DaGreenBanana

A few questions:

- How quick to get a line in SFO
- What are junior trips like (i.e. trip length, red eyes, AM/PM swaps, commutable, etc.)
- Is the A320 better for junior peeps

Also, bonus question, do many people commute from Santa Cruz or Pacifica/HMB - I like to surf?

flightmedic01

The A320 is always “better”!! 😜

DaGreenBanana

Ill also ask, at what point (% wise) does seniority progression start to stagnate?

NewGuy01

Following. I’m currently filling out Airline Apps (sigh) again on my overnight


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eagleatr

I can't speak for SFO specifically, as I'm not based there. I do know it is one of the more junior bases, so you should move up relatively quickly. Since I've been here, there are always 737 openings there and in EWR.

I don't know the breakdown of the 737 vs Airbus out there, but if it's anything like my base, there are more than twice as many people on the 737. There are also a lot more 737's coming in the near future compared to the Airbus. Having flown both, the cockpit of the Airbus is nicer and quieter than the NG's, but the MAX is probably about as quiet as the Airbus.

I have no ideas what there trips are like, but I would assume the typical mix of 1, 2, 3, and 4 day trips. I know the 737 does a lot of Hawaii flying, while the Airbus doesn't do any. I would also assume there are a good number of trips on both planes that start with East Coast red-eyes, but I don't know for sure.

Galaxy5

Speed to a line depends, but with the hiring going on, I’d say months. I spent a year on reserve when hiring took a 6-9 month pause after I got hired (Mar 2017), but that was exceptional those days.

Junior trips are heavily dependent on where you live. Being able to drive to work on the most junior plane at the most junior base is the best thing you could ever do for yourself. By 65% seniority I was getting the days off I wanted or the trips I wanted, now at 30%, I pretty well get what I want when I want. The trip packet is heavily weighted to four day trips, some redeyes, I think when I hit about 50% I was able to avoid them if I wanted. Something like 75% of this base commutes, so driving to work is such an advantage.

Trading and drops are hit and miss. Mostly misses right now.

No idea about the Bus, but looking at their bid packet, it doesn’t appeal to me. Much more regional type flying, four leg days (never done one on the 737), doesn’t do Hawaii. I hear it’s a nice plane, though.

Commuters from HMB and Santa Cruz for sure. Do it and don’t look back. DM if you want.

LeeFXDWG

The answer is…..it depends. Junior base obviously quicker. 737, doing more block hours in AUG21 than in 2019, etc. The Bus is not as full up at least based on my review of IAH.

Less than 7 years left God willing and will move back to the Bus if a line will be there. Yes, CID in the winter will come with that.

At least in IAH, Bus looks like RJ flying. My next trip on the 737 is 4 days with 5 segments and transcons. Pick your poison and EWR/SFO will yield the quickest progression in any seat.

Andy

I'm on the bus in SFO and flying is looking a lot more like RJ flying. That's the 'disadvantage' of mainline picking up a greater amount of RJ flying. If that's the price to pay to get the flying back to mainline, I'm OK with that.

As for Santa Cruz/any surfing hotspot in the Bay area, there are a decent of pilots who live within a couple of hours of SFO. When I was 777LAX (it was a very small base with few flights), a lot of local senior FOs would bid reserve and surf all day. YMMV on the guppy since it's a much larger base.

As long as hiring and vacancy bids continue at the current pace, you will be on a quick upward climb for seniority in SFO. However, you will hit a point where you start noticing that most of the pilots below you are bidding out of SFO - this should start after you've already got a line. At that point, you'll move three steps forward (newhires) and two steps back (vacancy bids). Those leaving will be going to DEN, ORD, IAH, LAX, even IAD.
But as others have mentioned, SFO and EWR are the junior bases so your seniority will always go further in those two bases.

Explizer

~20% That's where you run into the campers.

hslightnin

NB FO? Maybe up near 20% it might start.