If you have been using the old link to the SkyNet Bid Package page (which is plastered all over the internet on various Flight Attendant web sites, computer browser favorites, Jumpseatnews, Facebook pages, etc.) then you may be arriving at the wrong bidding page.  You need to use this new link here.

The Bid Packages for May are on the old link, but the bid packages for June are on the new link.  This means that if someone is not paying attention, they could download the wrong bid package. Yeah, I know that it says 'May' on the bid pages, but people may miss those titles.  Really.

So…

If you see this screen, you are at the WRONG bid package area. 

If you see this screen, you are at the CORRECT bid package area. 

To skip my rant below and get the bid packages now, click this link.  You can also access the bids anytime by clicking on the Bids link on  the right side of the Jumpseatnews pages.  This will take you to the correct bid package page.

<BEGIN RANT>

This situation is irritating as hell.  For a few reasons:

1. All anyone needed to do was either place a redirect (on the old bid package page) so that the visitor would always automatically arrive at the new bid package page.  This is a simple line or two of code and would have prevented major headaches and incorrect bid submissions for people who link directly to the bid packages.  Since about 1995 or so, it"s been general practice on them internets to want to avoid broken links as much as possible, whenever possible.  This is really a five minute page adjustment (or at the very least a clear notice on the page.  Yes, there was a notice up for bit on Unimatic Front Page news, but that’s not enough to notify everyone trying to accessing the Bidding page.).
2. It is not some web page that provides Flight Attendant corporate messages or Go Team Go! information as to what color/stripes the Facts of Five ribbons are this month.  Rather, it is the gateway page that flight crews use to arrange their monthly bidding schedules.  And this page is, well, kinda important.  This is all the more reason to use a simple redirect if pages are going to be moved around.
3. We have a lot of links on Jumpseatnews. This is the nature and basic function of the internet.  We put them there because it’s helpful for people to quickly get to what they are looking for in places like SkyNet (and elsewhere) without needing a map, a compass, and an electron microscope. When these hyperlinks break, people blame us, instead of realizing that it was the destination site that broke them.  Again, it’s the responsibility of the destination site owner to make sure that they have a plan in place for not breaking pages when they are moved around - especially important ones like the Bid Packages.

<END RANT>