Introduction 

Creating a current bid 

In this topic, we review how to create a bid in the current bid period. 

We estimate that this will take 15 minutes to complete.

Detailed Explanation 

Let's review how you can submit a bid for the current bid period. 

Click the Bids tab.

This is the default screen and is what you will see when the system has no bid groups configured. 

Award Pairings are days when you are flying.

Reserve Bid Groups are days when you are on standby and not flying. 

Click the Add Bid Group button.

We will select the pairing bid group as our first choice. 

Click Pairing Bid Group.

Click the Apply button.

Notice that award pairings is now shown here. 

HINT 

It's best to place your negative bids (situations that you don't want to do) at the top; this helps to remove pairings you do not want to fly. 

Click Prefer Off.

For the purposes of this training, the primary situation that we don't want to do is to fly on a weekend. 

Click Weekends.

Click the Apply button.

Line 2 is now shows this preference for not flying on a weekend. 

HINT 

Things that you don't want to do (negative bids) are shown in gold like this:

 

Click the Back To Prefer Off  button.

If you use Reset All, it ensures the "prefer off at weekends" option remains active. For the purposes of this training demonstration however, let's add another bid preference that does not build on this first filter. 

Click the Reset All button.

Let's do another example of a "prefer off" bid.  

Click Prefer Off.

Let's imagine that there are certain dates that you want to have off, for instance February 9, 11, and 24. 

Click Dates List.

Click 09.

Click 11.

Click 24.

Click the Apply button.

Note the 9th, 11th and 24th are specific dates you want off (not a date range).

Let's reset the filter and clear the bid preference. 

Click the Reset All button.

Let's add another filter that avoids pairings with certain attributes. 

Click Avoid Pairings.

In this example we are going to bid to avoid pairings that have an average daily credit of less than 6 hours. 

Click Average Daily Credit.

Click the - Select - dropdown button.

Let's set up the logic for your Average Daily Credit preference. Note that IF is the default condition. 

Click the Less Than < list item.

Let's use a Less Than condition. You could also use any of the other conditions to designate a preference. 

Click the Hours input field.

Press the Backspace key.

Enter 6 into the Hours field.

Click the Back To Pairing Check-In Time button.

Let's now add another attribute to the bid line, by adding a layover filter. 

Click Layover.

We are going to add a preference for layovers that are less than 12 hours in duration.  

Click Of Duration.

Click the - Select - dropdown button.

Click the Less Than < list item.

Click the Hours input field.

Press the Backspace key.

Press the Backspace key.

Enter 12 into the Hours field.

Click the Apply button.

Line 4 (in gold again as it is a negative bid) summarizes this bid preference. 

Click the Reset All button.

Now we can add positive bids, that is, pairings that we do want to fly.

HINT 

You don't have to add positive bid preferences, but we recommended that you do. If you don't add positive bids, the system will build you a schedule with the remaining pairings left in your pool, which may not be exactly what you want. 

Click Award Pairings.

Let's add pairings that depart on Mondays and/or Tuesdays as our preferred departure dates. 

Click Depart On.

Click Days Of Week List.

Let's select the day of the week, not the calendar date this time. These are shown in dark blue like this:
 

Click Mo.

Click Tu.

Click the Apply button.

The line numbers for positive bid preferences display in green. 

We can now add another bid preference for the purposes of this training.

Click the Reset All button.

Let's add another award pairing. 

Click Award Pairings.

Let's imagine that we really like having a layover in Miami, so we will add this preference. 

Click Layover.

Click Stations.

Click the None Selected dropdown button.

For the purposes of this training demonstration we have scrolled down to locate MIA in the list for you. This isn't standard system functionality. 

Click the MIA list item.

Click the Apply button.

Once again, the preference is added. 

We are about to submit our bid preferences and although it is not required to, best practice is to reset our bid preferences before submitting the bid group. 

Click the Reset All button.

This green circle indicates that we are online with the server. You can only sync when the server is online.

This save button  stores the bid preferences to the device that you are using.

ATTENTION 

If you are using a shared device (for example a computer or tablet that you access in an airport which is not your own), saving to the device won't help you in the long-term. (You won't necessarily be able to access this device again.)

It is best practice to submit your bid preferences to the server.
 

This is the submit button  and the best way to save your bid preferences!

Click the Submit button.

SUCCESS 

Congratulations! The bid is submitted to the server and a unique confirmation number displays for each submission.

BENEFITS 

The benefit of submitting as you go along is that each time you submit, you overwrite the previous submission, which effectively saves your preferences. 

Click the OK button.

Let's now add another line. To add additional lines, we need to click on the "hamburger" menu.

Click the button.

Click the Insert Below menu item.

Let's add an instruction to the system to move on to the next bid group. 

Click Instruction.

Use this option to tell the system that if it was unable to build a schedule based on this bid group, then it should clear all current bid preferences and move on to the next bid group. 

Click Clear Schedule and Start Next Bid Group.

Click the Apply button.

We are now adding our second bid group. 

This is another way of doing the same thing. 

Click the Add Bid Group button.

Click the Apply button.

The second bid group is now shown here. 

Click Set Condition.

Credit Windows can define a range of hours in which you must fly. By defining a minimum credit you are opting to fly as little as possible and will be at the bottom of the credit window when schedules are created.  

Click Minimum Credit Window.

Click the Apply button.

Click Prefer Off.

In this example, we will select a range of dates to prefer off. 

Click Dates Range.

Select the first date in the range. 

Click 09.

Select the last date in the range. 

Click 12.

Imagine a scenario where you want to have the 9th through the 12th off for a holiday. The system will try to give you those dates. If it can't give the entire range, it will give you as many days as possible, deducting the last date in the range. In this case, you may have the 9th through the 11th awarded.

 If you would prefer the system award the 10th through the 12th, you can select Reverse Range Priority. Choosing this option, the starting dates in the range, rather than the end dates, are deducted from your preference.

For this example, we will reverse the range priority. 

Click Reverse Range Priority.

Click the Apply button.

Click the Reset All button.

Let's look at a a set of bid preferences set up to avoid check-ins before a specific time. 

Click Avoid Pairings.

Click Pairing Check-In Time.

Click Time.

Click the - Select - dropdown button.

Click After >. This designates pairings that start after a specified time.

Click After >.

Click the Hours input field.

Press the Backspace key.

HINT 

You can use either the up and down arrows or type a value in the input fields. For this example, we will enter the value.

Press the Backspace key.

Enter 10 into the Hours field.

Click the Back To Pairing Check-In Time button.

Your Check-In time updates in the Pairing Bid Group list. 

Click the Back To Pairing Check-In Time button.

Click the Back To Pairing Check-In Time button.

Use this option to tell the system that if all the pairings from the bid preference do not meet the criteria, then start the next bid group.

Click Else Start Next Bid Group.

Click the Apply button.

Click the Reset All button.

You've now created a bid group that requests February 12 through to 9 off with the 9th being most important to grant, but if the request cannot be fully granted, the system will attempt to grant the request from the 10th, and so forth. If the system cannot avoid pairings that check in after 10:00 am. If it cannot do this, the system moves on to the next bid group. 

Let's give a preference for which days we want to depart on.  

Click Award Pairings.

Click Depart On.

Click Days Of Week List.

Click Mo.

Click Tu.

Click the Apply button.

Click the Reset All button.

We've now added a bid line that only awards pairings that depart on Mondays and Tuesdays in February. The crewmember's seniority dictates if these awards are possible.

And now, let's add another preference for a layover location. 

Click Award Pairings.

Click Layover.

Click Stations.

Click the None Selected dropdown button.

As we did previously, let's set Miami as our preference.  

Click the MIA list item.

Click the Apply button.

Click the Reset All button.

We have now added a bid preference to award pairings if they include a layover in Miami. 

Let's now add preferences for a reserve bid group, in case the previous two bid groups we set were not successful.

Click Add Bid Group.

Click Reserve Bid Group.

Click the Apply button.

Click Prefer Off.

Click Weekends.

Click the Apply button.

Click the Reset All button.

We've now set a bid group which attempts to award weekends off once all of the previous bid groups are run. 

Click Prefer Off.

Click Dates List.

Click 09.

Click 11.

Click 24.

Click the Apply button.

Click the Reset All button.

Click the Submit button.

Click the Submit button to complete the bid and sync with the system.

SUCCESS 

Congratulations! You submitted your bid and you have a unique confirmation number. 

Click the OK button.