That's my feeling as well. We'll see if they change their tune and don't react to the issue 3 months after it starts to become one.

I imagine they're already set to start throwing bonuses at the problem if they can't fill classes adequately, as is tradition.

For those of us doing window shopping, what is SAP versus PBS? Is it contract related or crew scheduling? I have apps in with a few regionals and two are starting to pick back up in a big way. PSA put mine on hold until I get closer, so trying to get a feel for the nuances between each is important as the pay scales are pretty close among the ones I'm looking at.

Thanks!

SAP is the schedule adjustment period, where you can move around whatever you've got on your schedule. But you can only partake in SAP if you've got a round 1 line. So the time to hold that right now is prob going to be awhile for a new hire. Someone else can comment on PBS because I honestly only know the basics of it.

The general concept is
1) line bidding. The company publishes 100 schedules and 100 pilots bid. #1 gets anything he wants and #100 gets what is left
2) performance(?) based scheduling. 100 people tell a computer what they want and it builds schedules that meet your preferences as much as it can

Companies like #2 because training and vacation mess up #1 and require more reserves to backfill the holes

either system can be heaven or hell… it’s all in the details.

PSA currently has a hybrid heaven-hell system where half the pilot group (through SAP) can pretty much set their schedule every month. Never want to work Christmas? you don’t have to. Meanwhile the bottom half of the seniority list is on reserve so that the company can cover the entire Christmas schedule with 4 lineholders working.

in this context “PBS” means a new scheduling system. There will be winners and losers. Who? How much? Those are the sticky questions that have held it up for years. So who knows what will happen.

Thank you both for the great info! Helps develop my list of questions to ask during the interview process. :)

200 per month is 2,400 for the year. The most ANY airline has hired in a year is just over 1,200.

Do they have more simulators? This is going to be interesting. Can anyone achieve that? I am going to bring the popcorn.

PBS is preferential bidding system.

For instance, lets say that you only want to fly commutable trips with overnights in Florida. When it is your turn in order of seniority, if there are enough trips that start late on the first day, end early on the last day, and have lots of Florida overnights, then you get a schedule that has all of that. If not, then it moves down the list of your preferences to your next criteria.

Think of PBS like posting a list of 10 different things that you want, in order. Your dream schedule. The first one is usually very specific, the last layer is usually very general. The first layer is usually something like "I want trip number 1001, 2103, 3152, and 4573". If those are available, they are yours and you have your dream schedule for the month. If that isn't available, then you move to layer 2. Maybe that layer is like the commutable/Florida thing above. Then the third layer is commutable trips but no Florida overnights, but you want a certain few days off, and so on. You normally get 8-10 different layers for preference each month.

exactly. After the first month there will be a 6 month wait for sims.

as long as you get a seniority number who cares

oh no a paid 6 month vacation, oh the humanity