MelT

Winner winner, chicken dinner! And about a third of our pilots are now on this POS PBS gravy train.

We really should think about unintended consequences before we allow the union to re-negotiate our A plan. What could possibly go wrong?

DirtyPurple

The SLG is the best thing the company could have done for the pilot group: Advertise the horrors of giving them control of a PBS-like scenario. It’s no sweat. If you hate the SLG, don’t bid VTO.

I personally increase my bidding seniority approximately 30% bidding VTO. I’ve learned to tame the SLG and get basically what I want, but I do feel like I’m constantly bidding and making adjustments during the bidding process. Worth it for me now, and like having the option to simply bid primary line when my seniority will bear something worth grabbing.

Options are good. SLG is a lot of work. VTO is good. No complaints.

Overnitefr8

Unfortunately somebody has to bid secondary lines. Someone is going to get them one way or another.

Magenta Line

My $.02..... SLG pretty much sux. I'm a 60-70% bidding 777 Capt and rarely get a top 10 choice of my SLG preferences but I have managed to pick up trips. I DO NOT put in restrictions first; I fill up the first 20-30 slots with trips. In effect, I'm "double bidding" every month. I bid on lines, I don't get lines - I get a VTO in the 30's, then I bid on trips again when the SLG window opens. I've been burned by putting in restrictions first, ie. request Nov 2-5 off. Sounds simple but I never get the days off I requested.... tried that 2 months since we've had this POS and it has NEVER been honored. Oh, futures has said it was honored because it gave me ONE, 1, O-N-E of those requested days off. What a crock of crap!

Here's another one for the books and corporate knowledge.... Most recently here in Nov, I requested a nice trip that had a front-end DH to Asia. It was 3rd on my list of trips in the SLG list. To my surprise it showed up in open time when open time was released this past Wed pm. I said what most guys have been saying in this case "WTF?".... I went to check my reasons report (which should really be titled 'here's how we boofed you report'...) and it showed the trip being awarded to a more senior guy BUT HE DIDN'T GET IT EITHER!!!??? So I sent in an Insite report asking why I didn't get it and why my reasons report said another Capt got the trip when in fact he didn't get it either. So the excuse I got was that the trip was awarded but the Capt who originally got the trip picked up a trip in open time during the weekend that had carry-over so the trip was dropped and it was "too late" in the assignment window to be re-assigned and awarded to another Capt. B.S.!

IMHO the practice "solve/solution" IS the final solution and IS most likely what you're going to get for your VTO month. It's happened to me 3 months in a row now and I know I'm junior and I'll get what I get and I'll like it. As each month passes and I consume another crap sandwich from this SLG program it's more clear to me that it's more of a what the company needs rather than what your desires are.

Why would the program not "reassign" the trip in this case? IDK... but my bet is that the SLG program is run once and anything that happens in the interim between the practice "solution" and the final is just dropped into the open time bucket. Then you're only recourse is to haggle with whomever is working your scheduling desk on Thurs evenings.

Nightflyer

I sure hope we are smart enough to remember this nonsense when the company wants to force us to accept PBS.

You would think they would want to make it as good as possible, since it is essentially PBS for a small segment of the crew force.

Shame on the NC for letting them make this crap up after the contract was signed. I can't believe 57% were stupid enough to vote for this mess.

meatloaf

Aaaand ya wonder why some senior 777 FO's are in no hurry to upgrade. Changing the acronym from PBS to SLG may buy a little time, but it's not fooling many out there.

kc10/c130

I couldn't agree more. Oddly enough I've gotten exactly what I asked for every month and I'm pretty junior. Next time give this a try:
1. Make my life h3!!.
2. Line should make many many commutes
3. Only Reserve
Works every time

Adlerdriver

This was the case with the old secondary system. This is why I have started to suspect that the only real change to the secondary system was how we put in our requests. The process itself doesn't seem to have changed.
What's the point of a Monday deadline if the system doesn't honor changes that occur after the Friday practice deadline. We need to fix this rather than just roll over. How could anyone on our side have decided this was acceptable.

MelT

Not to worry, its all the company's fault and the MEC has provided us with a "Guerilla Guide" (their spelling not mine) to teach us how to deal with the new Secondary Line System.

Again, they seem surprised that the company would rush to put a third of the pilot force into a PBS system that wasn't ready for prime time. Imagine the shock that the company is actually trying to fly us on the cheap, and that system form efficiencies take precedence over pilot needs for quality of life and ability to get rest. Its definitely a shocker.

So absolutely no way they would try to implement a variable retirement system that wasn't ready for prime time, would they?

I just can't believe how many times the company has pulled the football away from the union and yet they are still convinced that they can out-negotiate the company if they just get one more chance.

Please keep this group away from my A plan.

Adlerdriver

This has got to be the most clear, concise and accurate metaphor representing our union’s success rate dealing the company that I’ve ever seen here. Sad and very funny at the same time.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XWGuzwj4DSs