How are international layover flights assigned to pilots?
All international layovers are assigned automatically by the system. The auto roster assigns international layovers on the basis of bids received, and rotational seniority. Once all the requested bids are granted, and if there are still some layovers remaining, a fair assignment is done to pilots who appear most suited to undertake those layovers in terms of roster stability, crew pairings, etc. For the purpose of equalization of international layovers the following guidelines are followed:
• The system does not accept a bid for an international layover if the pilot has undertaken an international layover in the preceding ‘XX’ days. The number of days (‘XX’) is dependent on the base, the number of international layovers in that base and the availability in that month of international trained crew. So, the number ‘XX’ varies with the base by rank and by month.
• If a pilot attempts to bid before the gap of ‘XX’ days has elapsed, then the PBS would generate a message for the pilot that his/her bid is not accepted.