Apologize if this question should go in the Career section, but I'm specifically asking about the Majors. I'm curious for a little insight on the process that gets you from "You're Hired" to your first real flight. Two questions off the bat about training:
1) How is your aircraft determined? It it determined at the point of "You're Hired...you'll be flying the 7XX", or do you get a few days of company indoctrination training before you find out what you will fly? Do you get to bid amongst the initial trainees? I heard that seniority among your classmates is determined by reversing your SSN. (Maybe that's just one airline's method, I don't know).
2) When is your home base decided? Is it determined for you, as in "You're Hired...you'll be flying the 7XX out of DET..." or does it depend on some early seniority system, or does it depend on how well you do in training compared to all the other trainees?
Thanks in advance...
Everyone with a particular start date will show up for company indoc and your seniority number will be assigned (Ssn seems to be current method, used to go by age) but then the airline will have 50 different ( assuming class of 50) initial bids to choose from say 5 757 det 20 md88 NYC 20 757/76 NYC and 5 717 out of Atl. Around the first few days of indoc ( all company common info not fleet specific) your class will pick based on seniority and desires.
Most all majors do it this way but after that each company has its own rules about when you can bid something else. Some right away some after probation etc.
luv