Bid Package Preparation
Bid Package Status

The BidPlus bid package must go through a certain amount of preparation before it is available to you. Please note, the paper bids in your domicle go through a different process then the bids online. The paper bids are processed and then sent to the printer sometimes up to a week before hand. But the schedulers continue to do work on them right up until the last minute. This quite often results in the missing IDs that are frequently taped to the wall at your domicile, or the last minute changes that are posted on the DIS pages in Unimatic. So even though the paper bids might be available at your domicile early, they are not always the best source for accurate bids. And the paper bids have nothing to do with the timing of the release of your online bids.

The BidPlus bids start out as the same files that are posted online for anybody to download. We begin the process by downloading the bids for all 14 domiciles. We run the bids through an automated data validation process that is designed to check for things like missing holidays, mis-calculated flight times, missing IDs, correct bid package for the month and domicile, etc.

We take these corrected bids and convert them to the BidPlus format. Once that process is complete, we then combine the lines of flying, key pages, cover pages, and BidPlus monthly newsletter all into one convenient file. That file is then posted on our web site and can only be accessed and utilized by the BidPlus program. This processing actually ends up creating much more useful and manageable data for you to work with. Once you take a moment to understand how the program actually works, you will see that the need for paper bids has virtually been eliminated.

Here is an example of the difference:

The paper bid lines of flying (and the Lof's up online) are basically a static document that offers a lot of information, but no way to manage any of it other then reading it by hand.

In order for you to view any of the IDs that are displayed here, you need to either search for the IDs through the key pages, or if you downloaded them, you need to open up a separate file containing that information and then print it out it order to make it useful. As you know, this can be very time consuming.

By contrast, BidPlus will display the entire LOF and all of the IDs it contains on the same screen. The converted BidPlus format allows you to simply point and click on a particular ID in the LOF, and that ID will be displayed automatically at bottom of the same screen. You also get other advantages such as being able to have your holiday pay and estimated paycheck amount displayed for every LOF, as well as automatically determine whether an XSC line is an E or Y. The need for paper bids is virtually eliminated.