Flynbob

Amazingly I have been granted an interview! How my app rose to the top I really don't know. Other than checking the best available gouge, what else can I do to prepare for this interview in DFW? Any little gotchas to avoid? So excited for the opportunity!

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DarinFred

Amazingly, US Airways didn't have any issues keeping everyone I qualled...

Name User

I heard some will still be split, like MIA.

PRS Guitars

This^^^

IIRC, the LAA guys really wanted to keep separate divisions. I'm guessing because it requires more jobs. The negatives to the individual pilots of seperate divisions, far out weigh the added jobs. A single division would vastly improve the TTS and TTOT trading. It'd increase the sequence options in PBS, and it would make it easier to change bases.

jcountry

Shell out some money for actual interview prep. You need to practice face-to-face or over Skype as much as you can.....

No substitute for good prep.

Sliceback

It doesn't make it easier to change bases. If the company needed an additional body in a base they just put it in either domestic or international.

And if having two divisions created more jobs that increased the opportunities to switch bases.

With cross utilization of reserves between bid statuses the inefficiencies have probably been significantly reduced.

There are significant benefits in the 757/767 flying with two divisions. International was heavily favored by commuters for its longer trips and commutable on both ends. Domestic was less commuter friendly.

MasterOfPuppets

At UA we have to take a test every year on all the theaters. Its not that hard, 10 questions open book.

There is no requirement, per the FAA, to operate in a theater to be current. Unless your contract states otherwise it should be an easy switch.

However the initial switch will require everyone to go to an ETOPS class then fly an ETOPS trip.......so that may take a while.

PRS Guitars

Correct me if I'm wrong, I thought that we could only do a mutual base exchange within our current division? That the company would need to approve division swaps for MBE.


On the topic of MBE, since you are pretty knowledgeable. The JCBA seems to state that there is a two year seat lock for changing bases. So if I go from 320 CLT to 320 DFW, I'm stuck in the 320 for 2 years? And if I wanted to switch again, that starts the clock over?

Just trying to decide whether I want to (try to) switch bases now, or hold out waiting for a group 4 F/O opportunity (it's probably more than 2 years away anyway, but you never know).

Sliceback

You'd get no lock-in transferring to DFW 320.

Training lock-ins trigger a two year lock-in. That comes with switching a/c or upgrading to CA.

Going to a 'new equipment in a base', which exists for one year after the bid status opens, triggers a year lock-in regardless of any equipment lock-in.

'New equipment in a base' also allows you to break any existing lock-in. The 350 (new equipment in a base) will generate two lock-ins - two years for the training and one year, run concurrently, for the new bid status.

If the company announces new bid statuses by the time you first bid the 350(for example), like 350 DFW and 350 PHL, you can only use the 'new equipment' rule to break your first lock-in. But if the company announces a new bid status after your awarded you can break an existing lock-in when the latest 'new equipment in a base' is announced.

It's probably safe to assume the 350 might be in two bases and the 787 might be added to four bases(JFK, PHL, CLT, MIA) in the next four years.
That's six bid statuses. Depending upon when they announce the bid statuses you could go to all six of the bid statuses, in four years despite the various 1 or 2 yr lock-ins, if they stagger the opening/announcement of the bid statuses.
On the other hand if they announce all of the new bid statuses at one time you'll get only one opportunity to break an existing lock-in.

Sliceback

With DCA being a 737 base and UDC being a 320 base it will be interesting to see if they consider the 737 'new equipment' for LUS guys and the 320 'new equipment' for LAA guys when they combine the base.