I see what you did... lol

Agreed, any system can burn you if you don't bother to learn it, whether or not it has/hasn't been demonstrated to be clearly superior to another/others....

All things being equal tho, (and that's the key.... you have to normalize the comparison, where the contract languages are roughly the same), PBS offers much, much, more flexibility and predictability, in many more controlling aspects of one's schedule and QOL right from the outset, and for much deeper down the seniority list.

On an extreme, I think if most pilots HAD to choose between the flexibility of getting their desired dates for DAYS OFF vs getting their DESIRED TRIPS, the ability to select DAYS OFF would probably win hands down.

In real life that's one big benefit of PBS that extends even to the most junior Line Holders and on top of that they might be able to snag a few DESIRED TRIPS. With Line Bidding however, even the most senior Line Holders will be hard pressed to find a line that gives them ALL the desired DAYS OFF dates for the month AND the TRIPS they desire.

Having lived through these past few months of AS line bidding, I feel like a mad scientist with each monthly bidding event... opening this valve here with my left hand, capping that line there with my right foot, pressing this button with my chin, all while plugging that hole with my right thumb in a vain attempt at wrangling a somewhat decent schedule/QOL out of this system of sorting Lines, then Step 1 and Step 2, etc......and the work arounds!!!.... It's insane I tell you!! lol

And I get your point; many of us don't take the time to digest the information available, but OTOH, we do have many pilots here, not just coming from the VX side mind you, who have experienced and have bothered to learn the ways of both systems and are not just speaking in hypotheticals.