PBS would be really tough on those DEC

 

Not really. They be on reserve either way.

 

Pbs stinks

 

PBS benefits the company more than anything. The only individuals unaffected by the use of PBS are those who are #1 in their respective seats and bases.

I've used PBS and have also bid hard lines. Hard lines are better for the crew members.

 

PBS sounds like a way for the company to get rid of SAP.


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Ding Ding Ding!

 

Yea... My thoughts are that the company is going to bill it as being a benefit to all the pilots when in reality, it only benefits those most senior. Jr line holders will suffer the most. And it would mean less trips to pick up in open time and less flying for those on reserve. Also heard that the company is trying to get us to start doing 5 day trips. I know they have tried to get some of the check airmen to do 5 day IOE trips, but rumor is they are going to push that as well. The way I see it, the company is going to be asking for a whole helluva lot without wanting to give much back in return. And they still haven't met with the NC about the increase in SSP.

And in reality, I think PBS is also a partial answer to the perceived future staffing issues we (and ALL regional airlines) will have next year. The truth is, it is going to take a miracle to staff all the new airplanes until 2017. The math just doesn't work. There aren't enough pilots. Now if we see some more consolidation and maybe some airlines going out of business and their pilots hitting the streets (as unfortunate as that would be) I think it remains a possibility. We are fat on pilots right now, but will we be in a year?

 

Both PBS and line bidding have their pluses and minuses. Either way if you're junior you're pretty much hosed, as that's the price of being junior. The more senior you are PBS gets better and better because of the unlimited line options. Again, with paper bidding if the company doesn't make a line that has exactly what you need, tough luck. With PBS there's a lot more flexibility the more senior you are. Need the 3rd-7th off with a trip that ends on the 12th before 3PM? Not a problem. Easy to bid it and much more feasible than with paper bidding.

What PSA has with paper bidding + SAP is about a great of a system as can be devised (when it works properly, of course). You get to have line bidding as a good starting point for what you want, and the SAP is essentially a pilot-run PBS system where each pilot goes in and tries to swap for the trips they really want/drop trips they don't want. You can get the important days off that you need and in many respects can build your own schedule (again, when it works right).

The real benefit of the SAP is for the junior lineholders. Senior guys make out with line bidding or PBS, but with the PBS a junior guy can expect min days off, work on weekends/holidays etc, uncommutable trips, and on and on. With SAP even the most junior lineholder has a world of opportunities to adjust their schedule to have just as many days off as the senior people if they so desire. It's really combines the best of both worlds.

 

Are you saying PBS combines the best of hard lines and the SAP? Have you ever used PBS?

 

I had a guy I flew with the other day tell me:
1. mainline nixed PSA's desire at the last minute to make CVG a crew base. Apparently AA is tired of deadheading crews in to the hubs from the outstation bases (which of course doesn't cost PSA anything).
2. Chicago and STL have also been ruled out due to cost and/or lack of space
3. The fleet manager is under the impression that CVG will be the new base and has no idea why it hasn't been announced yet (see #1).

All of this is of course 4th and 5th hand rumor material, but it gives hope to those wanting a BNA base. If AA really is making BNA a "focus city," that's also good news.

Does anyone know if we're proceeding with plans to make BNA a MX base? A mechanic in CLT told me that the airport had offered up free hangar space for us.