(This applies to Air Canada Mainline only)
PBS bidding for June will open on May 25 at 00:01 and close on May 30 at 08:00. To accommodate the Mitigation bid, the bidding and contesting periods have been reduced. As a result, bidding dates in May (for the June block) will be as follows:
Printed bid packages may not be available for bid open however they will available at the crew centers shortly after. As always, an on-line bid package will be posted on the ACaéronet under Crew Scheduling & Planning > Block Bid Packages.
REDUCED AVAILABILITY IN JUNE
If you are returning from the CEWS or CERB on June 7th then your bidding window/reserve block will reflect your reduced availability for the June block month.
> REDUCED PAIRINGS BLOCK WINDOW:
– June is an 80-hour month.
– If you are not available for the entire block month (return from LOA, WIP, CEWS, CERB, etc.) then your bid window will be reduced by 2:10 for every day that you are not available in the block month (Collective Agreement B5.01.03). This reduction also applies to RBP.
* For example, you are not on a RBP and you are returning from CEWS on June 7th and are available for the rest of the June block month. You are not available for 3 days in the June block month (June 4, 5 & 6). Your bid window will be reduced by 6:30 (3 x 2:10) which would be 64:30 to 73:30 with 11 GDOs.
– Vacation credits for June, if applicable, will be applied as usual.
– GDO Proration and Vacation Credit information are available on the ACaéronet under Crew Scheduling and Planning > Bidding Tools and Information (Blockholder – GDO & Vacation Credits).
> REDUCED RESERVE BLOCK:
– If you are not available for the entire block month (return from LOA, WIP, CEWS, CERB, etc.) then the number of days off will be reduced. This reduction also applies to RBP.
* For example, you are not on a RBP and you are returning from CEWS on June 7th and are available for the rest of the June block month. You are not available for 3 days in the June block month (June 4, 5 & 6). You are therefore available for 28 days in June. You would have 12 days off of which up to 10 may be GDOs.
– Reserve GDO – Day off Proration information is available on the ACaéronet under Crew Scheduling and Planning > Bidding Tools and Information (Reserve – GDO Proration Table).
NOTE: The examples above are generic and may not apply to your specific situation. Refer to the information available in the Collective Agreement and on the ACaéronet.
BIDDING CONSIDERATIONS IN JUNE
When bidding for June there may be considerations to take into account:
- At the time that this bulletin is being prepared the actual flying is still unknown: As with the May bid, you may bid for specific pairings however you may want to back yourself up with bid lines that are more generic (by layover, departure date, pairing length, etc.).
- Should you bid for a block/reserve in June if you have also bid for mitigation: Yes. The results of the mitigation bid will not be known until later in the bid period and having a bid in PBS does not supersede a mitigation bid.
- Increased coverage possibilities:
- The beginning of the June block month: Since anyone returning from CEWS or CERB in the June block month will not be available until June 7th, there may be increased coverage at the beginning of the June block month.
- The end of the June block month: With the extension of the Canada – US border closure to June 21st there will likely be a spike in the flying hours at the end of June as the US flights return to the schedule, much like that experienced in May.
- If you believe that you will be affected by coverage during these (or other periods in the month) then you may consider adding bid lines that allow PBS to award you pairings you prefer if coverage is triggered at your seniority.
- Should you add a Reserve Bid: adding a reserve bid group does not tell PBS that you want a reserve block over a pairings block unless you instruct it to do so. Additional information and reserve bidding examples are available on the ACaéronet under Crew Scheduling and Planning > Bidding Tools and Information (scroll down to see the bulletin: PBS Bulletin 2020-02 – Dual Classification + Bidding Reserve).
- Service Directors required to bid as both SD and FA: SDs who are below the SD seniority indicated on the cover page of the bid package should bid in both the SD and FA classifications. Information on how to do this in PBS are available on the ACaéronet under Crew Scheduling and Planning > Bidding Tools and Information (scroll down to see the bulletin: PBS Bulletin 2020-02 – Dual Classification + Bidding Reserve).
Click HERE for a printable, and downloadable, version of this bulletin.