PBS bidding question...
 

I am still relatively new at PBS bidding above the Gline. Looking for some advice. I am at ~80% in CAT. If I put avoid statements in my bid group (departure & arrival times) to make the trips a little more commutable does this significantly increase my chances of less days off? Looking at the awards on 737 EWR last month, most line holders ended up with 16+ days off. Being that it is difficult to commute in day of from DEN anyway should I remove these restrictions to reduce the chance of a 12-13 day off line? Just looking to see what guys bid to maximize days off. Thanks in advance!

Everyone does it different. So ask 10 guys you get 10 different answers.
Also I've found that senior guys or junior if they have something that works nobody is giving it out b/c it could screw up their bid. That said I'd make want lists and wish lists and see what happens. After a few months you should be able to see what is available around your %

Sorry that's not much help.

I would use the Bid Analysis Tool (BAT) extensively. It is one of the icons above the bid where the clipboard lies. I always deliberately build a line with AVOIDs for the things I want that tend to go senior (ie high prod/commutable) and run it through the BAT. That way I can see if i'm making any mistakes with what I tend to reasonably hold. Then of course I take out the AVOIDs just in case a senior trip falls my way.

As for commitability and EWR 737, you will drive yourself nuts try to do commutable and junior. Prob don't have to tell you that one CB over Eastern PA at 1 pm can cause your crappy but commutable 4 day to end at the crash pad in Elizabeth very easily. If your willing to work weekends and swallow a few nights in the crash pad, you will probably be better off.

Award Work
Waive min days off
Bid for what you don't want and you'll be successful in getting what you want.:D

PBS bidding question...
 

Thank you! I appreciate the info.

Every Avoid creates a smaller pool of trips that PBS can pick from so it's a constant trade off. If they allowed 100 bid groups you could easily use them up with all the permutations. It's a good thing there are only 20. That said, if you Avoid early shows and late returns for a commute then give PBS more flexibility to build a line. One way is to Waive the default min days between work blocks from 2 to 1 (Waive Day Off, then Min Days Between Work Blocks, then 1). It can be painful, two unproductive 4 days separated by only one day off, but for some that's worth it to not be on reserve. And as thin as trip trading has become, it can still be done enough to help, but only if you have a line.

Also, after you've asked for late shows and early returns, add bid groups that only ask for one then the other then neither. For super junior you have to incrementally drop the Avoids until you essentially have no Avoids and Award Work as your last bid group. If it can build you a line earlier, it will. If it can't then you've got to give it a final option, as unpleasant as it seems, to not give you denial mode or reserve.

There is no max days off command but you can build a BG that does just that.

AWARD, Trip Average Credit Per Day, =>, 8:00, Highest
AWARD, Trip Average Credit Per Day, =>, 7:30, Higher
AWARD, Trip Average Credit Per Day, =>, 7:00, High
AWARD, Trip Average Credit Per Day, =>, 6:30, Neutral
AWARD, Trip Average Credit Per Day, =>, 6:00, Low
AWARD, Trip Average Credit Per Day, =>, 5:30, Lower
AWARD, Trip Average Credit Per Day, =>, 5:00, Lowest

This will, by definition, give you max days off for your seniority, by giving you max productivity for your seniority. Other Waives, Sets, and Avoids can be used ABOVE this sequence as desired to broaden or tighten the number of trips in the pool and the flexibility of PBS to award them.

If your base has longer trips you can start this sequence at a higher number. For instance, EWR has 10:57 PVR turns and 9:41 AUA turns. So this sequence could start "=>10:30 Highest" and then work down in larger increments to "=>5:00 Lowest."

However, at 80% this isn't worth the effort, but it might be helpful to the LUAL pilots who find themselves much more senior this month than they were last month.

Hail Mary bid group for the very junior:

Waive Day Off, Min Days Between Work Blocks, 1
Waive, 1 in 7 Day Off in Base
Waive, Double Duty
Award Work

PS, reserve might be better than what this might give you.

That's the same as saying "hey look over here, I'm bent over"

Stupid question.... Does PBS look at Bid Group 1, then if it can't build a line with that criteria does it then go to Bid Group 2, BG3, etc....?