Yes, seriously
You want a more fair system? Please describe how it would work? What is fair to some might not be fair to the rest. How do you make it more fair and exclude the DECs as you seem to want? When does someone start to be important enough to have a "privileged roster" at a company? Is it after probation, 1 year, 2 years, or maybe 4 years of service??? Seniority is pretty straightforward to understand, at least for most. As previously pointed out, our vacation bidding is a socialist system. Everyone should enjoy getting some good choice of leave that your true seniority probably can't hold.
Here is why the company can't return to the fair allocation system used previously: ASR's regarding fatigue. If you look at ASRs prior to PBS implementation there were a significant number dedicated to fatigue related issues with rosters every month, probably around 20% if I were to hazard a guess. After looking over the last two months batches of ASRs, guess how many ASRs mentioned fatigue. Come on, take a guess! ZERO! Not a single ASR mentioning fatigue. What that says is that the system is astoundingly better than what we lived under for the last 4+ years. But please, go to the CP meetings, schedule time with the COO and tell them they are wrong and this system doesn't work. Please tell them that the 5 year guys who started the airline, did proving runs, sat around on 15 standbys every month during the first year have not earned ANYTHING. Maybe you should enlist the help of crew planning in your quest for a fair system
The original pilots are not special, seriously, just a bunch of nice average guys like most at this company. The difference is they were hired first! Everyone comes after them, it's called SENIORITY! At this company when an FO upgrades they get to keep their place on the master list. Do you have any idea how much that torques off the DECs? Maybe the DECs will protest enough to change that system to make it more fair?? You can't change one aspect and not expect it to affect another aspect of the system. Example: remember that genius survey to split vacation bidding into two parts during the year? Sounded great until the full plan was made clear that we would have to bid 3 weeks before the end of June and 3 week post June!
Disclaimer:
I like our vacation bidding system just the way it is.
FOs have earned their place on the seniority list and it doesn't matter what seat you sit in, date of hire is date of hire.
PBS IS AWESOME!
