So I admit I have been really worried about the coming change in PBS because when I look at the awarded lines on the EWR-756 fleet and seat I see a lot of high time lines with many trips back to back, but now that I have had a chance to read through the manual I must say my first impression is highly favorable. I feel the the Jeppesen PBS is far more powerful. For example in the Kronos system I could never tell PBS that I only wanted to work 4 three day trips and limit my line to 12 days and at the same time leave open the possibility of a 4 day trip that head a deadhead. With Jeppesen I can create a bid group that has those characteristics and if it isn't awarded my sub-groups will revert to the 12 day groups.


I think it may be a tough language to learn, but in the end it should be better. I guess we'll see . . .

Any other UAL types take a look at the videos and manuals yet?

 

Agree it was the right choice. It is a better version. As soon as people concentrate on how it works, and not how they think it should work it will be well received. Knowledge is power in this game. Do not feed into the conspiracy theories that believe it singles them out to screw with them. Its a computer it has no heart or sole. It solves a black and white math problem based on what you tell it. Watch the videos and get help from experts, not this forum. Good luck.

 

First off I "feel" I get what I bid for, whatever that means, but if sUAL had something worse holy ****. From what other guys said I thought yours was better.

 

"Garbage in... Garbage out ' comes to mind. It's just as important to put in what you want as what you don't want.

 

The Kronos/UAL PBS is more intuitive. It uses a simple point system. You could say 1000 points avoid All Night Flying and 100 points desire LAX turn. There were no "groups" it just came down to using 1 to 1000 points to prioritize what you wanted. It was simple, but limited if you wanted to get a little tricky. In general, there was no way to build an "if then" or "if not then" logic. The Jeppesen PBS allows this type of logic, but I can see how easily the Jeppesen system can become overwhelming. I'm glad they are planning several test bids so we can all get some practice first. Hopefully, a large enough group will take part in the practice sessions to make it almost real.

 

You'll do well if you learn the Boolean logic and have a clear grasp of what your seniority can hold.

Many pilots can do neither giving rise to an assortment of "conspiracy theories."

 

One warning to all the new users of our glorious PBS system... Take the chance to learn from one of the trainers. If possible get a couple email addresses for those guys. Everyone on the line has a system that works for them but I can tell you that a lot of the guys really don't understand how it works and you can get some pretty crappy results if you are not careful.

Also I have found that the more freedom you give this system the better results you get.

 

It's all about expectations, usually the guys who scream the loudest are the ones who have no idea what their seniority should realistically expect.

 

I can tell you this, a new system, even if you know it, won't fix the crappy flying on the west coast. At this point, it's almost a why bother question on the 757.