Vips
 

Hey all,

A little help...


Is there somewhere to find gouge on the innerworkings of VIPS and the rest of the pilot.fedex.com
website? There are so many links burried that for someone new to the company, like me, who doesn't
know what to "search" for, can't find anything without a 10 minute clicking marathon. Once the
correct page is found, I've clicked through so many links that I can't remember how I've gotten
there.
Also, is there a place to look for abbreviations used by the company on this website (i.e.
leveling page, trip summary, pay summary, bid pack in general, etc)?

Thanks...

I use the Flight Operations Home/VIPS site map link at the top of the webpage to help navigate through the forest of info.

Vips
 

I hate to say it but it is mostly trial and error. I've always tried to associate things with the headings.
i.e.
1. Anything that deals with a specific trip (deviation, recap,check-in, etc.) is under Trips and Services.
2. Personal stuff is usually under Crew Information (pay summary, phone numbers, etc.)


The best thing to do is start on the VIPS homepage click a link then go back and forth until you figure it out.

I know it's not much but that's how I had to do it.

JC Dude

I still hunt for some things after 6 years.

Not to over simplifie but, if you start by opening your calendar page you will find most of the links you will use in the left column.

P.S. If you haven't tried trip manager for booking your deadheads give it a shot. Generally a lot more options than Global Travel will tell you about.

Thanks for all the replies...

How about the not so obvious, though. Things like on the "pay summary," or leveling page or what everything in the bid pack means. I could only absorb so much during IOE. There are so many abbreviations and such that there really should be a secret decoder ring available somewhere...

Any thoughts?? Any place to find it all that I'm not aware of?

That VIPS site map is key!! I hadn't seen it yet. Thanks

Purple.... welcome to FedEx. Now the REAL learning begins!

Just like JC and USMC, it's trial and error and I've been here 8 yrs and I STILL have to hunt and peck for stuff. Now they've gone and changed bidding and the bidding process and we all have to learn it over.

Trip manager works like a peach though!

ALso, the search function works well too -- just type in a keyword or two.

I had to mid-trip deviate on my last sequence and had forgotten where to go. Had to get NH to tell me how to get there.

What is Trip Manager and how is it set up? If it's best please send me a PM.

Thanks!

Others might be interested so no PM. Tripmanager is a way of picking flights for your deadheads if you want to deviate. It will list all flights meeting perameters you set and give you one-way Cat Y fares (legacy only). Global travel will buy the ticket and send you an E Mail. Tripmanager is a hot-link bottom left on most vips screens. Check the information center on the Flight Ops home page for instructions. Caution, you can use tripmanager if you haven't deviated and end up with multiple reservations. I like it because I only fly NW to accumulate miles.

This is a link to a program that automates the web page. Works GREAT! Similar to the program for the 3270 green screen named Magic Disk.

www.magicwebfx.net

Trip Manager is a nice tool, but don't think for a minute that it offers you all the options you'd expect from a travel agent type tool. It doesn't look at all airlines as an example, so there could be way cheaper fares, but you won't know it by using Trip Manager. As an example, it doesn't track Southwest Airlines, JetBlue, or United Express, just to name a few. As well, when you have to change your password for VIPS or IMS, or any other FDX computer system, that one password change is supposed to filter down and change ALL your passwords. All that is, except Trip Manager. It's a great tool to use to find a flight that seems to get you where you want to go, in your timeframe, at a cost that's within your deviation bank. Again, it doesn't check all carriers, and doesn't even list all legal multi-leg flight pairings. I use it to get an idea of my options, then I call Corporate Travel and usually have them issue me the eticket, on specific flights that I've picked out using Trip Manager. As FDXLAG mentioned, you can, using Trip Manager, have any number of reservations for the same city pair, on the same day. It doesn't care. However, you might, if you don't cancel the ones you don't plan to use in a timely manner. Some airlines have a cancellation fee that they charge, if the passenger doesn't cancel a trip in the allowed timeframe (so they can resell that seat.) That fee will come out of your bank. You can cancel the flights through Trip Manager or through Corporate Travel.

My experience is you can only cancel reservations made with Trip Manager. Once the ticket is purchased you have to call Global Travel to cancel.

Trip Manager also does not always show flights that are close to sold out. I've checked TM and no flights are listed but by calling GT I can still get a ticket.

I have had the opposite experiance of Global Travel telling me no flights or fare to high but tripmanager books me no problem. So use all your options.

Getting away from trip manager for a minute...any inputs on these issues??

The advantage us "old heads" had is that we learned to use VIPS when it was not as verbose as it is today, and so there was less to learn. The advantage most of you "new guys" have is that, for the most part, you're more computer literate. Other than that, I'd recommend that you "play" with VIPS every chance you get. Especially screens that can have both a positive or negative effect on your work-a-day life. Screens such as Open Time, Trip Trade, Bid Line Adjustments, Vacation and Monthly bidding, etc. Unfortunately, there's no course offered that gets you up to speed, and if you're like the majority of the rest of us, (IMHO) you will learn something real well.... after screwing it up once or twice. As far as some of the "not so obvious" screens, well, they're that way because you really don't need them to do your job. They are just really nice to know things, like pay summary, bank balances, per diem recap, etc. Again, you'll have to play with them to get to know them. Think of the time as an investment in your future here at FedEx. Learn them well and they will stand you in good stead.

As someone stated earlier, if you bring up your calendar, the links on the left are the one's that you tend to use the most. Included is Pay summary. As far as the leveling page, you just click on the green reserve line on your calendar for the day that you are interested in, and the leveling page for that day appears.:cool:

Sorry...I guess I'm not asking my question correctly. I am wondering what all the abbreviations on each screen means. When I look at the bid pack, what are all those abbreviations? There is no guide included with the bid pack to tell you what each line or pairing is saying. When I get to the Pay summary or leveling screens, what exactly am I looking at? Is there no guide to help you along? Hopefully that clears it up. Sorry for the confusion

I don't think there is a guide or explanation for most of the abbreviations on the pay screen. I think most of the bidback abbreviations people just figure out over the years by experiencing those types of trips. I've never seen any explanation of any of them anywhere. Maybe your best bet is to list some of them here and we can hopefully answer some.

TRADE WITH OPEN TIME

You don't have to DROP a trip to ADD one. You can TRADE WITH OPEN TIME (VIPS/BID LINE ADJUSTMENTS). TRADE WITH OPEN TIME will help you swap an undesirable shift on your schedule to swap with one more desireable in open time. If someone beats you to the desireable open time shift, you haven't lost anything because your TRADE will be disapproved due to "earlier timestamp" etc. Thus you don't have to go into open time to retrieve your shift that you dropped to keep your cash for the month.

I "think" the contract defines all the abbreviations. I usually just do a word search for the abbreviation in my Microsoft Word version of the contract. If there is an easier way, I'd like to hear it also ...

Regards,


Mark

BLG - Bid Line Guarantee
RLG - Reserve Line Guarantee
VLT - Volunteer
DFT - Draft
CIC - Carry in Conflict
CIA - Carry in Adjustment
OTP - Open Time Priortity
OTR - Other
IPF - International Pay

CR. - Credit Hours
C/O - Carry Over Credit Hours
TAFB - Time Away From Base
BLK - Block Hours
No. DP's - Number of Duty Periods
D/H - Dead Head


As far as the bid pack, you should of been briefed in IOE. The 727 and 10 S/O LCAs are the best at this. If you went directly to a right seat, you may not have received as much info, since those guys are more accustomed to instructing guys that have been around a while.

All that said, if you compare the bid line to the pairings you can start to see and figure out most of this stuff. Ask guys you fly with if you have questions. Most of it makes sense once you have lived it for a few months.

As far as VIPS, it changes, so you still have to get good at clicking to find something. Take 10-15 minutes and click through the entire site when you aren't under the gun to find something quickly.

True, but they process M/U's before trades, so some guys drop and then plan on using M/U. You understand the risk though. The really confident guys drop and then VLT or DFT to make it up.

just to throw a little more info for the bid pack.
In the column of the day of the trip: the first row is the trip number, the second row could either be where you layover or the second leg of the trip, the third row could either be where you layover or a leg of the trip (flt number) the fourth row is usually the pairing number which you would look up in the bid pack part 2, the fifth row is the credit value for the trip.


This is line 143 for the 727 for march, TU 27 (Tues 27th of Feb)
1451 - flight number
ROA - layover city

1251 - flight number back
0466 - pairing number (gives more detailed info part 2)
600 - credit value for that day.

You'll be able to determine when the trip leaves (AM/PM) depending on which row the info starts, if it's day turns / night turns/ DH's, etc.. give it a couple months and it will begin to make sense.

Thanks for all the help...that's the kind of stuff I was looking for. I really can't believe this kind of thing isn't presented to new hires during indoc in some form of paper or online document. Obviously we won't stop using it and since some of you have been here for 6 years + and still don't know what the hel! is going on...

I'll stop talking now. Thanks again.

What does Q/c mean when looking at a trip. At the bottom of the trip in the notes section, "Q/c for F/O XXXXX"

I'm guessing it's some kind of check ride or the like...

Thanks

It's a "Purple Nugget" thing. They are the only ones allowed to know the definition :D

Quality Check - It's a line check for the PN's and a nonreg line check for his unlucky Capt.:( It is to check to see if they remember their training and haven't been corrupted too badly by the left seaters they have been flying with :eek:

To add to MX's Abbreviations, here's some more I've come across...

SON = Swap ON to open time flying
SOF = Swap OFf of a scheduled trip for something else
DRP = a DRoPped trip
TRP = You normal assigned from beginning of the month TRiP
BMP = BuMPed from a pairing
PAY = PAY only (Usually used when your flight goes over block)

I've also found out that the pay options on the left side of VIPS disappear from time to time and are only found when in your calendar view.

Have fun exploring!

PDO -Per Diem Only
ADJ - Adjustment

Try this: FedEx ALPA Newhire Guide

It's in the "Membership Library" on the Membership Committee page of the FedEx ALPA website. There's a "Quick Link" on the MEC Homepage (left column, 4th from the top) labeled "New Hires" that will take you there.


If you need help navigating the ALPA website, let us know. :)







.

MEM-BOS-IND --- Boston Massacre

Next you can figure out the green screen. Prism will display your pay check a couple days early. It will also give you Salary, Earnings for each year and amount and summary of Deducts

PRISM WIFE: the one you tell the company about.

Example: Yeah, I saw Bob and his wife in Subic last week. Not his prism wife, his Subic wife....

PRISM WIFE: The one that has your PRISM password, and knows how to access the system better than you. She also knows your paycheck before you do.






.

She's also the one that doesn't get it when you've changed your VIPS password, and keeps guessing at it till she (and you) are locked out of the green screen. [exaperated sigh]
That's what happened to me yesterday for about the 4th time. :mad:

In that case, I DON'T have a PRISM wife, though I do have one listed in PRISM! ;)


"Ask Tony" side question: I have 97 hrs in CGN this weekend, my FO is taking off to visit his parental units in Munich, I have my green/white/orange afro wig, any suggestions?:rolleyes:

Pater's brauhaus

Kolsch in .5 liter steins (you have to look - usually it's in shot glasses)

Climb the spire at the cathedral - ~450 feet up.

Be sure and check out the gym next door to the hotel (it's free). Awesome pool.

Damn this international flying.....

Did the first three already, but I could do the first 2 again! :D

You're senior to me, right?


Do each of the first three again, in order, while wearing the green/white/orange afro wig. Repeat the third until you collapse.


No, wait, when does the last part of that Term Life Insurance kick in? Maybe you should wait until the 1st of April.



See, I'm not that cruel. ;)



97 hours? Most I ever saw in 727 SIBA was 23. Make sure you get your picture taken with this lady:

Hmmm... picture only works with website open -- open this in another browser window: http://www.copenhagenpictures.dk/

The canal tour was pretty cool, too.


.

Tony,

What's the gouge for getting from Cologne to Copenhagen and back? Is it a day trip or do you RON?

Regards,
-'Frater