Hi UA folks,

Who is your PBS vendor please? How does it work (layers, no layers, coverage days etc)? Are you satisfied overall? Is there another vendor you'd like us use?

I'm gathering info on the various PBS systems.

Thanks!

 

popcorn 🍿 is ready

 

Our PBS is web-browser based. It supports all modern web browsers, including Internet Explorer 6 and Netscape Navigator. It also supports nascent technologies, such as Firefox.

Our PBS uses a graphical user interface (GUI). For example, if a pilot wants to change the preference on line 7 of bid card 8 from the L-- bucket to the L- bucket, instead of having to type:

CHANGE CARD 8 LINE 7 TO L-

The pilot now simply does the following:

Select card 8 in the drop-down menu
Wait for card 8 to load
Select the "open bid group" button
Wait for the buttons to load
Click the line 7 checkbox
Wait for the relevant buttons to become available for selection
Press the wrench icon
Wait for the options for line 7 to load in the top window
Change "lowest" to "lower"
Press the save button
Wait for the change to process
Be sure to unselect the line 7 checkbox if you have other changes to make
Select the "submit bid group" button
Go to the BAT tab
Wait sixty seconds for the BAT function to run
Download the resultant HTML page
Open the HTML page to see whether your bid is legal
Wait a week to see whether your change actually did anything

 

^^^This guy gets it!

You dang near need a degree in computer science to understand how to do it or you just pay someone else to bid for you. Of the 3 airlines I’ve worked for (4 if you’re counting a merger) this is by far one of the worst systems I’ve used.

While I wouldn’t waste time negotiating for a different system, it would greatly improve quality of life on several fronts if we could get a better system.

 

It is a jeppesen product. It is cumbersome and time consuming to bid, has a horrible user interface, and it requires about 5 hours of studying to somewhat understand how it works but at least it is slow! We are the last airline to know our next month's schedule.

 

It was the best vendor possible in 2005 according to a bunch of scabs. My union said it was still the best in 2013. ANYTHING ELSE FOR GOD SAKES….

 

The initial PBS committee was comprised of two pilots who were not scabs.

 

PBS SUX , unless you’re a computer programmer or something.
Enuff said

 

It isn’t so bad when you don’t care where you go either. I just tell it commutable on both ends, no redeyes, avoid more than 3 legs per day (award 2 or less H++), and a couple of specific days off. Pretty simple and it has worked so far. It obviously works better when you’re senior, but it wasn’t so bad when I wasn’t. If someone wanted to get specific about layovers, a longer list of specific days off, credit ranges, deadhead ratios……. then the system would be a screaming pain in the derrière.

 

this.

the KISS principle works. Stray from that and your results will vary depending on seniority.