Originally Posted by
Cubdriver84
Can anyone tell me if you need 1500 hours before applying? Or is Horizon like many of the others, where you can apply early and get hired around 1475? Also, what's the word on upgrade times.. Are they dropping like the rest? I'm at 1410 and getting antsy. QX is definitely my number 1 choice.
Keep flying! I'm not sure on the application part... It would suck to apply, get the time, try to reapply, and get a "you've already applied for this job" email. I'm not 100% sure how the system works.
Originally Posted by
cactusflyer
The most recent captain I'm seeing listed is shown as a November 06 hire, but they're only 46 numbers (maybe a year) from the hire date dropping to early 2011. That said, there are still about 25 people senior to that person deferring upgrades for various reasons (probably avoiding ANC), so the upgrade will take a bit longer to make the big drop.
If you cross-reference the seniority list to the training plan, you can see a bit more clearly what is happening. The trend is that you have to make it to about #60 on the FO side of things to be offered an upgrade. Above that is a mix of Captains and FO's as people bypass the upgrade. Based on the most junior person in class now, I'm less than 30 people from upgrade, with 9 of those having no permanent bids in. I was hired at the end of '11. The rate of closure has been about 7-8 per month. I'm willing to bet that by the end of this year, the most junior captain on property will be a 2012 hire. And with very few people hired in 2012, we'll be into the '13's not long after.
This is yet another example why chasing the upgrade is a bad strategy. When I was hired, I ignored upgrade time completely. It was 12 years, and rising. I'm probably going to upgrade in just under 4. Meanwhile, I've been based at home and having some of the better pay and benefits in the industry. Just saying... haha.