GucciBoy

There are more 4- and 5-leg days on the 717. But that's all personal preference.


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ImissXJ

Any new info on a possible MSP 737 base?

DeltaCat

Good question, I've heard that rumor too in the 73N fleet on the line but nothing definitive. Any "insiders" with inside info out there?

Kjazz130

NoDeskJob, Before you choose walk through the procedures trainers in OC2. You will see what they look like and you can decide what you like. It really doesn't matter...you're still at Delta.

phoenixc130

There were 10 of 12 given a CJO, not 12/14. One more accepted a 14 March invite and 1 decline. 3 awaiting words from 16 July.

MikeF16

TL: DNR? 717 = long days, crappy layover locations, lots of legs, very early wake-up and/or very late arrivals at destinations. Lots of earning potential.

I flew the 717 as a fairly senior FO in NYC and am now a fairly junior FO in ATL, here are my impressions of the trips and why they aren't very attractive. While in NYC as a senior bidder, I flew quite a few "normal" workdays. Get up at a reasonable time, fly 1 or 2 legs, and then arrive at my layover at a time early enough to get dinner and/or drinks. Almost all my layovers were in major metropolitan areas. Not sure if the bottom of the pecking order up in NYC had that luxury, nor am I sure if that is still the case for the higher seniority guys since I left in November as schedules change often. Of course the big negative was commuting to NYC to cover all 3 airports. That is a separate misery all it's own which I won't get into in this post.

What I have found about ATL 717 (roughly half the 717 fleet) is most of the bid package stinks through and through (LAX flies lots of legs, but they have MUCH better layover locations, and DTW is a very small base). Sure, there are a couple outliers but even the more senior guys typically get a minimum of 3 legs a day, often 4 or 5. The worst part is most of the trips you either find yourself waking up at 0330-0430 to get the jet back to ATL in time for the breakfast push or you are arriving at Po-dunk USA after 11pm. We have no red eyes which is good and we have quite a few 30 hour layovers which sound good on the surface but for the most part suck (long explanation to follow, feel free to skip the next 4 bullets). So why do 30 hour layovers suck?

1. Most of our 30 hour layovers are to very small towns, so there is very little to do on your day off.
2. 30 hours means you arrive very late AND leave very early the following work day, so even on your day off in between you can't go out too late since the following day's wake-up is so early.
3. Due to our 5:15 avg daily guarantee, a typical 4 day trip with a 30 hour layover will be worth 21:00. To make up for the day off in BFE-USA, scheduling will have 6-8 hours of block allocated to the other 3 days of the trip to minimize the credit. In the 717, if you are getting 6-8 hours of block that means you're working 10-13 hours. Yeah, yeah, I know you guys eat up 13 hour days right? .
4. If you have a side business that uses 1200 baud internet speeds or love hotel gyms with a broken elliptical, a 1980s treadmill, 35 lb dumb-bells, and a torn-up all-purpose unpadded bench then disregard the 1st 3 bullets, you'll love it!

I still prefer driving to work for my crappy 4 day ATL trips than JSing to my "luxury" NYC trips. Also as it currently stands, there is no plane a brand new FO can earn more money on than the 717. Due to low manning there are a lot of premium pay trips available. If you're one of the time-off guys, then that doesn't apply. If you're flexible and want to earn, there is no other plane here with as much opportunity (at this seniority level).

RagsF35

Thx for posting. Very informative, especially for a military guy with no 121 time.

It sounds like you describe the life on a regional guy except he's getting paid appropriately for the hard work at D. Although, I think most folks are coming to D to get off the rgnl lines.

MikeF16

Exactly.

Glad I could help as my post was definitely geared to the mil guys who aren't familiar with 121. Nothing we do here is hard, but the days are long and I'm always tired and weary when I finish my trips. That said, my back feels way better now than it did in the military, I don't look like I was just thrown in a pool at the end of a flight, there is no email, no face time, no annual performance reviews, no awards packages, no mandatory fun, and most importantly: the reward for more work is more pay .

RagsF35

+++1. Amen!! I'm sure I'll feel naked the first time I walk to the jet without having to wear all that crap.

phoenixc130

Could anyone shed any light on the life on a new 737 FO? How much reserve to expect and/or how many hours to expect a month out of NYC?