Originally Posted by
freezingflyboy
Maybe (probably) I'm a moron, but I've been trying to wrap my head around a coherent bidding strategy for this AE. I'm currently sitting at about 50% DTW 7ER B. For me, the schedules are still decent (not a ton of int'l which is fine by me), the base works for me (easy commute/commuter friendly) and I like the plane. As long as the schedules don't get (more) trashed I'm perfectly happy where I'm at for the next 4-5 years. However, I would like to have a smart backup strategy for what to do if the category starts shrinking/changing out from under me. I guess what I'm wondering most is the best way to go about
:
- Arranging an AE bid if I want to stay put assuming I'd remain at a similar or better relative seniority?
- If it all goes to pot and I drop below a certain percentage in DTW, how to remain on the aircraft but in another base with a reasonable commute?
- If the 7ER category shrinkage accelerates (I WAS IN THE POOL!
) how to arrange an AE/VD/MD bid for maximum benefit should it make sense to move to another fleet in DTW at similar seniority (probably 320)?
- If it's all gonna suck anyway, way to maximize profit (maybe a NB A bid?)
- Anything else I'm not thinking about or pitfalls others wish they had avoided.
Is there an "AE/VD/MD Bidding Strategy" guide posted somewhere? I've poked around on the ALPA website and on Deltanet without much success.
Make your first bid something that won't happen (ATL777A Low Nbr "1"). Make your second bid your current category at a %age acceptable to you (the "I wanna stay DTW7ERB at 50%" bid, for example). If that bid is not honored, put your next choice as either XXX7ERB which is the base and %age you would be happy with if you couldn't sit in DTW at the %age you like or, pick a different category in DTW with a percentage you do like. In the end, it is all about what options you want and how you rank order them.