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By the end of this guide, you will have reviewed open trip bids from crew members, approved or denied bid requests, and understood the full crew bidding workflow.
The Operations module must be enabled for your workspace. You also need the appropriate operations permissions. Contact your workspace administrator if you cannot access these features.
Placing bids requires any crew role with crew.read permission. Reviewing and approving bids requires crew.update permission (typically Chief Pilot, DO, or Admin).

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Prerequisites

  • Your workspace must have the Operations module enabled.
  • At least one trip must exist with a status that allows crew assignment.
  • Crew members must have active status and current qualifications.

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How crew bidding works

Crew bidding lets pilots and other crew members express interest in upcoming trips. Instead of top-down assignment, dispatchers and chief pilots can open trips for bidding and review crew preferences before finalizing assignments. The workflow follows these stages:
StageWho actsWhat happens
OpenDispatcher / AdminA trip is published for bidding with a bid deadline.
BidCrew memberCrew members place bids on trips they want to fly.
ReviewChief Pilot / AdminBids are reviewed against qualifications and availability.
ApprovedChief Pilot / AdminThe winning bid is approved; other bids are denied.
DeniedSystemNon-selected bids are marked denied with optional feedback.
Open the Operations sidebar, expand the Crew group, and click Bids. Breadcrumb path: Ops > Crew > Bids The bids landing page shows a list of all open bid requests with filters for trip, crew member, and status.

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Place a bid (crew member view)

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Step 1: Open the Place Bid page
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From the bids landing page, click Place Bid or navigate to Ops > Crew > Bids > Place.
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Step 2: Select the trip
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Choose an available trip from the list of trips open for bidding. Each trip card shows the route, dates, aircraft type, and bid deadline.
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Step 3: Add bid notes (optional)
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Enter any notes about your availability, preferences, or constraints relevant to this trip.
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Step 4: Submit the bid
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Click Submit Bid. Your bid appears in the bids list with a Pending status.
You can view your complete bid history at Ops > Crew > Bids > History. This page shows all past bids with their final status (approved, denied, or expired).

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Review and approve bids (manager view)

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Step 1: Open the bids list
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Navigate to Ops > Crew > Bids. Filter by trip to see all bids for a specific operation.
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Step 2: Review crew qualifications
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For each bid, verify the crew member’s currency status, duty time availability, and aircraft qualifications. Click the crew member name to open their profile in a new tab.
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Step 3: Approve the winning bid
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Click Approve on the selected bid. The crew member is assigned to the trip and receives a notification.
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Step 4: Deny remaining bids
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Non-selected bids can be denied individually with optional feedback, or denied in bulk when you approve a winning bid.
Before approving a bid, confirm the crew member has no expired currency items and sufficient duty time headroom under 14 CFR Part 135 Subpart F. The system validates qualifications at approval time, but reviewing the Crew Intelligence dashboard first prevents surprises.

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View bid details for a specific trip

Navigate to Ops > Crew > Bids > [Trip ID] to see all bids placed against a single trip. This view shows:
  • Crew member name and role
  • Bid submission time
  • Currency status summary
  • Weekly duty hours remaining
  • Bid notes

Manage Crew

Add crew members and manage certifications that affect bid eligibility.

Use Crew Intelligence

Check currency, duty time, and fatigue risk before approving bids.

Manage Crew Time Off

Review time-off requests that affect crew availability for bidding.

Crew Scheduling Reference

Bid statuses, time-off types, duty time rules, and scheduling constraints.
Last modified on April 11, 2026