Originally Posted by
airgoose
Hi everyone, Delete this if not suitable for this thread.
I am a second-year ACMI FO flying 777, home-based, and have never been on reserve or commuted. ($133/hr is current pay)
I got a class date in march for UA and prefer to bid for 756/787/777 and commute out
I was so excited for the past few days until I started making plans/started getting ready on how to commute and amount of days off I will be getting as a new hire at UA.
I would like to know from all those who have been in such situations,
1) How many days off do you get at UA with a line on average?
2) Will I get to see the money during the first or second year? I am currently at 133/hr and averaging 14 days off with 10k take home.
3) How soon can anyone get a line on IAH 756? or suggestions for any fleet to get a quick line?
I don't know many people who can help me, these questions may sound stupid but it would be nice if someone can shed some light on this.
I flew long haul ACMI before taking this job. That was a long time ago and granted a lot has changed since then, but this is hands down a better job than the life flying ACMI. I’m on the 737, but I’ve flown recently with a couple of people from Atlas and Kalitta, and both were very pleased that they came over. New hires getting widebody slots as new hires is an anomaly that may or may not change depending on what is in our next contract. Time on reserve, especially on the wide bodies could change as well. I’ve been off of the 777 for a while here, but I’ll give it a whirl to answer your questions.
1. NB line holder gets about 15 days off, WB about 18 (lines are different now too because of China and Russian airspace issues forcing more domestic utilization of the planes.)
2. We should be getting a new contract in the not too distant future and rates will match the Delta TA at a minimum. 2nd year NB pay would be about $30-35/hour more than you make now with a better guarantee and no 17 day trips. As a junior line holder you’d average over 80 hours per month as opposed to the hit or miss line values in the ACMI world.
3. There are sometimes 756 new hire slots, and lately the junior in the class are being forced to the WB and most of those slots in SFO. The quickest path to a line will probably be on the 737 with the 320 being very close. Currently on the 737/320 you should be a solid line holder before you’re off of probation. You can bid up a pay band any time that you want, but there are training freezes for lateral or downward moves.
Look at some of the older guys that you’re flying with. A career of long haul ACMI will beat the hell out of you. My advice would be to come here, bid either the 320 or 737 given a choice and never look back. You will make far more money and you have options here that you wouldn’t at your current employer. United has lots of big airplanes that aren’t going anywhere. If long haul is what you want, bid it as a line holder on the equipment, base, and seniority of your choosing some time in the future.