A journal by a SkyWest crew member who seeks to better himself on the Preferential Bidding System (PBS) and schedule topics. CN and PN free since 2010!
Friday, November 19, 2010
December '10 Bid's Award & Reason Report
Well, bids are out. I hope your line is better than my own. Gosh darn it, I just want to give up. Sure, one year later and my bid was a lot better but it is all in vain if I can't get what I'm trying to get. It would be easy to blame it all on seniority because that is what this whole system is supposed to be based on, but it doesn't make any sense when you look at my reason report. Not a dang bit of sense by layer 5. Today just isn't my day and I'm in a funky depression overall. Maybe I'll feel better by my 5:30am show tomorrow. Either way, a years worth of bidding, blogging, learning, and calling the PBS helpline and I'm back at square one.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Wednesday November 11th, 2010 Hodgepodge
While we wait for the bids to come out, hopefully tomorrow evening, I've found a couple things worth reading. In my last post I briefly described some of the difficulties we are currently faced with given the UA-CO merger. While I could devote an entire blog to it I'll just let the reader read what I've recently seen.
Here's a recent one that talks about logistics and labor disputes: http://www.theairlinezone.com/2010/11/opinion-70-seat-flying-out-of-continental-hubs-is-risky-2/
Here's one that discusses UA, CO and ASE: http://boardingarea.com/blogs/thingsinthesky/category/skywest/
And of course you can read the juicy, pathetic, deny-jumpseat cry babies (and the minority of courageously responsible men and women) on forums: http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/cal-ual-merger/54580-what-do-about-contract-violation-15.html
Here's a recent one that talks about logistics and labor disputes: http://www.theairlinezone.com/2010/11/opinion-70-seat-flying-out-of-continental-hubs-is-risky-2/
Here's one that discusses UA, CO and ASE: http://boardingarea.com/blogs/thingsinthesky/category/skywest/
And of course you can read the juicy, pathetic, deny-jumpseat cry babies (and the minority of courageously responsible men and women) on forums: http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/cal-ual-merger/54580-what-do-about-contract-violation-15.html
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
December '10 Bid's Strategy in Bidding and Christmas Tree:
Edit 11/17/2010 1:28PM: I should really have my wife proofread everything. It isn't 2009 for those that caught my error.
Welcome to the final month of 2010 or the bid for the last month of 2010 anyway. It has been one heck of a year. This time last year I was ready to throw in the towel with SkyWest. Now, I'm more confident that although things aren't as good as they could be it could be a lot worse. In my opinion, things are getting better. Usually with this blog I only make comments on PBS stuff (since that's what this blog is all about) but there are times when a thing comes along you just have to talk about. The United/Continental marriage has recently turned from the honeymoon phase to the... pissed off phase with Continental flight crews furious that SkyWest will be operating 700's in none other than IAH. The domicile announcement was the straw that broke the camels back and those folks are screaming mad. I wouldn't have imagined it, but one thing that always brings a group together is opposition. I've seen that recently with more and more SkyWest crews become really tight and really taking offense to it all. This year has been turbulent and I don't see any end in sight!
Now, let's talk PBS!
Last year December was one of my prototype months for this blog. I failed horribly! Like last year I am hoping for Christmas day and New Years eve off. There were two real problems with my bid last year that caused me to work both. The first way my overly restrictive bidding. I should have opened up my layers so much further than I did, especially around layers 3-6. My bids have regularly been solving around 50-60% of the pairings. The other was a terrible use of target line credit range in layer 7. Both of those issues are resolved and I'm ready for PBS to give me a better line than last year!
A year later and a year wiser. Now, usually a year's time would have one gain seniority. I've actually fallen in seniority from 58% last year to 63% this year. Not great seniority, but I'll take what I can get! Good luck everyone. I hope you have a merry Christmas and happy holidays!
Welcome to the final month of 2010 or the bid for the last month of 2010 anyway. It has been one heck of a year. This time last year I was ready to throw in the towel with SkyWest. Now, I'm more confident that although things aren't as good as they could be it could be a lot worse. In my opinion, things are getting better. Usually with this blog I only make comments on PBS stuff (since that's what this blog is all about) but there are times when a thing comes along you just have to talk about. The United/Continental marriage has recently turned from the honeymoon phase to the... pissed off phase with Continental flight crews furious that SkyWest will be operating 700's in none other than IAH. The domicile announcement was the straw that broke the camels back and those folks are screaming mad. I wouldn't have imagined it, but one thing that always brings a group together is opposition. I've seen that recently with more and more SkyWest crews become really tight and really taking offense to it all. This year has been turbulent and I don't see any end in sight!
Now, let's talk PBS!
Last year December was one of my prototype months for this blog. I failed horribly! Like last year I am hoping for Christmas day and New Years eve off. There were two real problems with my bid last year that caused me to work both. The first way my overly restrictive bidding. I should have opened up my layers so much further than I did, especially around layers 3-6. My bids have regularly been solving around 50-60% of the pairings. The other was a terrible use of target line credit range in layer 7. Both of those issues are resolved and I'm ready for PBS to give me a better line than last year!
CN Vs. PN, November 11th, 2010
***Updated for relevance 9/13/14.
Once upon a time, I was a SIA representative. I tried to involve my knowledge of PBS in what I did with SIA. Technically, I was a domicile representative but with only 9 seats in SIA the representatives all had to wear all sorts of hats beyond their title. I once submitted an article to try and explain some of the more detailed points of PBS. I'll repost that now so hopefully it will do some good on here. Bid well, sleep well.
CN vs. PN
With each season, our flying fluctuates dramatically in the amount of flying given to us by our major partners. In the winter and the summer months we are given more flying than in the spring and fall. This creates some months in which many people will see bid awards upwards beyond 90 hours and some months where reduced lines and less efficient pairings are more common. Each month our flying sees a similar fluctuation. Truly, no two months are the same. Among the many factors need to understand, that is one of the more important. It is well known that the perfect line can be very difficult to obtain especially during holiday months, but with a little education, and a little better seniority, one can come very close to being awarded an ideal line, if only for what your seniority can hold. With this article I’ll explain what CN and PN pairings are and how best to avoid them.
Once you receive your award after bidding closes, you may see some curious notations above the pairings you were awarded. CN and PN are codes that refer to why you were awarded a particular pairing just the same as P1-7 indicates the layer from which a particular pairing was awarded to you. P1, for example, would indicate you were awarded a pairing from your first layer. Similarly, the N of CN and PN refers to which layer you were awarded a pairing. Being awarded an N means that no complete line could be created within the legalities and standards, your seniority, and your bid's seven layers so the PBS software has to give you a pairing(s) outside of your bid's seven layers to complete your line. To put it into a nutshell, your bid was too restrictive for your seniority.
Contrary to popular belief, CN doesn't stand for Company Need!
After all, the company needs all the flying covered. Right? The C stands for coverage. Many factors figure in your domicile for the PBS software to identify particular dates and pairing as these priority coverage days and trips before the bids are even processed. Pre-assignments such as golden days, vacations, FMLA's, training, recurrent, and other variables can contribute to particular pairings being identified as a coverage pairing. Sometimes you may see C1-7 in your line award. C2, for example, would mean that you bid for and were awarded a pairing that the PBS software had identified as one of these coverage pairing (in this case, awarded from layers 2). Even with the masses of crew members who have been awarded vacation over holidays, coverage pairings aren't isolated to holidays only; However, the holidays are the easiest coverage days to spot since many crew members are awarded particular day or days off. The bitter truth is, CNs can in some situations be unavoidable. Particularly if you are a junior line holder in your domicile.
A PN is similar to a CN in that you bid too restrictive to allow the computer to complete your line within legalities and standards, so the PBS software moves to your N layer.
C1-7 and P1-7 are the codes in your line award for pairings you bid for and were awarded. Those pairing simply had a higher priority.
Unlike CN, PN doesn't have a particular day in mind when it is awarded, it simply means the PBS software had to assign you a pairing(s) to complete your line along with what you had already been awarded in order to meet legalities, domicile standards, and the policy. In cases where your domicile is short or long in staffing, this dynamic process kicks in as is rather noticeable. This optimization will usually drive the junior line holders in such a way that the software will cap line values or require higher than bid (or average) values.
Here is an example. If a junior line holder has been awarded four 4-day pairings by layer seven that pay an average of 20 hours (80 hours for the month) and the software requires a line of no less than 90 hours per crewmember, the software will have to award additional flying (a CN or PN) to bring up the to 90 hours for the month. The PBS software will then look for any other unassigned pairings (PN) or pairings that have a coverage priority (CN) to award to "complete" that line for domicile standards (90 hour lines). Here is a common scenario, PBS could easily give you another 4 day pairing with low credit. And since it had to complete your line in the "N" layer, it disregards every day off and preference you had. Remember, this is outside of what you bid for. In this example, you have a line with 5 four day pairings and a credit value of above 90 hours. This may be a common scenario. PBS is doing its job to coverage all the trips based upon raw seniority. The smaller the domicile, the more pronounced that dynamic process can be.
How can one prevent this? One common strategy that is encouraged is using your seventh layer as your "last resort layer". Remember, if PBS cannot complete a line with all those constraints by your seventh layer... it will then give you anything it wants. By then, PBS doesn't care that you don't like to fly with such-and-such or that you don't like '___' kind of trips. After your seventh layer, if PBS cannot complete a line within all these constraints, it is going to give you something that you didn't bid for. It will give you whatever it wants to complete your line. So, your last layer, your layer seven, becomes a very important layer. It can provide for you a safety net from being awarded something you didn't bid for. Do yourself a favor and make that seventh layer the last resort layer. Bid for lots of trips in that layer make it a real safety net from the trips you would absolutely not fly.
The reality is that PBS is a computer program that is designed to distribute all of the flying every month in every domicile and to do so while honoring seniority and while complying with legalities and while honoring company policy standards. When PBS cannot complete a line within these legalities and standards you're going to get a CNs or PNs. Makes since to bid for lots of trips.
Honestly, the only way to completely avoid CNs and PNs is to bid for 100% of to trips in your domicile. If you bid for everyone of the pairings in your domicile, there is no way that PBS could have to move to the N layer. It would find a means of creating a line, within all those standards, with no problem.
Unless you are on the cusp of a line, bidding for 100% of the trips isn't exactly bidding, right? Bidding takes you wanting certain trips or not wanting certain trips. So, bidding smarter and gain seniority in your domicile is the best way to avoid CNs and PNs in the real world. It should go without saying that bidding smarter for your seniority is vital to the process. Frank Bowlin wrote an article several months ago with the title, "PBS Gives You Seven Layers for Success". The main idea of the article was to bid better overall using your seven layers to their full potential. Better use of your layers is something that is rarely discussed. More often than not, crewmembers simply complain about their line without doing any work to improve it! A better use and understanding of PBS is crucial in maximizing the potential of your bid. Right?! Being too restrictive by layer seven (for your seniority) will always put you in harms way of CNs and PNs.
Of course, each bid is personal and it is all based on seniority, standards, legalities, and variables that fluctuate month to month. It is always recommended that you contact the PBS helpline (801) 258-4541 on the 10th-16th for more detailed and accurate assistance. Other resources include the PBS CBT on eCampus, PBS monthly bid info and FAQs, the PBS user's manual, and PBS online docs all found on SkyWest Online.
Once upon a time, I was a SIA representative. I tried to involve my knowledge of PBS in what I did with SIA. Technically, I was a domicile representative but with only 9 seats in SIA the representatives all had to wear all sorts of hats beyond their title. I once submitted an article to try and explain some of the more detailed points of PBS. I'll repost that now so hopefully it will do some good on here. Bid well, sleep well.
CN vs. PN
With each season, our flying fluctuates dramatically in the amount of flying given to us by our major partners. In the winter and the summer months we are given more flying than in the spring and fall. This creates some months in which many people will see bid awards upwards beyond 90 hours and some months where reduced lines and less efficient pairings are more common. Each month our flying sees a similar fluctuation. Truly, no two months are the same. Among the many factors need to understand, that is one of the more important. It is well known that the perfect line can be very difficult to obtain especially during holiday months, but with a little education, and a little better seniority, one can come very close to being awarded an ideal line, if only for what your seniority can hold. With this article I’ll explain what CN and PN pairings are and how best to avoid them.
Once you receive your award after bidding closes, you may see some curious notations above the pairings you were awarded. CN and PN are codes that refer to why you were awarded a particular pairing just the same as P1-7 indicates the layer from which a particular pairing was awarded to you. P1, for example, would indicate you were awarded a pairing from your first layer. Similarly, the N of CN and PN refers to which layer you were awarded a pairing. Being awarded an N means that no complete line could be created within the legalities and standards, your seniority, and your bid's seven layers so the PBS software has to give you a pairing(s) outside of your bid's seven layers to complete your line. To put it into a nutshell, your bid was too restrictive for your seniority.
Contrary to popular belief, CN doesn't stand for Company Need!
After all, the company needs all the flying covered. Right? The C stands for coverage. Many factors figure in your domicile for the PBS software to identify particular dates and pairing as these priority coverage days and trips before the bids are even processed. Pre-assignments such as golden days, vacations, FMLA's, training, recurrent, and other variables can contribute to particular pairings being identified as a coverage pairing. Sometimes you may see C1-7 in your line award. C2, for example, would mean that you bid for and were awarded a pairing that the PBS software had identified as one of these coverage pairing (in this case, awarded from layers 2). Even with the masses of crew members who have been awarded vacation over holidays, coverage pairings aren't isolated to holidays only; However, the holidays are the easiest coverage days to spot since many crew members are awarded particular day or days off. The bitter truth is, CNs can in some situations be unavoidable. Particularly if you are a junior line holder in your domicile.
A PN is similar to a CN in that you bid too restrictive to allow the computer to complete your line within legalities and standards, so the PBS software moves to your N layer.
C1-7 and P1-7 are the codes in your line award for pairings you bid for and were awarded. Those pairing simply had a higher priority.
Unlike CN, PN doesn't have a particular day in mind when it is awarded, it simply means the PBS software had to assign you a pairing(s) to complete your line along with what you had already been awarded in order to meet legalities, domicile standards, and the policy. In cases where your domicile is short or long in staffing, this dynamic process kicks in as is rather noticeable. This optimization will usually drive the junior line holders in such a way that the software will cap line values or require higher than bid (or average) values.
Here is an example. If a junior line holder has been awarded four 4-day pairings by layer seven that pay an average of 20 hours (80 hours for the month) and the software requires a line of no less than 90 hours per crewmember, the software will have to award additional flying (a CN or PN) to bring up the to 90 hours for the month. The PBS software will then look for any other unassigned pairings (PN) or pairings that have a coverage priority (CN) to award to "complete" that line for domicile standards (90 hour lines). Here is a common scenario, PBS could easily give you another 4 day pairing with low credit. And since it had to complete your line in the "N" layer, it disregards every day off and preference you had. Remember, this is outside of what you bid for. In this example, you have a line with 5 four day pairings and a credit value of above 90 hours. This may be a common scenario. PBS is doing its job to coverage all the trips based upon raw seniority. The smaller the domicile, the more pronounced that dynamic process can be.
How can one prevent this? One common strategy that is encouraged is using your seventh layer as your "last resort layer". Remember, if PBS cannot complete a line with all those constraints by your seventh layer... it will then give you anything it wants. By then, PBS doesn't care that you don't like to fly with such-and-such or that you don't like '___' kind of trips. After your seventh layer, if PBS cannot complete a line within all these constraints, it is going to give you something that you didn't bid for. It will give you whatever it wants to complete your line. So, your last layer, your layer seven, becomes a very important layer. It can provide for you a safety net from being awarded something you didn't bid for. Do yourself a favor and make that seventh layer the last resort layer. Bid for lots of trips in that layer make it a real safety net from the trips you would absolutely not fly.
Honestly, the only way to completely avoid CNs and PNs is to bid for 100% of to trips in your domicile. If you bid for everyone of the pairings in your domicile, there is no way that PBS could have to move to the N layer. It would find a means of creating a line, within all those standards, with no problem.
Unless you are on the cusp of a line, bidding for 100% of the trips isn't exactly bidding, right? Bidding takes you wanting certain trips or not wanting certain trips. So, bidding smarter and gain seniority in your domicile is the best way to avoid CNs and PNs in the real world. It should go without saying that bidding smarter for your seniority is vital to the process. Frank Bowlin wrote an article several months ago with the title, "PBS Gives You Seven Layers for Success". The main idea of the article was to bid better overall using your seven layers to their full potential. Better use of your layers is something that is rarely discussed. More often than not, crewmembers simply complain about their line without doing any work to improve it! A better use and understanding of PBS is crucial in maximizing the potential of your bid. Right?! Being too restrictive by layer seven (for your seniority) will always put you in harms way of CNs and PNs.
Of course, each bid is personal and it is all based on seniority, standards, legalities, and variables that fluctuate month to month. It is always recommended that you contact the PBS helpline (801) 258-4541 on the 10th-16th for more detailed and accurate assistance. Other resources include the PBS CBT on eCampus, PBS monthly bid info and FAQs, the PBS user's manual, and PBS online docs all found on SkyWest Online.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
December '10 Bid's Nuts and Bolts
Welcome to December (Insert scary music).
This morning I have been reviewing the pairings and formulating a strategy for my bid. So do you want to hear the good news or the bad news? Well, let's review the Nuts and Bolts first then we'll get to the craziness.
In December we have:
413 total pairings
246 on the CRJ700
167 on the CRJ200
Pairing length includes:
195 Locals
98 Two-Day Trips
24 Three-Day Trips
96 Four-Day Trips
Okay, now for the good news verses the bad news. The good news is that Jesus Christ's birthday is celebrated on the 25th of December, a holiday known as Christmas. The bad news?
11 pairings start on the 25th.
+6 pairings start on the 24th and continue in and beyond the 25th.
+4 pairings start on the 23th and continue in and beyond the 25th.
+5 four-day trips strart on the 22nd and finish on the 25th.
=25 pairings over Christmas.
What's that all mean? Like it or not, 25 of us in COS will be working on Christmas day. If we use the seniority list and the bid info to see where from the bottom of the line holders will stop (53 targeted line holders minus 25 line holders from there) that means even the 28th in COS is highly likely to be awarded or CN'ed a pairing over Christmas. That's a tough pill to swallow and to be honest, the only hope a guy like me (number 38 in COS) has of being awarded the 25th off is if lots of folks senior to me bid terribly.
Good luck, God bless, and happy birthday Jesus!
This morning I have been reviewing the pairings and formulating a strategy for my bid. So do you want to hear the good news or the bad news? Well, let's review the Nuts and Bolts first then we'll get to the craziness.
In December we have:
413 total pairings
246 on the CRJ700
167 on the CRJ200
Pairing length includes:
195 Locals
98 Two-Day Trips
24 Three-Day Trips
96 Four-Day Trips
Okay, now for the good news verses the bad news. The good news is that Jesus Christ's birthday is celebrated on the 25th of December, a holiday known as Christmas. The bad news?
11 pairings start on the 25th.
+6 pairings start on the 24th and continue in and beyond the 25th.
+4 pairings start on the 23th and continue in and beyond the 25th.
+5 four-day trips strart on the 22nd and finish on the 25th.
=25 pairings over Christmas.
What's that all mean? Like it or not, 25 of us in COS will be working on Christmas day. If we use the seniority list and the bid info to see where from the bottom of the line holders will stop (53 targeted line holders minus 25 line holders from there) that means even the 28th in COS is highly likely to be awarded or CN'ed a pairing over Christmas. That's a tough pill to swallow and to be honest, the only hope a guy like me (number 38 in COS) has of being awarded the 25th off is if lots of folks senior to me bid terribly.
Good luck, God bless, and happy birthday Jesus!