Prepare Yourselves… 2024 AEs
06-06-2024, 02:53 AM
#821
Moderator
Joined APC: Jul 2006
Posts: 5,807
Woof. Based on your post here I decided to take a look at the NYC 73 bid pack for July. Dang. What happened? Looks like old -88 trips. Lot's of touching ATL too. Tons of Florida stuff as well as in and out of LGA (bleck). Seems the only decent trips I saw in my curosry glance was UVF, but that's all out of EWR. Looks like 73NA in NYC is about to get REALLY junior. Who'd want to fly that crap? Yuck. Have a buddy on it, he's very senior, he's going to bid off it to 330A. He'll have very very good seniority there as well. He loved the carribean flying. Pretty much all he did. He said after April, May and June he saw the writing on the wall. He's out.
That's seems to be true for most bid packets right now. April through July have been some of the worst bid packets I've seen. We're seeing a fair amount more of 4 leg days and way more trips through ATL...woof! Just went through there on my last trip, painful! I know summer sometimes brings that out, but it's generally not this bad. Your only hope is dumping your trips and picking up 0xxx trips, but even those are fewer because they're able to assign more and more bid packet trips to reserves. Crap staffing has made dumping my trips harder, but still manageable here and there.
06-06-2024, 05:49 AM
#822
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Dec 2007
Posts: 5,599
Always has been.
I don't know, when I was talking with my 73 buddy the other day I mentioned he might want to wait a bit. Once they start littering the carribean airports with broken airbi, there might be a change
. He always thought the reason the NY 73 guys had a capture on that flying was the crazy reliability of the 73. It just goes and goes and goes. I guess network has a different idea. Whatever, not in my wheelhouse.
For you I would get to the WB stuff as quickly as possible. It's a whole other world. I know some say they don't like it becasue they can't sleep, or timezones, or whatever. I've been doing it for a long time and I'll tell you time zones (other than coming from Asia back to USA) aren't a big thing for me. Those 4 leg bangers for 3 days + in the -88 (I was younger then) took more out of me than an int'l trip does that's for sure!
Regardless, I've been here awhile. Network is always swapping flying around. That is one constant. When I talk to junior folks I remind them of this. BES seniority drive lots of things as you know. Sometimes one has to look at like it's just a job, and in a few days you'll be home again. How much you're home depends on you and your seniority in your BES.
I don't know, when I was talking with my 73 buddy the other day I mentioned he might want to wait a bit. Once they start littering the carribean airports with broken airbi, there might be a change
. He always thought the reason the NY 73 guys had a capture on that flying was the crazy reliability of the 73. It just goes and goes and goes. I guess network has a different idea. Whatever, not in my wheelhouse.For you I would get to the WB stuff as quickly as possible. It's a whole other world. I know some say they don't like it becasue they can't sleep, or timezones, or whatever. I've been doing it for a long time and I'll tell you time zones (other than coming from Asia back to USA) aren't a big thing for me. Those 4 leg bangers for 3 days + in the -88 (I was younger then) took more out of me than an int'l trip does that's for sure!
Regardless, I've been here awhile. Network is always swapping flying around. That is one constant. When I talk to junior folks I remind them of this. BES seniority drive lots of things as you know. Sometimes one has to look at like it's just a job, and in a few days you'll be home again. How much you're home depends on you and your seniority in your BES.
06-06-2024, 06:15 AM
#823
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Oct 2017
Position: 737 A
Posts: 1,032
Once the NEO takes a route, with its improved efficiency over a 737-900, I cant see them switching back. Only saving grace is the 737 MAX but I don't think I want to wait around for that. With 25 years+ to go I don't want to jump to a pure WB category too early so the variety of the 7ER category seems to be a good place to hang out for 3-5 years and see what happens fleet wise.
At least these bad 73N bid packs might give me some artificial seniority while I decide on the 7ER.
Since the new plan seems to be a longer than expected run for the 7ER category, any word on reopening bases? DTW or MSP would be huge. I know it’s not happening, but if BOS/MCO/AUS/… people can dream so can I
06-06-2024, 06:45 AM
#824
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Nov 2017
Position: NYC 7ERA
Posts: 2,058
Once the NEO takes a route, with its improved efficiency over a 737-900, I cant see them switching back. Only saving grace is the 737 MAX but I don't think I want to wait around for that. With 25 years+ to go I don't want to jump to a pure WB category too early so the variety of the 7ER category seems to be a good place to hang out for 3-5 years and see what happens fleet wise.
Lot more trip variety. I've been to MEX a ton, but on the ER it's a 1 and done with a 0830 report vs a 2 leg reporting at 0500. But I just did JFK-HNL with a 30 hour HNL layover. (granted day 3/4 of that trip is kind of WTF) and SXM, AUA, LIS and a couple nice charters.
I actually made more money as a 320 CA (NY both fleets) because the 320 manning was so bad, I was rolling thunder at will in the 80-90% range. But on the 7ER I can actually swap with pot, any trip I want to straight drop is gone, even if garbage and I can move RES off days if I need to. The only way to move off days on the 320 was to tactically GS to put a PB day on the day you wanted off.
06-06-2024, 07:32 AM
#825
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Dec 2007
Posts: 5,599
You can't ask for better trip variety than that. My goodness those are some good layovers. 7ER it is
06-06-2024, 08:08 AM
#826
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Sep 2013
Position: On the hotel shuttle
Posts: 5,907
06-06-2024, 08:27 AM
#827
Line Holder
Joined APC: Jan 2018
Posts: 97
Add to that the charter trips, the variety is great and theres something for everyone. Personally I have no idea what I'm going to do when its gone, really a big fan of doing both Europe and domestic, will just have to enjoy it while we can.
06-06-2024, 08:31 AM
#828
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Joined APC: Apr 2007
Posts: 4,614
LAX 350 has both on the same pairing.
06-06-2024, 08:31 AM
#829
Moderator
Joined APC: Jul 2006
Posts: 5,807
I wish, but I highly doubt it. With how many 75/76 we see in/out of DTW, it's crazy they shut it down. It would be great if we still had the fleet.
06-06-2024, 08:57 AM
#830
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Sep 2015
Posts: 180
The quandary of many ER pilots. Don’t want to fly 3-4 international trips /month? Great. Fly an easy 2-leg international and then do a couple domestic or Caribbean/Central America trips. The variety allows for all sorts of flexibility and with enough seniority you can carte blanche your schedule.
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