In The Beginning...

The first incarnation of BidPlus was put on display in Denver back in 1986. At that time, our primary goal was to develop a program that would allow flight attendants to approach the tedious chore of bidding more efficiently . We had plenty of constraints. CompuServe was not yet on the property, and UAL was not equipped to handle the process of downloading schedules. Consequently, we were forced to enter the Denver domicile bid package into the computer by hand ... a process that took us about 20 hours to complete! By contrast, today we are able to download, process, and post the bid packages for all 20 domiciles in about 45 minutes!

When the bids were ready, we rented a hotel suite across the street from the Stapleton Airport, rented a Lincoln Town Car, had magnetic signs made up and placed on the sides, and began shuttling flight attendants to our new "office". This was the first opportunity for any flight attendant to bid by computer! The available computers at that time were painfully slow, but the experience allowed us to explore the possibilities of bidding via software.

The Problem...

Each month, UAL makes the bid packages available to flight attendants for bidding. This is accomplished in two ways. One, by making the paper bid packages available in each domicile. Second, by posting the bid packages in CompuServe for the purpose of downloading.

Unfortunately, the bid packages posted in CompuServe (and occasionally the paper bids) contain numerous errors including missing IDs, mis-calculated flight times, incorrect monthly titles, missing holiday indicators, data from other domiciles, etc. At the present time UAL does not posses the ability to validate the data that is posted in CompuServe. That means that users must attempt to make the most out of the available information, right or wrong. Even the paper bid packages in your domicile contain errors. It's for this reason late IDs are frequently added, or even worse, your bids are re-issued.

Other bid programs do not possess the ability to validate the information you rely on to bid. Only BidPlus does this. In fact, it's our data validation process that brings a great many errors to the attention of United. So, if you're not using BidPlus  Millennium to do your bidding, you're already at a serious disadvantage.

The Solution...

Our approach to this problem was to develop a method to validate the data prior to posting the bids. To meet this challenge we developed a separate program that completely reconstructs the entire bid package mathematically. This allows us to keep tabs on every single component of every single bid package. One major benefit this process offers our users is the ability to bid by just about any components or criteria you can imagine.

Additionally, we are able to take the three major components of the bid package, the LOFs, Key pages, and cover letter, and compress them into one convenient file. This provides a much smaller file size and a very efficient download (saving you time and money). Our users are able to access this information through the program with the simple click of a button. There is no need to un-crunch, de-arc, or unzip. You just click.

When this information is combined with our unique (and patented) selection logic, you are provided with a powerful approach to bidding that offers unparalleled control, ease of use, and flexibility. All of the information is displayed in a format that you are already familiar with and easily managed. Even our display technology is patented.

The speed with which you can bid will astound you. The entire process of downloading the bids, selecting and editing lines of flying, applying position bids, legalities, etc., and submitting your bids is done in minutes not hours ... and without any paper. Get more detailed with your bidding, do it faster and with more control than you ever thought possible!