New PBS program......
 

For those of you, (us), that have been using EasyBid for 20 or more years, I'd suggest plummeting into the new PBS app soon!:confused:

Seems the door will soon shut us EB'ers out and having watched countless videos, read numerous notepads, and tried to input a 3 line bid for next month using the new program, the learning curve is vertical for dolts like me!:mad:

Who comes up with this stuff? It's so convoluted....They spend pages teaching you how to sign in etc., yet never explain how to work your bids offline.:o

Seriously, better start learnin' stuff now, before it's too late!

There's help available. I've written the PBS guy, after he implies you're an imbecile, he will tell you where the answer can be found.

But I am an imbecile!

Can't we just wait 'til I retire to change any more "stuff"????

It's a little clunky but after about 30 minutes of hearty bidding I got used it fairly quickly. IMO, it'll be nice going forward.

I emailed Flightline & they told me their software would work fine with our new PBS software. According to the Delta no 3rd party vendor's software will work. What's the deal???

I've always used the NavTech web bidding. I don't notice hardly any changes to PBS.

I just want to make sure I'm not missing something?

Delta said it may effect third party software. May and nothing will work are not the same.

You're not. I have always used that as well and it's pretty much the same thing, with a few extra bells and whistles. Most people complaining seem to be afraid of not being able to use a 3rd party app, which I understand. The webapp is not that great of a product, it's slow and clunky but I can knock my bids out in 15-20 minute. As with most things, people don't like change.

New PBS Web app is nice and modern. I like the path forward. As soon as 1960 iCrew gets finally gets replaced with something modern we'll be in a great place.

Yep been using the beta app since I've been bidding and it's great. And plus +1,000 for a modern iCrew, about my only complaint working here :cool:

What.....you don't like the Windows 3.0 clip art in iCrew?:eek:;):D

They'll update icrew as soon as everyone moves off using windows 95.

iCrew uses DOS, masked by a fake GUI to make it look so sweet from a 1990 perspective.:eek:

The version you're using is going away, as is the PBS Desktop program. Both are being replaced with an completely new web-based interface. It's very different than the version that's been in place for 10 years or whatever.

Thanks. Just want to make sure that my bids this month are OK to do on the old system?

The old system will be alive and well for months to come. The new system has too many bugs to go full time yet. Reguardless of what ALPA wants or says.

I must be lucky but I've not had a single issue with the new PBS. In fact, I'd go as far as to say I like more than even the current desktop website.

Yes, the old system still works fine.

I just keep a default bid in and update it a little each month. It works for me, ymmv.

Does anyone know why the bid sort option of Pairing Check Out allows you to enter both a date and time whereas Pairing Check In only allows a time value to be entered? Is there a way around this?

I'd never noticed the difference, but there it is (for all reading this, this applies to all versions of the NavBlue program, not just the new beta WebApp that we have been discussing here).

However there is a super easy way to accomplish the same thing. Just combine the condition "Depart on" (there are four possibilities here: Depart On Date Range, Dates, Day of Week, or Time Range) with "Pairing Check In."

For example, if you wished to fly trips departing after 1100, and reporting either Mondays or Tuesdays, you could have

"Award Pairings if Departing Monday, Tuesday If Pairing Check In Time >1100"

Try using "edit" you can only add things not remove anything.

It doesn't know where our layovers are.

I have more than 15 "errors" that I found in the first 30 minutes.

"analyze" is a complete joke.

Three different views show Feb as a 28 day month, a 29 day month and a 30 day month.

We are the guinea pigs on this. Delta is the launch customer for this turd. Why didn't they just copy/pay Easybid and improve it.

Uhh? Duhh! I concur. OFG

Bring Atlas bid back!

Ive been using the desktop version for years and although I find the transition relatively easy to the App..its still glitchy and overall a pain to use.

We should still have the option to use the desktop app.

Easybid is by far the superior product...problem is that most guys have never seen it. The fact that pilots that are too cheap to buy a newspaper cough up five bucks a month to use Easybid should tell you something.

What should it tell you? How would I use something I had never heard of, until a week ago. Why would I pay for something when the current product is easy for me to use and suits my needs just fine?

What's wrong with programming PBS directly?

Nothing. I have been doing it for a decade. However, for those who are in large categories and are junior--or just prefer to look at the myriad individual rotations out there--I believe that EasyBid (which I don't use) has a superior sorting interface.

Further, though the logic is not changing at all, the new WebApp takes some getting used to. It is fairly clunky, and not nearly as intuitive and easy-to-digest as the existing website. That said there are also some new features that I like, and of course, if enough pilots provide some good feedback improvements will be made.

I just got a DALPA email advertising some webinars, hosted by the PBS and Scheduling committees, further explaining the new interface. I hope to view one.

More unpaid time learning something new for Delta. :mad:

I know I'm whining but I seem to be putting in a lot of time outside working, learning new PBS, contract etc. I guess I need to bid more 30hr layovers. Did I mention training by memo really ****es me off? Well, it does. Rant over.

Ranting is good for the soul!:D

You can't fight stupid. I give. Carry on.

You are correct that we should be paid for significant changes like this. It needs to be codified in the contract, and changing the CBA won't fix that.

So , being a Easy bid guy - I decided its time to move up to delta's bidding system , if you go to deltas web site and download the latest bidding software - its a navtech pbs system that locks up all the time - I smarted up and watched a video .... it looked nothing like navtech . its a navblue web based set up.
Just to be sure I read the bulletins and they all describe navblue , but using the latest links in the bulletins I get navtech downloads .?. I am pretty sure my effort shud be to learn the navblue system .
So - I am assuming (I know) that the web based navblue is the one that will be able to be used on the surface 3 and offline for constructing a bid in the future ?.
anyone else with this mensa based conumdrum ?

Did you send these issues to the PBS committee? They're open to constructive criticism and are pretty fast to reply with your concerns.

Is it not stupid to buy a product to help with something you don't need help doing? Fighting change just because it's a change is stupid.

Navblue is what you want. You can change the link on the PBS button on the "my tools" page of Deltanet. This is the link you want...

https://deltapilotbids.delta.com/webapp/

I think that's what you're asking.

Navblue is what you want. You can changed the link on the PBS button on the "my tools" page of Deltanet. This is the link you want...

https://deltapilotbids.delta.com/webapp/

I think that's what you're asking.[/QUOTE]

It is and thanks - I will pass on the loco link info
Gander

Glad to see it's not just me.....
I always used the previous PHP based version of PBS , typically at home and on a high speed connection and sometimes on a layover with my Macbook.
I wrote the PBS person about a couple things.
I'm done. They just want to ram a square peg in round hole.
To me it appears they don't want to hear it....

I get the concept about needing to learn the new interface etc etc bla bla, but I'm no turnip off the cart and come with a decade of experience maintaining an e-commerce site - you know the type where if grandpa can't understand the checkout screens you LOSE SALES AND MONEY....
Previously beta tested actually alpha and beta a new very successful order management business application....

With that said the new PBS is a very nice beta imo.

Please let me know if you hear of any formal avenue of bug reports or functionality suggestions beyond just emailing some ALPA PBS person.
Not going to waste my time otherwise - done stick a fork in me.

You need to write your Reps and let them know.

Nu

I hate the new PBS. It kind of reminds me of the IVR system we have now. Some desk dweller said hey this would be cool but it's not functional.

The interface should be intuitive where a novice should be able to log on and put in a simple bid........IMO........this is not.

Anything that needs notepad after notepad, webinar after webinar, and YouTube video after YouTube video to explain how to use it is going to cause a lot of problems.....

Denny