Originally Posted by
UALinIAH
I hear the not pay cut mantra thrown out but unless you’re going to be in the top 20% of WB FOs in your domicile you’re absolutely going to take a pay cut. $60/hr difference in rates. If you’re not senior enough to get add pay trips to make up for the difference, it’s a $60k annual pay cut. In IAH there isn’t WBFO add pay very often and if you don’t have 20+ yrs with the company you’re not getting many if any. QOL is definitely better if you can deal with the international flying but the pay argument only works if you’re very senior and in the right base. The mid and lower seniority WB FOs in IAH do a ton of South America. 20 hr 4 day trips which are all nighters both ends with a short nap. Great for commuters but not any more days off per month than a NB schedule.
Pay depends on perspective. Based on just flying your published line, NBCA will generate more total dollars while requiring about 3 more days on the road and a lot more actual work. WBFO works fewer days and pays more on a per day basis. Another way of looking at is that both pilots fly the same number of days and then the NBCA has a 11 hr 3 day added to their schedule. For many, it just isn’t worth it.
When I was a fairly junior line holder (around 70%) on the 777 in IAH, I never went south or to HNL. I did a ton of LHR or Europe/NRT W-trips and never in the flying seat. I never worked more than 12 days and averaged 78-80 hours credit.
You’re right about needing to be senior to game the system though. Until you can exclusively bid the flying seat and buddy bid with LCP’s or pick up the rare premium trip, the odds of making more than your published line are slim.