FLY6584

Well this is actually what I ended up working in July...

I have not actually flown a single trip this entire summer that was originally awarded to me. I have traded out of every one of them.

TexanDriver

Yeah, good luck trading trips at DAL unless they're already over your previously awarded days. You may be able to trade a 5 day for a 4 day, but you wouldn't be able to swap a 4 day over the weekend, to one on the week due to our reserve coverage.

Scooter432

I thought you posted that you turned down you DAL interview. Why the change of heart? Contract negotiations?

FLY6584

I changed my mind and rescheduled it. We can't even get a contract close to what your management offered to you guys recently. Our retirement and upgrade time is seriously lacking. And if we buy somebody else my 10-15 year upgrade could turn into a 20+ year upgrade.

freezingflyboy

For most of this month I've had a swap request in to trade a 4-day for a 4-day starting one day later. Been denied for the entire month. You guessed it: capped reserve days. This is on the 7ER.

I know, it's just one data point. But I have found schedule flexibility to be very limited especially this summer.

NoDeskJob

It really depends on the fleet and base.
I'm 88 in ATL. Can not drop/swap out of weekends; there is no coverage for ANY day of the month! And of course no one is going to take your new hire trip over a weekend.
Looking at 737 in ATL though, they are in the green for almost the entire month of August (when I checked at the end of September). So in that fleet you would be able to drop/swap with ease.
As far as predicting weekends off as a line holder....it would only take 1-1.5 years in NYC on the 73, and about 3-4 years in ATL. Totally depends on the base and fleet

Dirtdiver

Working 12-13 days, no weekends, commutable trips is 767-400/A330/777 territory. That takes about 20-25 years for the right seat, 28-30 left seat.
Delta is rapidly becoming a narrow body airline.

Elmer Fudd

Delta has NYC Captains with less than 2 years seniority.

If that's your bag.....grab it.

If you want to hang out on a wide body.....go elsewhere.

Think 10 or 20 years down the road.

Your family comes before any stupid airline job.

Do what lets you sleep at night.

Sputnik

I think you are high to even consider punching on a job you can drive to for one where that will never be a possibility. That said...

Im ATL 88B. Commutability is not an issue to me, but it would not be difficult for a jr lineholder to get a line commutable to TPA. Keep in mind there are a million commuters from there, but then again they make it work.

Comparing my sched to yours. I need 15-16 days a month for a full sched. In theory I could give stuff away (and pay) but in reality, not possible. The sched you showed where you moved all weekend flying to all weekday flying is possible in theory at DL, but not in execution since I've been here. By our scheduling formula, just not possible to drop days.

We pay more, you may have more chance to upgrade. Im not sure your day to day QOL as a commuter would be better. But thats in your eyes

notEnuf

Yeah, that ain't happenin' here. Good luck with your decision. There's always room for one more on the reserves available list.