I wish I had done it that way when I started. I bid CLT right out of the gates and got it out of training. Only reason I wanted CLT was for a one leg commute. However, at the time, that meant me being on reserve for longer than any other base and when I finally did get a line, it was a measly round 2 line (which I'm sure the specifics of a round 2 line have been discussed in previous posts). So what did all this mean? Well for one, I got paid less because I was only getting the 75 guarantee and my per diem was low because you don't get paid per diem unless you're on a trip (or hot reserve). For two, my schedule was nothing to be envious of due to the fact that the reserve lines pretty much had the minimum of 11 days off per month. So aside from swapping reserve days around, I was stuck with only 11 days off per month. Lastly, I had to pay for a crash pad (prior to $250 a month for hotels btw) to have a place to sit/sleep while I was on reserve. All this being said, if I had to do it over again I would bid for a junior base in order to get a round 1 line quicker and eradicate most of the negatives about being on reserve with the only drawback of....having to do a two leg commute. One last thing, the less time you sit reserve, the quicker you build your hours towards being eligible for upgrade. It's not an issue for me fortunately, but seeing how upgrades are ramping up again, you wouldn't want to be stuck trying to get your 1,000 hours when your number comes up for upgrade (assuming you're "ready" for upgrade). Just my .02 cents on the matter.