and the Swap Tool will pickup from the same spot, recommending rotations that you might want to swap into.
As for Open Time, the Swap Tool does not really have anything to do with
current Open Time.
The point is to queue up a Swap w/ Pot request that has as many rotations
from the bid package that you would prefer to fly.
Then your request is looked at during each PCS run, effectively putting you in place to get a swap
if/when one of those rotations does hit open time. A key to this is each PCS run has 2 loops. So if another pilot drops one of your requested rotations on the first loop, you are in position to get it on the second loop.
In this case the rotation would never be visible in Open Time because you picked it up right away during the same PCS run. This gives you a leg up on pilots that are watching manually; even those that check after every PCS run.
Hope that explanation helps.