Can anyone provide any direction for a new hire seeking advice on PBS? Is there any quick reference gouge out there?

Slicing my wrists, gouging my eyes, and wearing a slip knot have all been tried.

Subscribe to BidNav, pay the $50 a month and learn by what it comes up with each month...

Also, the PBS hotline is very helpful. Call them up and ask lots of questions. Have a pencil and paper ready.

PBS>system docs>users manual

www dot prefbid dot com and start reading

You can also learn a lot by putting together bids, BATing them, looking at results and tweaking stuff to see what commands have different effects.

Don't waste the money on bidnav.

Don't forget about Prefbid.com. Lot's of PBS trainers who will quickly answer questions and often a quick search through the forums will help you find your question has already been answered.

Or just ask your question here. Anyone junior to you will be happy to answer your questions 😜

There is a whole series of PBS videos in Flying Together put together by ALPA, pretty well done.

Flight Operations>Jeppesen PBS training (bottom right corner)

No. 1: AVOID has no effect on AWARD statements above it

BidNav has worked well for me. I wouldn't call it a waste of money. But I do have every weekend off in Nov and the Thanksgiving holiday off to read the manual I guess... with only 16 months on property, I'd say it gave me a pretty good solution for what I wanted. The show times aren't the best, but it's a descent line for a new guy. All the reading I could do and I'd never have figured it out as quick.

If you're new to PBS, it works unbelievable well.

My 2 cents

call 231-UGOTPBS tell the trainers you are new and would like a brief, don't do it on the last day of the bid being open they are too busy for a long brief, use the middle of the window opening when they are slower.

Or do the online chat on Prefbid.com for specific questions.

Remember they are only staffed during the bidding window and the award window each month.

Its free and some of your dues dollars helps pay for it so use it, that is my advice.

FYI, they are adding slowly a thing called Probids where the most experienced trainers are doing the bids for newer people like bidnav for free , its not in all fleets yet not sure what ones.

30West

I found prefbid to be very helpful. Both reading the forum and asking direct questions to the trainers. Bidnav seemed pretty pricey to me as a newhire, since I'm not going to get what I want anyway.

At the bottom of the list, we're only getting the leftovers, so getting what you want is tough. Mostly, its gonna be 4 day trips, its gonna check in early, its gonna leave from LGA, its gonna have short layovers in nice places, and long layovers in less nice places.


I've heard someone got excellent results not bidding at all. Could be worth a shot. (not kidding)