Av8rking

The other thing to consider is quality of life. In your example, you seem to be picking based upon number of slots available. The 717 for example is typically more junior than the other fleets in your bid. If you want weekends and holidays off over aircraft type flown you may want to bid that first. Just something to think about. Obviously if you live in ATL, bid all those ATL slots first. But don’t necessarily bid based on spots available. I promise your overall seniority on the ER will be worse than the 717.

iaflyer

True - but another thing to consider is growth. For example, the 320 fleet has some serious growth coming, while the 717 doesn't have any new deliveries. The 737 has some, but not until next year. [The Lion Air planes expecting to be in service starting Sumer 2023 I think].

So while they may initially be more junior on the 320, lots of upgrades and movement will move them up quickly I expect. 220 would be the same, but less bases to choose from.

gloopy

While your point is technically true, a quick historical review of the McBoeing 8890 of yore tells a different story.

Even when the growth of that fleet stopped, for years there was nothing like it for seniority advancement (and in many cases premium pay as well, and even higher quality schedules/commutability).

The amount of movement in the future looks to be staggering. Those who stay put on a "junior fleet" can often times far out benefit those in a more desirable but growing fleet. People above you bidding out is just as good as airframe growth.

1Taco

If delta chooses to bring the other 40ish 717s out of the desert you could argue that’s growth. Right now we’re only flying 54 of them and not even fully staffed for that. It the rumors hold true and they bring the rest back, that’ll be substantial “growth” on the 717.

AR1978

So in regards to the A320 or 737 out of Atlanta...is either one of them better in the sense of schedule or quality of life?

I read through this thread but rather than resurrect a years old thread I just thought I'd ask here. There's lot of stuff in there about the differences but not much about QOL. The 737 is supposedly a more pilot's aircraft and the bus is more automated with a more comfortable cockpit. I'd say you win either way though. Here is the thread I reviewed: 737 vs 320

gloopy

The "pilot's aircraft" aspect of the 73 is highly overstated. The "more automated" aspect of the Bus is as well.

The 73 is far more advanced from a display/SA/toolbox option. The Bus was designed at the same time as the MD88; its not "new tech" by any means and it has many short comings. You also have to re-learn/re-program old paradigms with minimal training or exposure to while not overemphasizing the trivia of it all. The "law" parameters and triggers take up a lot of attention and time but the non moving thrust levers (and what makes things happen behind the scenes) are 100 times more important to learn. The 73 is WAY more pitchy on final (anyone that tells you it flies on rails is gaslighting you). The Bus has a roomier flight deck and that is cool. But its not "life changing" as some like to pretend. The 73 usually has some better trip options and it pays more. The 800 and 900 are different rates but only by about a dollar. The 321 pays 900 pay but the 320 pays about 10 less. Both are a "growing fleet" and both have attrition off the top of the FO list regularly.

IMO they're functionally equivalent with a slight edge to the 73 due to usually slightly better trips, slightly better pay and slightly better relative seniority/advancement. That said, they're both well within "the margin of error" so if I was making that choice right now I'd let relative seniority after 6, 12, 24 months (taken from the most current available snapshots) be the tie breaker unless someone literally shops at the big and tall store, in which case the Bus probably wins out. They're both great choices and there's simply no way to pick the one that's clearly better.

TED74

I doubt anyone is pretending. If you’re 5’6”/150 with no back issues, it could very well be completely irrelevant. But if you’re a big fellow and/or have flexibility/mobility/ortho issues, six hour transcons in a Next Generation 737 can quickly become quite miserable. Add on the additional 737 noise (or requirement to wear an ANR headset) and I’m not surprised when some people think the Airbus is life-changing.

Tiki09

I’m coming off a pretty hands on airplane to the bus. While it’s rewarding to work hard and fly a plane well that needs the work, the bus doesn’t and it’s awesome. Program the FMS and press the “I believe” button and it’ll do the rest. It probably pays less because it’s less work to fly it. There are subtle cues that’ll bite you if you don’t know what you’re looking for but that’s the stuff they harp on in training. I think there’s still room for “skill expression” if that’s something you care about. That’s my 2 cents as someone new to the airplane. No regerts.

DWC CAP10 USAF

No Ragrets

bode

Not even a single letter?