Originally Posted by
TOGALOCK
Realistically, how long will these quick upgrades last under current projections? Would someone hired sometime this year still be able to hold the left seat in one to two years? Currently a ULCC captain. I don’t give the slightest hoot about the fourth stripe. I would just want to get back to my current income ASAP if I were given the opportunity to make the switch.
Year 3 or so widebody FO pay will get you in the ballpark of ULCC captain pay, no? That's another option to get you to the money and may have more domicile options, and you can always move upwards to the left seat if you can get it in a vacancy.
It's hard to say how long quick upgrades will be around and how long newhires and very junior FOs will be able to hold a wide-body. If things stay on the pace that they're on, it should stick around in some capacity. If they fix reserve rules or concentrate more staffing away from the west and east coast to DEN/ORD/IAH that may also make things go more senior. The fact that there are higher paying positions going unfilled would suggest a lot of pilots are hanging on to a lower paying seat for QOL.