Originally Posted by
DieselMan
Got it, thanks! As a 0 SSN, it seems I am reasonably guaranteed 717 or 220, and I am prepared for a NYC 220 for a while, just absolutely terrified of a west coast anything.
The monthly AE sounds much better, I was thinking that they were biannual for some inane reason. This will be my first non-91 job, so it's all a bit of a whirl. I don't mind some suffering in the short term for the long term benefits.
What else is there to worry about with a bid to the 717/757 considering they are both relatively junior in ATL?
Not really anything to worry about with the 717/757 per se. Both are in ATL for the long term (2030+). The 717 is the smallest fleet in ATL, but it also stays pretty junior The 320 is the largest fleet, so in theory it will have more vacancies than other fleets over time.
If you want ATL, I wouldn’t worry about the base, especially with monthly AE’s (supposedly) on the horizon - bid for the airframe. There may not be a vacancy available on every bid, but ALWAYS have a bid in place - “backfills” always generate additional openings above what is posted, and they often come down to NH levels.
I also had a super low SSN. As a result, my NH airframe was NYC M88, no choices for the last 10 in my NH class. I was lucky with the timing of my first AE, and was awarded ATL M88 before I was done with the sims. By the time I got done with OE, I had converted to ATL, and I never even commuted to NY once. Monthly vacancy bids will mean you are much more likely to have a similar experience, even if you get LAX or SEA. NO guarantees though.
All that said, I suspect the amount of NH slots in NYC is about to go up significantly with the monthly bid process. Not saying there won’t be some west coast offered, but the chances will be lower going forward, IMO. And the few that are in a drop might well get snappped up by folks who actually wanted west coast to begin with.
Congrats, and good luck.