Originally Posted by
regularpilot
- NYC is the junior base for Captains and for DEC you can probably expect to be there a good while. CVG was junior for a while but when trips there became more commutable, and it went senior quick. DTW, ATL, and MSP, you’re looking at least 4-6 years.
- Not a lot of flexibility. The company is maxing out captains productivity in every way they can. There is no straight drops, and regular drops usually end up competing with premium open time trips, so good luck finding someone to take your trip when there is another similar trip being offered with 200% premium pay. But as a DEC, you’re going to a reserve line anyway, and monthly bids will dictate your days and which reserve shift you work.
- Training is excellent. The instructors are great, and management does everything they can to help you be successful. But that does not make the training any less easy for DEC. They want you to learn the Endeavor way and expect you to stick with it. Don't do the "Back in at my old airline, we did it like this", that gets people in trouble. If you stick with the program and do what you need to do, you will succeed.
- The company will provide you with everything. Stick with their program and materials, people have been led astray in the training program using outside materials. To be honest most external materials go way too in depth and cover things no one cares about. The company doesn’t want you to know every nut, rivet, and bolt of the CRJ.
- As a DEC you’re going to be on reserve for a very long while. Almost all the first DEC are still ways away from getting a line, as FO's senior to them are constantly upgrading. On reserve you credit the min guarantee of 75 credits at least every month. On reserve in NY in the summer expect to be used almost every day, between summer, holidays, and weekends, there can be moments you don't get used. Those months you are used every day, you can expect to credit about 85-90 hours. The problem with reserve is they have you work a lot, but it isn’t the most time efficient schedule.
There I was , back in the day on the 727 at my old airline and this is how we did it 😵💫😵💫.. Of course in the old days they really did expect one to put the airplane back together on the oral , lol .