Spdbrd

Per the September seniority list, the most junior FO in a Florida base (excluding VPS) is a 12/06/21 hire in FLL. Most junior FO in SFB is a 10/04/21 hire. So while BeRealistic may be off by a month or so, I don’t think it fair to call them (or anyone else posting on here) a liar - they paint a pretty accurate picture.

With current attrition, yes, the bottom slot in a Florida base *may* be attainable in less than a year, but as everyone here with more than two months on property knows, that is not a desirable place to be, even if you live in base. It’s also not guaranteed, and the present lack of any growth should be concerning to anyone junior who doesn’t yet hold the base they want. All that being said, I very much hope you make it to your base of choice sooner rather than later.

tailendcharlie

And we haven’t even talked about getting junior-assigned onto the 737 & displaced to a base of their choosing…..

Be Realistic

Easy there tiger, That data was pulled straight from the September seniority list. I'll admit that I did not look at the last bid award, but what is your motivation for the anger level? Management stooge? The person had specifically asked about SFB - extremely senior, and will take a very long time to hold. They also need to be aware of the suck that is junior man in base (involuntary TDY, Limo all over the state, movement of reserve days etc), so settle down. Your only motivation for such a strong post is that someone is telling you what to write (June hire you've barely hit the line yet) or you are management and if the latter, don't lecture me on lying.

Margaritaville

The bottom 40% of the seniority list is bailing and the bottom 20% is a revolving door. But you already know that you're just being a hyperbolic wiseass like usual, Josh. Senior captains like yourself aren't going anywhere, therefore anyone who decides to stay rises to about the 50%-40% seniority level and stops. Which is what I said. Now do you have anything useful to contribute?

No, the large bases are a pyramid scheme. Because senior guys like yourself aren't going anywhere, so nobody stuck at the bottom will ever get the quality of life you enjoy. Not that you care about anyone hired after you.

The problem with the small bases is that unless you get in on the ground floor when the base opens, it has the same problem. Or mid seniority people move in above you because they're tired of all the blockers above them in their large base, and realize they can be super senior there, then the movement stops there too. But you know that.

Junior guys are bailing out because they realize this isn't the place to spend the next 30-40 years, and every legacy is basically hiring anyone with a pulse. The candidates we should be recruiting are middle aged guys who live in a small base city. They would love it here and will stay.

Margaritaville

That's some mighty strong rhetoric for someone on probation who has literally been on the property 3 months. Are you even on the line yet? Or are you a liar?

If you'd been here longer than 3 months, you's know that being the bottom b!tch in a large Florida base is being sentenced to hard labor, especially in SFB. They'll find something to assign you ever single on call day (up to 20 days a month) and put your butt in a "limo" (actually a Hyundai that reeks of weed) for a 3 hour trip to another base to fly a trip that overnights somewhere, at the airline that doesn't do overnights. SFB is the catch all rescue base for the entire southeast. The absolute worst place to be junior in either seat. Junior defined as bottom 50% in your seat and likely to sit reserve at least 2 months out of the year and get TDY'd as well.

trvsmrtn

My G4 story

I was a Jul ‘21 new hire and I live just south of PGD. I was initially awarded ABE and immediately involuntarily TDY’d to LAS for Nov and Dec (I found out about my TDY the day of my LOFT so I literally had not even finished training before I was TDY’d). I took a red eye home after my LOFT and I had just sat down on my couch at 10am when training was calling to schedule my observation flights and DH to IWA for OE starting the following day. I was 3rd most junior in my class and one of the last to finish training, but I think they were trying to rush me through to be ready for TDY; several classmates sat at home for a month before starting OE. I got the CPs involved so that I could have 2 days off.

I was ABE based for Jan and Feb and I got reserve schedules that were absolutely uncommutable. Fortunately, there were a lot of drop days so I took big chunks of days off so that I could go home. I finally got PGD in March and I’ve been on reserve since. I didn’t see a drop day in PGD until Sep. Thats a big deal because reserves can’t adjust our schedules without drop days, unless other FOs are willing to trade. So if you need a day off, the CPs will tell you to call out sick, but then you end up on the suspicious sick call list.

I had a week of vacation in July, which only happened because I bid for my vacation while ABE based, and I should’ve gotten a flying line that month, but I was told that I bid wrong and so a guy junior to me got a line instead. I’m hopeful to finally have a flying line in Oct, but with so many junior guys leaving, who knows?

In Apr and May I did have a lot of days where I didn’t get used, but the pain really began in June. With the thunderstorms and ramp closures, guys were getting PPSKd from flights or calling out fatigued left and right. I only had to ride in an LL about 4 times to or from other bases because I was being used so much in my base. I have been used all but 3 reserve days in Jul and Aug. Scheduling does not care about your sleep patterns or circadian rhythm. Another reserve here just had a block of R330s and on the last day they assigned him a trip with a 1645 show time (they notified him 2 days prior). While in LAS for TDY I would have R330 for 3 days in a row, then a day off and then an R19 to cover red eyes for 2 days, followed by a day off, and back on R330.

Im optimistic that my pain is almost over because I should be in the top 60% in PGD come November, but that could quickly change with attrition, talk of base consolidation, and the 737s. If I get bumped from PGD, I’m out.

Captainfit2

Is VPS, CVG, or IND senior or junior?

tom11011

VPS has become senior. 12 FOs from there have Captain there as their first choice. 7 FOs from other bases are waiting to get in.


CVG can be had, it’s not super senior but not junior either. But only 1 FO is currently looking to bid in from outside. I would say less then a year.

IND is similar to CVG, I think a year of less.

I think all new hires can expect a stint of 6-12 months in one of our less desirable bases such as DSM, ABE, FNT, or ATW.

Spdbrd

To add to this: IND currently has 5 FOs trying to bid in. At least 1 should get it in the next vacancy bid with an effective date of Feb 1st 2023. Predicting when bases will have openings is a moving target owing to seasonality of flying, attrition, lack of growth etc. but a year or so seems pretty normal for *most* bases. That being said, in some bases you’ll be at the bottom of the list for a long time (all of FL and IWA especially).

310skying

Unless you want to fly a caveman’s airplane… then you can have IWA summer 2023