Frequently Asked Questions
About BidPro
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1. What is BidPro
BidPro is a program that can help you sort your bid choices to get the schedule that best fits your busy family,
work and leisure schedule!
To find out more about BidPro,
click HERE.
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2. What is required to use BidPro
To use BidPro, you need to have a Windows computer. BidPro can run on any modern version of Windows, including Vista,
XP, 2000, NT, 98, etc.
If you have a Mac computer, you still MAY be able to use BidPro.
BidPro does NOT run natively on the Mac OS but you can still use BidPro if you run Windows on your Mac.
You may consider running Windows natively (Boot Camp), or virtually (Parallels or VMWare).
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3. Who can use BidPro
If you are an active American Airlines crewmember, you can use BidPro
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4. How much does BidPro cost
A license to use BidPro on any two computers you choose costs $99.95.
BidPro is available for immediate purchase.
Click HERE to download the FREE trial of BidPro, and purchase the program
instantly at any time!
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5. How do I purchase BidPro
Before purchasing BidPro, you'll need to install the latest program version on your computer.
To purchase BidPro:
1) Start BidPro.
2) Click on CANCEL when the bid sheet profile screen appears.
3) Go to the top of the BidPro screen, click on the Help menu, and choose Purchase BidPro.
4) Click on the PURCHASE BIDPRO button.
5) Fill in the information requested in the next few screens.
Installation, Setup, Licensing
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1. How do I install BidPro
BidPro is installed by downloading it's installation program from our web site. Click
HERE to download the installation program
for the latest version of BidPro.
Notes:
1) If this is the first time you've used BidPro, start the program and follow the instructions to register for your
free trial.
2) If you have previously purchased BidPro, after installing the "trial" program, you'll just need to transfer your program license
to your computer. Please read the answer to the question, "How do I re-install BidPro or install BidPro on a second computer"
for more detailed information.
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2. Can I get an installation disk
Installation disks are not provided and are not available.
BidPro is installed by downloading it's installation program from our web site. Click
HERE to download the installation program
for the latest version of BidPro.
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3. How do I re-install BidPro or install BidPro on a second computer
To re-install BidPro or install it on a second computer, please follow these instructions.
If you have not already done so, please download and install the latest program update from our web site.
Click HERE to download the installation program
for the latest version of BidPro.
After this update is installed, transfer your program license to this computer. To transfer your program license:
1) Start BidPro.
2) Click on CANCEL when the bid sheet profile screen appears.
3) Go to the top of the BidPro screen, click on the Help menu, and choose Purchase BidPro.
4) Click on the PURCHASE BIDPRO button.
5) Select the option, "( ) Transfer my paid BidPro subscription to this computer."
6) Enter your employee number and account password.
Your account password is initially set to the email address address you used when you signed up for the free trial.
If you have changed your password through your online information page on our web site, you should enter the password you selected.
Click HERE to view your account information.
Your username is AA followed by your six-digit employee number, for example, AA123456.
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4. HELP! My program license has expired
If you have not used BidPro recently on a computer, the computer's stored BidPro program license may have exipred. After this
happens, only basic program functionality is available. Features like sorting, elimination, printing and browsing are only available
when a valid program license is available.
To regain full functionality, you'll need to transfer your program license back onto the affected computer.
To transfer your program license:
1) Start BidPro.
2) Click on CANCEL when the bid sheet profile screen appears.
3) Go to the top of the BidPro screen, click on the Help menu, and choose Purchase BidPro.
4) Click on the PURCHASE BIDPRO button.
5) Select the option, "( ) Transfer my paid BidPro subscription to this computer."
6) Enter your employee number and account password.
Your account password is initially set to the email address address you used when you signed up for the free trial.
If you have changed your password through your online information page on our web site, you should enter the password you selected.
Click HERE to view your account information.
Your username is AA followed by your six-digit employee number, for example, AA123456.
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5. HELP! I've used BidPro on more than two computers
Your BidPro program license allows usage on any two computers you choose within a 30-day
period. If you use BidPro on more than two
computers within a 30-day period, any additional program usage will continue,
but only basic program features will be enabled.
If you think you have received this message in error, please contact contact support
to reset your program license.
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6. HELP! I can't access BidPro's sorting and elimination settings
Features like sorting, elimination, printing and browsing are only available when a valid program license is available.
If these features are not available on your program, one of the following is possible:
1) You have not yet purchased BidPro.
2) Your program license has expired.
3) You have used BidPro on more than two computers within a 30-day period.
Please refer to the appropriate FAQ question, above, for more information.
Using BidPro
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1. How do I configure BidPro to use a bid sheet
It's easy to configure BidPro to use the bid sheet file you want to use.
Start BidPro. The first screen that appears shows the available bid sheet profiles and the bid sheets that are available.
Bid Sheet Profiles
If this screen shows either "No Files Present" or does not show the bid sheet file you want, click on the Modify button
and check that the profile is configured to match the bid sheet file you want to use.
Configure a bid sheet profile
Configure the crew information tab to match the bid sheet file you want to use. Then, when you click on Ok, you can see bid
sheets that are currently available. Select the bid period you want to use, then click on Ok to open that bid sheet file.
Open a bid sheet
If there are no bid periods listed, continue reading the answer to the next FAQ question.
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2. How do I download a bid sheet
It's easy to download a bid sheet with BidPro.
First, configure BidPro to use the correct bid sheet file. If you need help doing this, please read the previous FAQ question.
Next, download the bid sheet. Once BidPro has been configured with the correct bid sheet information, all you need to do to download
a bid sheet file is to click on the "Download" button.
Download a bid sheet
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3. How do I submit the sorted selections to HIB: Pilot
Pilots may submit your bids by uploading a bidding file through the
aapilots.com web site.
The aapilots.com web site allows you to upload
your bids from a bidding file that's been saved on your computer.
1) Save BidPro's sorted output to a file
Click on BidPro's icon to save the bids:
Click on the save bids icon
When the next screen appears, double-check the highlighted areas to be sure they are correct, then click on Ok.
Save the bidding file
2) Login on aapilots.com
Click HERE to go to the aapilots.com web site.
Login to the site with your user account and password.
3) Proceed to the simplified web-bidding area
Follow the appropriate links on the web site to proceed to the bidding area. As a shortcut, you can click
HERE to go directly there.
Once in the bidding area of the web site, you'll see a screen that looks similar to:
aapilots.com bidding page
Click on the "WebBid: Simplified Bid Sorting"
link on the right side of the screen, as illustrated below:
Click on WebBid link
4) Prepare for bid submittal
Type in your DECS personal mode password, select the appropriate items, then click on "Load Bid Sorting Output File", as illustrated below:
WebBid bid submittal, step 1
5) Select and load the bidding file
WebBid bid submittal, step 2
Step 1) Type in the name and location of the bidding file, or click on the "Browse" button and select it. A
common name for the bidding file is "C:\BIDDING\BIDS2.DOC"
Step 2) Click on the "Load Bidding File" button to read the bidding file and send your bids to the company.
6) Review the submittal
Review the bid submittal to verify it contains the selections you want to bid, then click on the "Close" button.
WebBid bid submittal, step 3
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4. How do I submit the sorted selections to HIB: Flight Attendant
Flight attendants may submit your bids by uploading a bidding file through the
aaflightservice.com (via jetNet) web site.
The aaflightservice.com web site allows you to upload
your bids from a bidding file that's been saved on your computer.
1) Save BidPro's sorted output to a file
Click on BidPro's icon to save the bids:
Click on the save bids icon
When the next screen appears, double-check the highlighted areas to be sure they are correct, then click on Ok.
Save the bidding file
2) Login on aaflightservice.com
Click HERE to go to the aaflightservice.com web site.
Login into jetNet with your user account and password.
3) Proceed to the simplified web-bidding area
Follow the appropriate links on the web site to proceed to the bidding area. As a shortcut, you can click
HERE to go directly there.
Once in the bidding area of the web site, you'll see a screen that looks similar to:
aaflightservice.com bidding page
Click on the "Third Party Bid Upload"
link on the right side of the screen, as illustrated below:
Click on third party bid upload link
Follow the directions located on the third party bid upload page:
Follow directions on third party bid upload page
4) Prepare for bid submittal
Type in your DECS personal mode password, select the appropriate items, then click on "Load Bid Sorting Output File", as illustrated below:
WebBid bid submittal, step 1
5) Select and load the bidding file
WebBid bid submittal, step 2
Step 1) Type in the name and location of the bidding file, or click on the "Browse" button and select it. A
common name for the bidding file is "C:\BIDDING\BIDS2.DOC"
Step 2) Click on the "Load Bidding File" button to read the bidding file and send your bids to the company.
6) Review the submittal
Review the bid submittal to verify it contains the selections you want to bid, then click on the "Close" button.
WebBid bid submittal, step 3
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5. Relief bidding
BidPro can help you enter relief bidding preferences. You can have a default relief bid preference that will be added to every
bid selection, you can set a relief bid preference for an individual bid selection, or a combination of both.
To configure BidPro with a default relief preference, start BidPro. The first screen that appears shows the available bid sheet
profiles and the bid sheets that are available. Highlight the bid sheet profile you will be using, then click on the Modify button.
Modify a profile
Click on the Relief tab, and select one of the items as your default relief bid preference. The default relief bid preference will
be added to each bid selection. You can always change the relief bid for any individual selection regardless of what the
default relief bid preference is.
Choose a default relief preference
The relief preference choices are slightly different for pilot and flight attendant bidding. This screen shows the relief preference
choices for a pilot.
When the default relief preference is set as shown above, each bid will be saved with a "R1" code. For example:
1987 R1 or 1987 P123 R1.
To change your relief preference for an individual selection, browse through the available selections. The relief bid choice
for each individual selection is shown in the lower right-hand corner of BidPro's status bar:
BidPro's status bar
The example above shows a relief preference of 1 (R1) for the selection that is in view. To change the relief preference for an
individual selection, click on the words, "Relief: 1" on the status bar and a menu will appear with the relief preference
choices available:
Change a relief preference
Click on the appropriate item to change your relief preference for the individual selection.
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6. Vacation Bidding: How to get the most days off
It's fair to say most people try to maximize the amount of days they could have off when bidding with a vacation. By default, this
is what BidPro assumes when you specify that you have a vacation in the bid month. To have BidPro help you to get the most days off
when you have a vacation, do the following:
Start BidPro, open a bid sheet, then open the sorting settings screen.
Click on the "Reserve & Vacation" tab, then click on the "Vacation" setting. Enter the actual days you
have vacation. When you're done, the setting will look like this:
Vacation days off settings
When you sort the bid selections, BidPro will consider the number of days off surrounding your vacation when sorting,
and place those selections with the most days off surrounding your vacation towards the top of the bidding list.
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7. Vacation Bidding: How to minimize use of the vacation bank
If you want to minimize the impact a vacation will have on your vacation bank, you easily configure BidPro to help you,
but there are a few more steps you need to go through.
Start BidPro, open a bid sheet, then open the sorting settings screen.
Click on the "Reserve & Vacation" tab, then click on the "Vacation" setting. Enter the actual days you
have vacation.
Adjust the "weight" for the vacation setting to 0 (zero). You need to adjust the weight to 0 (zero) to tell BidPro not
to place any importance on the number of days off you'll have with your vacation.
Finally, click on the "Vacation Bank Used" setting.
When you're done, the setting will look like this:
Vacation days off settings
When the vacation settings are configured in this manner, BidPro will consider the amount of vacation bank hours that are used because
of a vacation, and place those selections with the least amount of vacation bank hours used towards the top of the bidding list.
The current version of BidPro does not consider or adjust for a vacation that drops more hours than exists in your vacation bank.
Future versions of BidPro may this.
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