British Airways Direct Entry Pilot
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: UK
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however our current numbers go up to 4700 or so because as mentioned earlier, the numbers haven't been updated since pre covid (2019 iirc).
roster bidding in a nutshell:
you put together Your bid through a number of algorithmic commands. It gives you 8 "buckets" to put all the trips into, which you have to achieve within 40(?) commands. The top bucket is the trips you really want to do. The bottom bucket is the trips you really want to avoid. It helps to be a computer programmer to use the company system, but we have a 3rd party app that makes it much easier a small charge. So you can choose anything you like - destination, flight number, days off, region, report time, 2/3/4 pilot trips, right down to a single flight that your mate is going to be on.
The computer then crunches the numbers, and comes out with the best roster for pilot#1,. and so on down the list until the very bottom. Needless to say, by the time the system gets to the bottom pilots it only has unpopular trips on unpopular days - but it still does it's best.
Then, because the system inevitably hasn't covered 99.5% of the work, it unlocks all the rosters and messes then up again to squeeze more work in.... recently this process has been messing up the rosters right the way to the top of the list.
once these processes are all complete the rosters are published. Once that happens it's all but written in stone.
I honestly can't complain. I'm very junior on my fleet (LH, >95% off the top) and even I get some variety. I get most of the days off I need (unless they are weekends but we have 6 "golden days" a year to guarantee days off way in advance for birthdays, anniversaries, weddings etc). I never knew the old system so can't compare but it works well enough for me considering my position as a bottom feeder.
that's not really the promised nutshell... but the bidding system is a type rating all on its own!
edit to add the rosters are normally published around 7th to 10th for the following month with a sneak preview available a few days earlier.
Last edited by White Van Driver; 3rd Dec 2022 at 19:34.
Join Date: May 2003
Location: warwickshire
Age: 42
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estimated right now 3900 on the list.
however our current numbers go up to 4700 or so because as mentioned earlier, the numbers haven't been updated since pre covid (2019 iirc).
roster bidding in a nutshell:
you put together Your bid through a number of algorithmic commands. It gives you 8 "buckets" to put all the trips into, which you have to achieve within 40(?) commands. The top bucket is the trips you really want to do. The bottom bucket is the trips you really want to avoid. It helps to be a computer programmer to use the company system, but we have a 3rd party app that makes it much easier a small charge. So you can choose anything you like - destination, flight number, days off, region, report time, 2/3/4 pilot trips, right down to a single flight that your mate is going to be on.
The computer then crunches the numbers, and comes out with the best roster for pilot#1,. and so on down the list until the very bottom. Needless to say, by the time the system gets to the bottom pilots it only has unpopular trips on unpopular days - but it still does it's best.
Then, because the system inevitably hasn't covered 99.5% of the work, it unlocks all the rosters and messes then up again to squeeze more work in.... recently this process has been messing up the rosters right the way to the top of the list.
once these processes are all complete the rosters are published. Once that happens it's all but written in stone.
I honestly can't complain. I'm very junior on my fleet (LH, >95% off the top) and even I get some variety. I get most of the days off I need (unless they are weekends but we have 6 "golden days" a year to guarantee days off way in advance for birthdays, anniversaries, weddings etc). I never knew the old system so can't compare but it works well enough for me considering my position as a bottom feeder.
that's not really the promised nutshell... but the bidding system is a type rating all on its own!
however our current numbers go up to 4700 or so because as mentioned earlier, the numbers haven't been updated since pre covid (2019 iirc).
roster bidding in a nutshell:
you put together Your bid through a number of algorithmic commands. It gives you 8 "buckets" to put all the trips into, which you have to achieve within 40(?) commands. The top bucket is the trips you really want to do. The bottom bucket is the trips you really want to avoid. It helps to be a computer programmer to use the company system, but we have a 3rd party app that makes it much easier a small charge. So you can choose anything you like - destination, flight number, days off, region, report time, 2/3/4 pilot trips, right down to a single flight that your mate is going to be on.
The computer then crunches the numbers, and comes out with the best roster for pilot#1,. and so on down the list until the very bottom. Needless to say, by the time the system gets to the bottom pilots it only has unpopular trips on unpopular days - but it still does it's best.
Then, because the system inevitably hasn't covered 99.5% of the work, it unlocks all the rosters and messes then up again to squeeze more work in.... recently this process has been messing up the rosters right the way to the top of the list.
once these processes are all complete the rosters are published. Once that happens it's all but written in stone.
I honestly can't complain. I'm very junior on my fleet (LH, >95% off the top) and even I get some variety. I get most of the days off I need (unless they are weekends but we have 6 "golden days" a year to guarantee days off way in advance for birthdays, anniversaries, weddings etc). I never knew the old system so can't compare but it works well enough for me considering my position as a bottom feeder.
that's not really the promised nutshell... but the bidding system is a type rating all on its own!
Perfect thanks
Join Date: May 2018
Location: london
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offer does not necessarily allow for three months notice; request can and have been made to reduce as much as possible
Join Date: May 2009
Location: somewhere in the middle
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With Euro Flyer on the MSL, i cant see balpa batting it away forever - expect it to be sold off for an extra 2" on the long haul pre departure sandwiches and lots of "fantastic news! Well done Balpa!" Type posts on the forum.
Join Date: Jun 2008
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What does the capacity test look like, any tips?
If I remember rightly last I heard it was some ATC instructions you had to retype, maybe some number calculations, and also some systems that needed monitoring..
Any advice here or on PM appreciated.
Thanks,
If I remember rightly last I heard it was some ATC instructions you had to retype, maybe some number calculations, and also some systems that needed monitoring..
Any advice here or on PM appreciated.
Thanks,
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: uk
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Ability test is same a capacity test.You have a long list of instructions to make the correct input.
Read this carefully,the invigilator will emphasise that once you finish,to sit and wait until everyone has finished.
Someone close to me was last to finish as they had read the instructions slowly and carefully.
Result,positive
Read this carefully,the invigilator will emphasise that once you finish,to sit and wait until everyone has finished.
Someone close to me was last to finish as they had read the instructions slowly and carefully.
Result,positive
