Quote:
Originally Posted by RamenNoodles
My previous point is that ASA purposely makes this very concept overwhelmingly difficult and severely restricts your ability to improve your schedule once it is awarded, thus making PBS a much better tool in my opinion. Would you mind telling us about your LIW processes a bit more in depth? I'm sure our open time process was far different than yours so it would be interesting to see what your contract language is in that regard. I would never want to go back to our previous open time system, so if yours is significantly better, I'm all ears.
There is literally a crap ton of information that I'll have to type out to try to explain how primary bid and ILIW, and secondary bid/ SLIW's work.
Bottom line, we don't have "red arrow" crap. We have negative coverage days that will prevent a pilot from moving days, but since guys are constantly picking up and what not it's as I've said, fluid and dynamic. Also it can be beat via our "bad day-worse day" trading language. If you are just trading same day trips for other same day trips, it just goes through.
Also, the WHOLE system is automated, the ONLY time it requires you interfacing with a scheduler has to due with an IT limitation and the software. Everything else is automatic, real time, first come first served. It's not processed in a seniority order. Let's say I have mon-thurs 4 days that I don't like. I can simply place ALL those 4 days in the left of the trade column. in the right, I can insert the 4 days I want. When the window opens, just click and it'll trade. All this of course is barring another guy that may have been quicker on the trigger and/or has a faster connection speed.
Now, as I stated in a post that got deleted for some reason. Depending on the coverage, and what's happening, I could place a 2 of my 4 days in the left column, and ONLY 1 4 day in the right section and execute the trade. If the coverage is there, it'll drop the 2 four days and give me the ONE four day I selected. I just dropped an entire 4 day trip. Guys that are fast/savvy enough can put 2 4 days in the left column, and trade them down for a day trip. In this case, the guy the dropped 7 days of work. The only limit here is that you don't trade below the "floor", which is usually set at 60 hours. At that point if you're still trying to reduce your line, simply advertise and that can take take it below 60.
And as myself, and others KEEP having to repeat. A lot of those pairings NEVER existed on the initial bid, they come from conflict, etc. Imagine how much open time where is in the ILIW when you have 500+ hard lines, IAH circa summer 2006. That's A LOT of vacation, training, transition, and attrition conflict in the open time pool for the sharks to feed on.