Both vacations months I've had 22+ days off a month with 20+ days off in a row. Im right at 50% seniority. If I need a weekend day off for a wedding or something 90% of the time I can get that day or weekend by doing 4 on 1 off the week prior and I can usually hold partial weekends with my seniority. Like most others, I haven't done a single swap since PBS came out because I've got all commutable trips. I absoloutley love it. Sure Id like to see some things change(like who sets the TLV and unstacking) but overall it blows line bidding out of the window and I'm consistently getting 2 days off more a month with all commutable trips. I truly hope it stays for the JCBA and I think if you put PBS up for another vote today, ASA would vote it in again.

 

Personally, I don't have an issue with PBS, it's the pairing construction (DTW specifically). I feel like I have been sitting in hotels a lot more than usual. There are not a whole lot of commutable trips in DTW and the highest credit 4 day is maybe 24 hrs. If I am at work, I want to work! I don't want to commute in the night before to make a 6:20AM report to fly one leg and then overnight for 28 hours. Either built more productive trips or make them commutable. Both would be nice, but I will take either improvement.

There are more choices and flexibility with PBS than line bidding. If they'd make the pairings more productive and fix some of the PBS loopholes, I think it would be a good system.

 

Hey guys, XJT guy here. Just wondering what y'all mean by "unstacking". Thanks.

 

When PBS awards trips, if there are a large portion of trips left over on a particular day (July 4th, Txgvng, Xmas, etc), the company will ask to go up the seniority list from the bottom until they have found enough junior pilots who were originally awarded the holiday off to cover these left over trips.

My understanding is that the company then clears everyone's schedule from that point down and reruns everyone's preferences with the exception that the holiday trip is awarded first and then all of the other preferences are considered. I think this is only allowed to affect the bottom 50% of any one group.

As I understand it, the company demanded to use this feature in April and May and were firmly told no. The union did approve it's use for July but I haven't heard anyone complain about it and there's been no official mention of it being used.

 

At mesa it meant 3 on, 0 off, 3 on, 1 off, 4 on, 2 off, 5 on, to me. I.E not good