Beware of Rostering system trials!
As background, QF initiated a trial of a Preferential Bidding system in 1986 ish and it is still going. It is the subject of much scrutiny and debate amongst the Pilot body and it appears that it will have significant changes forced upon it in the near future.
Personally I was surprised that Cathay instituted a Preferential Bidding system but on thinking about it I think I know why.
Previously all Pilots in Cathay were united against the company when it came to inefficient rostering practices. When you introduce the preferential system, the Pilots at the bottom do the !!!! and the Pilots who have been in longer get the goodies. This creates animosity and turns Pilot against Pilot. Good ploy by Cathay as previously they copped all the flak. Now they will appeal to the greed, which unfortunately exists in nearly every Airline Pilot I have ever met, to turn it into a Pilot to Pilot issue. Very clever!
Share the flying (Trips) and share the reserve and whatever you do, don’t allow a system to be introduced that creates an envy environment. It makes it extremely difficult to unite a Pilot body on rostering issues.
Want to know how difficult? Ask any QF A330 Pilot about the !!!! fight currently going on with “Integration / Interleaving” on that Aircraft type. If the Pilots shared the flying and the reserve there would be no issue. Unfortunately, some on the Aircraft see things as “Theirs”. How ridiculous, no one owns the flying except the Company.
Hasten with caution is my advice to you folks at Cathay and consider all of the consequences. Seniority exists for promotional purposes alone, not so that one bloke can have every say in his working life and another bloke has his dictated to him.