Originally Posted by
Throwitaway
SAP is a powerful tool because it comes after round 1, when all of the conflicted/ trips/legs from line bidding are dropped into the open time pot. There is a very large amount of trips/options to drop your trips with and swap into days you want to work / want off or drop garbage 12 hours trips for much better 23 hour trips. Or take a 18 hour 4 day and swap it for a 18 hour 3 day, earning you an extra day off. There is a lot of options because it is after round 1 and hasn't been built into a round 2 bid and assigned to other pilots (like republic airlines whos SAP experience is much less valuable than PSAs). All of your ability to fully utilize SAP is predicated on a deep stack of trips in the open time pot, which drive the ability for pilots to drop 2 trips for 1, swap to have a wedding/birthday/appointment etc, making the pot even deeper.
Now enter PBS. The entire reason for PBS is to greatly raise efficiency by totally getting rid of conflicts due to line bidding. The system will just build the schedule around vacation, training, mil leave etc, leaving little to no flying in the open time pot for you to SAP with. It completely neuters your ability to change your schedule (absent a straight drop ability). PBS makes the operation run more efficiently for the company, maximizing the amount of flying each pilot will do, reducing the total amount of pilots needed to operate the airlines schedule. This equates to (in regular hiring/staffing environments) an immediate shockwave of stagnation of upgrades and seniority progression across the board. AA needs to give more flying to PSA in order for PSA to need more pilots. And keep in mind, all of the pay rates, bonuses, quick upgrades are due to a temporary pilot shortage.
Every airline is rapidly patching the holes in their man power vessel, this problem will not last forever. PBS is a huge neutering of SAP and is a huge patch for the company. A gigantic give by the pilot group. The airlines are catching up with record hiring, the foolish pilots are the ones with a long career to go yet they hang out at a regional for a quick dollar. PSAs current version of SAP is industry leading. How can PBS make life better for 70% of the rest of the pilot group? The senior lifers are the only real winners here, and they'll be gone just around the time PSA goes back to normal pay rates or out of business, whichever co
Seniority is King, gEt YoUr TiMe AnD gEt OuT!
Ok. I see what you mean. I just don't think its really that bad.
SAP to me is a pretty good tool but....still is not the best thing after we learned to slice bread. Yes it does allow you to switch into different trips and move stuff around with a pot of trips leftover. Doesn't PBS do this in reverse order when you tell it the days you want to work, how many hours, legs, days, etc..? Both you end up with what you want. To me first come first serve and pilot trades are worth more than SAP. IF the company wants to be more efficient and I still get trips how I want them I'm not sure where the doom and gloom is? You're not neutered from getting what you want you just have to tell PBS what it is you're looking for. Then after the dust settles from that who is to say you can't trade with someone during the month or drop stuff you didn't really want with the line you ended up with?
I'm not pro PBS and I'm not pro SAP. I know a lot of pilots will defend the SAP hill but I believe there are other ways to get what you need. Do I trust the scheduling of this company? Absolutely not. That's not to say that I wouldn't agree with letting them run their airline more efficiently and adjust to how I create and get my schedule. After all you said it best... get your time and get out.