Originally Posted by
TyWebb
Did you all do paper line bidding? From what I hear from everyone I know at Alaska they hate bidding because it's such an arduous process and the only people that want to keep it is the senior guys that don't have to go through the phone book every month as they get exactly what they want. PBS is efficient and aids many pilots to place their parameters to get what they want out of a line that works for their lives. Now with the TA reserve rules, all or nothing bids and else start new can be utilized so if you have a lot of life to plan around and if that doesn't give you a line, one can easily accept reserve and accomplish said monthly obligations.
I see you point but It's odd you spin this as a negative because it's more efficient, and your reasonings seem from someone that lives in base and is more senior than average.
TW,
Just to add some additional background to the line bidding vs. PBS; although AS has the conflict "benefit" of dropped trips with line bidding, there is (this is the important distinction) NO pay protection for trip(s) dropped as a result of a conflict. As a result, if a line bidders schedule's value drops below guarantee as the result of a conflict, in most cases (I believe there may be a few exceptions) the pilot has to go through the process of picking up opentime through "Step Trading" or else risk having flying assigned to create the same result.
This has lead most to ask, what is the point of line bidding in this situation? From friends I've heard from, it's f'd up as it currently exists.
S