Originally Posted by
jetdogtaxi95
Can someone please explain the mini bases, OAK in particular. What type of flying should I expect and how senior does it bid? Thanks in advance
Jetdog, the Fedex crew-basing structure is (Jan 2018):
MEM - (Memphis) -
Only B777 base with vast majority of flying international (313 Capt/517 F/O).
Only A300/310 base with mainly domestic flying (353 Capt/312 F/O).
Largest MD11/10 base with mainly domestic MD11/10 flying and some MD11/10 international flying (539 Capt/445 F/O).
Largest B757 base with mainly domestic flying (284 Capt/231 F/O).
Largest B767 base (277 Capt/279 F/O) with mainly domestic flying.
767 and 757 pilots can and do fly both the 757 and the 767.
ANC (Anchorage) - small MD11-only base with mainly international Asia flying, with a little domestic MD-11/10 flying (86 Capt/95 F/O).
HKG (Hong Kong) - small B767-only base with some B757 flying - the vast majority of flying stays in Asia and is out of CAN - (Guangzhou, China) - (74 Capt/74 F/O).
LAX (Los Angeles) - small MD11-only base with about 60% international MD11 flying and 40% domestic MD11/10 flying (50 Capt/64 F/O).
CGN (Cologne, Germany) - small B757-only base with a little 767 flying, with much of the flying through CDG (Paris) - (59 Capt/59 F/O).
IND (Indianapolis) - small B767-only base with some B757 flying (39 Capt/38 F/O).
New hires in the last two years have been getting assigned to any of the Memphis F/O seats, HKG B767, CGN 757, IND 767, and ANC MD11. LAX is by far the most senior base, and no new hires have gone there in about 10 years.
OAK, AFW (Forth Worth Alliance), and EWR (Newark) are major sort facilities that flights hub turn through, but are not crew bases. There are a lot of pairing that start with deadheads to these facilities.
The B777 has a larger number of F/O's than Captains because the longer international flights require additional crew members (RFO's) (>8 hours require 3 pilots, and >12 requires 4). Fedex primarily uses F/O's for those extra crew members, so that means the B777 F/O seat has higher manning levels. The MD11 has traditionally had the same manning, but as the growing number of B777's has replaced the MD11 on the longer international routes, that manning requirement has diminished.
Hope this helps you understand the Fedex crew-basing system a little better.