Originally Posted by
gloopy
Reliable? I think the dispatch reliability is probably within 0.01% of any other type in the fleet but whatever.
I think the reason is that it pays a bit higher (after first year) than most planes new hires can pick, it might be the plane that gets someone the base they want fastest and, most importantly, it has very, very, very good looking glass. As silly as that sounds, it carries a lot of weight these days for some reason. Nevermind its the loudest and most cramped flight deck in the fleet, by a mile. There seems to be a LOT of angst about the round dial (OMG!) 88 and TBH that probably drives most of the bids away from it, even in cases where its the fastest ticket to the base someone wants and/or the fastest path to a line/etc.
It does have some very good trips. Some of the best in the domestic system. But, it also has some of the worst by far, and the seniority to get only the good while avoiding the bad is likely not going to happen for very many new hires for years.
But its all about dat glass, bout dat glass, bout dat glass; no dials!
Glass had very little to do with it for me. I'm a steam gauge guy at heart, though I'd just left a few months on the Airbus at JB.
I had some buddies go over the past few months' awards in new hire AC and for me, the 73 had the best options. For others, particularly someone who lives in base or is trying to get to a certain base, I can definitely see the appeal to other jets.
BTW, if you're senior to about where I stand, the 73 in NY sucks. Something with the manning formula really screws senior guys. I definitely wouldn't bid it. It's great for new hires though.