Can anyone provide some insight as to how NWA does their monthly line bids? PBS or the traditional primary/secondary/reserve published lines? Any info on dates would be appreciated too, when are the bids published?

Thanks in advance.

 

Bids come out the 6th of the month and are due the 12th of the month. Results are published by the 15th of the month. We do computer bidding which is good if you are very senior or live in base. If you are mid way up or below on the seniority list you will end up getting stuff like early shows and late releases. Also a lot of low value trips are built. For example, typical 4 day trip on the DC-9. Report at 0600 on the first day. Fly 2-4 hours the first three days and then on the last day fly 7.8 hours and get released at 2100. Worth around 20 hours. I would say if there is anything that needs to be fixed it's that and then work on the rest of the stuff.

 

PBS is at NWA. There are plenty that don't live at base and aren't senior that like PBS. I'll caveat that with it is only as good as the trip build. There are a lot of trips like the one havehavenot mentioned and there are plenty of low value trips that fly your rear off the first day or two and then sit in a hotel all day and fly one leg back to base late. Everyone hates those, but they would go junior no matter what system was in use. It also depends on how much open time the company allows. When zero open time was forced life sucked. When the open time was relaxed life got good again. I personally went from "infeasible" every month to getting my first bid group over night (and I am so NOT senior). The PBS provides a lot of flexibility and allows you to set your own priorities which may change from month to month. I do agree with havehavenots that there needs to be a fix, but I think the trip compsition needs to be fixed, not the PBS. Cheers...ExAF

 

ExAF is right. I didn't clarify that the PBS is system is great. It's how the company programs the PBS system. I was getting better junior trips as a new hire in 2000 than I am now after 7 and a half years. It's not PBS's fault that the junior trips suck. It's just a dumb computer that does what it is programed to do.

 

Thanks for the info guys, does anyone have an electronic copy of the NWA contract? PM me plz if you do, thnx.

 

It is available in the members only section of the alpa crew room:

https://crewroom.alpa.org/nwamec/Default.aspx?tabid=756