Hi guys,

I have been reading this forum for a while now and have a few questions to ask.

I currently fly for a major airline in Europe. I will soon become eligible to work and live in the US following my marriage and we are considering to move to the US in the future.

I am in my 30s, 7000TT, 2000h as PIC (B737 and A320), Part 121 : 4500h on the 737NG, 2100h on the A320.

I am starting to consider a move to the US, ideally I want to live in NYC as I have family there already. I have been looking at Delta but I have a few questions to ask before I go any further :

- NYC seems pretty easy to get as a base, how difficult is it to live in Brooklyn and commute to all 3 airports ?

- Can I bid for my initial base as a new joiner ? If yes, can I bid for a fleet in particular ?

- if I understand well, year 1 will be Reserve (short or long call), is this correct ? How long before a new joiner based in NYC can hold a line and bid ?

- Time to upgrade is key to me. What is a “reasonable time” for a command upgrade in NYC and what aircraft are available to new upgrades ? Again, new command = reserve ?

- How is the airline with its employees ? The airline I work is very friendly and helpful, for instance any personal of family issue you may have is treated like “take whatever time off you need and come back when ready, we here to help, you are not alone”. Another example, Line training, well, your instructors will call you the day before your flights to see how is it going so far. You get it, it’s a friendly environment.
How is it at Delta ? Can you ring your base manager or anyone directly if you need something ? Are you just a seniority number ?

- how is the atmosphere in the flight deck, what’s the culture like, atmosphere during layovers ? how is the gradient in the cockpit ?

- Lastly but not least, the safety culture. How is it, is it fair ? Are crew honest and transparent when messing up and are they afraid or not to write safety reports when needed ? Any hand flying allowed or not ?

Thanks for your help.