mtb67

What does SC and LC Reserve life look like for a New Hire (times, days/months, usage, etc)? I live 3.5hrs from DCA so I assume I would need a place to stay while on SC. Would a 73 get a line faster and therefore reduce the SC reserve pain?

JulesWinfield

You have to cover 3 airports, so that can suck. Long call, you will fly more, but you’ll have a better chance of getting the trips you want in open time by proffering for those. At that distance, I would do long call. Reserve isn’t bad here.

airbusflieger

I'm sorry you're on the 737 ;-) (kidding, welcome).

Bid long call (12 hour callout) to aleviate anxiety about making sign-in time.

First, update your apps with United. You will earn millions more over a career, and at IAD you will have a single base to cover, and have everything from narrow body domestic to wide body international at one base for an entire career.

Also, the brains left AA with Kirby... no vision at AA and until the regional airline mentality low wattage bulbs depart, this place will operate like a foundering ship.

So, update weekly with UAL.

IAD has very early starts for the 737. There are starts on the 737 in BWI as well.

DCA is the heart and has the most starts for both fleets.

You will be on the hook in the begining until you have the seniority to whittle down which airport you want to fly out of as a lineholder by bidding your monthly bid.

On reserve, you have no control over which airport, but my Magic 8 Ball tells me in a short time you'll be able to bid a line.

I just flew with a guy out of DCA with 18 months on property and has nearly 2k below him in the system and spent about 2 months on reserve in DCA, FWTIW.

Both the 737 and 320 are similar in seniority with the Airbus pulling ahead being slightly more senior at this moment. The word is out among the legacy AA pilots that the Airbus is not a scary wildcard and is a far nicer airplne to fly and are begining to bid off the 737. IMO, the trend to the Airbus being more senior will continue.

Update your app at United.

Otterbox

Meh, UAL has a 2.5hr call out limit and random conversions to short call an unlimited # of times per month (eventually getting limited to 6). Living 3.5hrs away, I'd just bid short call and "report promptly" at AA.

As far a line. DCA at United seems pretty stagnant, while AA has monumental retirements causing rapid moves up the seniority list in DCA.

IF someone wants to fly WBs out of DCA then UAL is the choice, but 3.5hrs puts them commutable to PHL or CLT as well and AA has a much better commuter policy.

Zerosilver84

I live 3.5hrs from DCA and I'm PHL based(4.5hrs if I drive) . Trips are better.. One airport.. And can get LC by your 2nd/3rd month there. Oh and it's only airbus. Covering 3 airports sucks especially in the DC area.. DCA/IAD are doable with the metro.. But Bwi no thanks! It's like EWR in nyc.

Sliceback

Which direction from DCA? South (CLT) or north (PHL) comes into play. West? Good luck. Crash pad the first couple of months of SC while on probation. Bid LC ASAP. SC almost allows goes to the juniormost pilots because it's tough on commuters or if you have a longer drive.

c402fr8er

In 2 years here, bidding reserve by choice most months, I've flown zero trips out of BWI, and 3 trips out of Dulles, and 2 of those were by choice (PR). FWIW, I live west of DC, 20 minutes from Dulles and 45 from DCA. I leave my house at the exact same time for both airports since it takes an extra 20+ minutes to get from the employee lot to the gate at Dulles versus DCA.

Think I've "missed" my sign-in twice on short call. Told scheduling on my way in I was running late, but up-front parking would save 20 minutes. They didn't care.
So I didn't. "Promptly available" is the greatest reserve language out there.

Zero pushback and haven't talked to the chief since my 9 month review.

MstrAv8r

3.5 hours is a long way away for a reasonable report time in an SC callout. Seems like you would have the potential to get called into the carpet in short order.