Riverside

very interesting. Never seen a CA bid for new hires for 2 plus years.

JTwift

well, it’s kind of a new thing in the new contract.

GoCats67

Interesting times indeed!

Confluence of events but mostly growth due to reclaiming RJ flying and large intl expansion.

Right now we have 2900 WB FOs system wide on the 777 and 787 fleets. Plus senior FOs in EWR especially on the 67 fleet that are getting top FO pay for the 764. Many have lived in those seats on much less pay during previous years, so now have no difficultly living comfortably in that seat on the higher pay. The seniority to hold a line as a 37 Captain is usually just slightly higher than the seniority to hold a line as a 787/777 FO (varies by base) but when you look at the junior lines that those respective folks have as far as a schedule goes it is just not close.

I did several years as a 747 and then 777 FO and my sim partner from New Hire school back in the day was a 737 Cap (both of us in ORD) I would look at his schedule and my schedule after the bid awards every month, every time it reminded me that I was good right where I was. Now I am 49% on 756 Cap and I would still only be 23% on 787FO , 65 pilots senior to me in ORD as 787 FOs. If I didn't live local, I would prob be with them.

So, the good news is we are big and growing so there are really good opportunities wherever you look. Not all of them are for everybody, but there is a pretty good chance that you will fnd what works for you!

Serious first world problem, (but I know it is a problem for some) if you are young and have some 121 time under your belt when you get hired there is a good chance you are going to be a Captain on the 737 somewhere. The good news is that with all the movement it seems that most every base (IAH yes, MCO prob not) will be available for laterals within the first year, so by the time these folks are trainined as Captains at least they will be at the Base they want.

fostro

Wow, this is great news, hope this continues. UA is a force, I'm a bit in shock at how big this company is.

In Unity...

FADE

I'm in a class that starts relatively soon and have seen that the most recent classes are heavy on IAH and ORD 737s (I'm not elibile for new hire CA). I'll be commuting to either of those options and the commutes seem relatively similar (4ish hours with 4 flights per day). Only difference is that the times into and out of ORD seem slightly more commutable. Assuming I'm not able to get another base, are there any big differences that would make me want to lean one way or the other between these 2 options

Excargodog

Four hour commutes with four flights per day is a pretty ugly commute, especially for some one on reserve. Since your go to option is always the NEXT TO THE LAST flight that will get you there on time, infrequent connections almost invariably mean you'll need to get to your base hours earlier than the flight. If you get EITHER of those bases you probably ought to be working a base swap as soon as possible to a closer and/or more frequently served base, unless you are planning to move to one of those two bases.

Turbosina

I commuted for a while to both of those airports. ORD in the winter is such a dumpster fire that I would choose IAH without hesitation.

JTwift

in addition to this, IAH is bigger (flying/people wise), so you likely have more opportunity to pick up a trip to control your own destiny while on reserve.

PK387

Seniority’s probably going to be better in IAH too

airbusflieger

Is it true the recent class drop included 737 captain slots?

I'm with American.

Thanks, AF