Originally Posted by
Sputnik
I'm feeling like thats my only option. And yet I can't figure it out how to tie it to a specific rotation.
Buck
-- Missed your post. That may be my only option, but man that looks easy to screw up
Don't know what kind of seniority you have or if you are domestic or international....but... as a top 30% international guy, I would bid like I suggested. There might be one really good trip I wanted(say a 9 day trip(P156) on the 10th) and then numerous 6 day trips that would fill me up. So, I might put 30 lines in to get me the schedule I wanted.
1. Award P156 on 10 July followed by 6 day ICN on 23rd
2. Award P156 on 10 July followed by 6 day ICN on 24th
3. Award P156 on 10 July followed by 6 day ICN on 25th
4. Award P156 on 10 July followed by 6 day ICN on 26th
5. Award P156 on 10 July followed by 3 day trip layover in CDG on 23rd, followed by 3 day trip layover in CDG on 26th
6. Award P156 on 10 July followed by 3 day trip layover in CDG or AMS on 23rd, followed by 3 day trip layover in CDG or AMS on 26th
7. Award P156 on 10 July followed by 3 day trip layover in CDG or AMS on 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, max time between trips 30 hours
So I would layer it like this with the trip I really wanted first. Be mindful, if you run out of options to fill your schedule later in the month and need to move to the CDG or AMS trips at the beginning of the month, the computer does exactly what you tell it and it cannot award a followed by if that trip doesn't physically (calendar) follow what you are trying to get. In that case, I might go to:
8. Award 3 day AMS or CDG on 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, max time between trips 30 hours, followed by P156 on 10th.
As a commuter, I wanted to minimize my commutes and stack all my flying in the longest blocks I could. Consequently, the max time between trips of 30 hours. (I would look at the block in time of one trip and figure out when the next trip signed in and make that 30 hour number appropriate so that i could be legal to finish one trip and the next day go out on the trip that I wanted.
I know it sounds tedious, but I'd rather spend one or two hours bidding telling it exactly what I wanted than scrambling trying to rectify my screwed up schedule due to my lack of initial effort.
OBTW, at the end, once I put all the good stuff together, then it is "clear schedule start next" and start your next bid group. Hope this helps. Cheers.