I just always set mine to 60:00 when I want min credit then it adjusts to whatever the bottom of the window is. Does it not accept 00:00 as an appropriate PCT then? I was under the impression it did.

 

Why can't these PBS software programs use plain English?

 

I don't know if 0.00 is the same as 60.00 for PCT. I always set mine to 60 and have no problems. I forgot to mention make sure you use multiple bid sheets even if you just copy your first bid sheet to your second and make no changes. That removes the 'all remaining pairings' which will try to drive your schedule to the TLV regardless of whatever your PCT is. If you still have questions call the scheduling hotline or PM me, i'd be happy to help (i'm just a line guy not affiliated with alpa stuff so you get what you pay for).

Also, don't forget if you are below 50 percent of lineholders to submit a unstack sheet for next month.

 

Oh, right! Like ILIW and SLIW.

 

Shouldn't your wonderful Union be able to get that for you?

 

Y'all are doing a pretty bad job at trying to sell PBS..

 

The ILIW and SLIW are simple. You find a trip you like, then you trade it for one you don't like as much. As easy as it gets.

But seriously, why can't the program flight line so that it's on plain English?


Actually, they are working on that as we speak. But who said they were wonderful?

 

So is ours.

TLV = Threshold Line Value. This is simple. You have a credit windows, that is what the software will try to build you a schedule into. The TLV, is the target it goes for before it awards an award. So lets say the window is 80-110 hours, it will try to build you a schedule in that window. if the TLV is 90, it will always try to go above 90. If it can't, it will award the schedule with 80-90 hours. If you set you personal threshold to say 80, it will shoot for 80 instead of 90.

The ILIW, isn't that where you try to swap crap that you got awarded for other crap to hold a schedule you want, when you could have just bidded for that in PBS to begin with?

 

Ok wait, you said the TLV is a window. Then you said it's a target and if the window is 80-110, it'll build a schedule in that window. But then you used an example of the TLV being 90, (which sounds like a target, not a window). And if it can't build a schedule to 90, then it'll use a window of 80-90? Then there is a personal threshold? Can you set the personal threshold to 60?

The ILIW is for people wanting to move a trip (stuff happens sometimes after your line is awarded that requires you to have a certain way day off) or to drop trips and get more days off (all but about 4 days are set to 4 over coverage and anybody can drop to 60 hours), or you can trade for a better trip over the same days (because sometimes people resign or go on leave and their trips fall into open time after their line was awarded). In the SLIW, you can do the same although the coverage is almost never there. But we can use bad day worse day trades to move trips (stuff happens sometimes after your line is awarded that requires you to have a certain day off), or you can trade for a better trip over the same days (because sometimes people resign, call in sick, or go on leave and their trips fall into open time after their line was awarded).

But I'm not here to argue the finer points of our line bidding and its associated work rules. I'm looking forward to PBS and was just lamenting that none of them use plain English and always have people asking about bidding. I mean, they have a whole committee of pilots just to answer questions. They don't have that with any line bidding I've ever heard of. Just wishing it was like that.

 

Dont be fooled. The 145 side has crap lines unless you're in the top 10% of the company. I've been here 10 years and can't hold weekends off, I've been in the left seat for 8 of those and have never had more than 12 days off. Yes, I'm lucky to have upgraded so quickly, but something has got to give.

Yes, the ILIW is where the majority of people "fix" their schedules. The problem is, you have to be online at 1959:59 on a Friday night to really improve your schedule. What better to do on a Friday night, right? Basically, there are thousands of trades going on in the first minute of the window, and if you don't have a solid "game plan" then you're going to find yourself stuck with whatever mediocre line you were awarded.

Don't be fooled. I'd say the unvocal majority here would be OK with PBS. My issue, and I think the majority of others, is the lack of transparency and blatant mistrust of management. Turning your schedule and life over to a computer with the "man behind the curtain" is a hard sell to most of us.

I couldn't care less if it was Fliteline or SmartPref as long as I didn't have to plan my schedule around the first 2-3 chaotic minutes of the ILIW.