Originally Posted by
DeltaGriz
I am eagerly awaiting indoc on 4 April and am troubled by my lack of knowledge on how to make a decision about what aircraft I would pick if given a choice.* I live near Atlanta, so that is my desired base.* I would choose a non-ATL aircraft with a plan to AE to Atlanta if there is a compelling reason to choose one aircraft over another.* I'll admit that I am a military dude that is looking to raise my general knowledge from "embarrassing" to "basic understanding."* A few questions that come to mind:
1) Can someone explain the 73N and 7ER relationship?* I assume 73N = 737-700 and 7ER = 737-900 ???* If this is the case, do pilots bounce between the various versions of the 737 or is each version treated as a separate category?* How much international is available on the 73N and 7ER out of Atlanta?
2) I realize opinions vary, but in general, between 7ER/73N/717/88/320, which have more "desirable" schedules out of ATL?* I'd define desirable as not flying multiple short-hops each day, not laying over with exactly enough time to get to your hotel, catch a short night of sleep, and then rush back to fly again the next day.* Do any of these have layovers in Caribbean and/or South America?
3) In which of these planes would my seniority build the fastest once I've AE'd myself into ATL?
4) Any other useful advice that would help me make a choice
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I have attached what my relative seniority (July 2014) would be in ATL. I started there on the 73 and moved up to about 88% rather rapidly and only sat reserve for 3 months (and once because I screwed up my schedule bid). In the past year or so, the 73 in ATL has flattened out a bit because a lot of people done with their seat locks are moving there from the 88 (mostly NYC). Just a hunch. Anyway, the 73 does a lot of transcon, a pretty good dose of the Caribbean and mostly larger cities. Usually one or two legs a day. The 717 and MD-88 will do more legs per day and generally to smaller cities.
I like the 73 as a former USAF fighter guy. However, big warning, more redeyes on the 73 than any other "new hire" fleet. So beware if you don't like that sort of thing. On the bright side, most of the redeyes are in west coast bases, but ATL gets some too (maybe 10-25% of the entire bid package as a WAG). Feel free to PM if you want more info.
Welcome on board.
