Definition
A monthly schedule of flight assignments published by an airline, listing the available trip sequences (pairings) that pilots and flight attendants can request for the following month based on seniority.
Plain English
A list of the next month's possible flight schedules that crew members choose from, ranked in order of seniority.
Context Anchor
Seen in airline, charter, and company flying environments when pilots select or request their next schedule.
Derivation
From 'bid,' meaning to make an offer or request, and 'package,' meaning a bundled set of items. Together, the bid package is the bundle of trip options crew members bid (request) from each month.
Why Pilots Care
The choices made from a bid package directly determine a pilot’s flying schedule, time away from home, and pay for that period.
Intuition Check
Do not read “bid” here as an auction or a money offer. In this context, a pilot is ranking or requesting schedule choices.
Example Sentence 1
The November bid package came out yesterday, so the pilots spent the evening reviewing the trips before submitting their preferences.
Example Sentence 2
Seniority often determines who receives the most desirable lines from the bid package.