Where you based? Did you take a look at DCA? exactly the opposite... massive movement on the 737 and very little on the Bus. I was 4 from the bottom all last year.. now suddenly by June I’m gonna have like 50 below me. Bottom DCA CA award went down to almost 11000...

Still enjoying a gentleman’s schedule flying domestic NB out of here... hoping that stays the same! I feel for my NB bros in other bases that are getting hammered.

Yeah, but I was trying to say (and didn’t do a good job) that the comparison of 90hr G4 FO to 73 hrs g2 CA is invalid at my seniority. The better comparison is 76 hrs to 76 hrs. Because the bid statuses I compare show that I’d be reserve no matter what.

Fair point, for sure

I know DCA was the 73 winner this bid, and it of course changes every bid. Overall, using my tired commuting brain, I see 140 737 captain awards for June, and 231 A320 captain awards. I don't have it anymore, but the last one also had more bus than 73.

I would think the next two years will be pretty lean for the 73, since the majority of new aircraft deliveries will be Airbus.

I'm in Miami for a couple more months, then back to NYC. My relative seniority took a dive when we combined the divisions, and I'm still not back to where I was in the international division when I first got here.

I should get an entitlement to airbus ca on this bid, that I can exercise the next bid. But I'm fully expecting a 12 month withhold, since thats what everyone I know who has bid from the 73 to the bus recently has gotten.

I think this is delivery-driven.

For most of the last year or so the Bus was pretty stagnant for my status while 73 continued to add folks and my relative seniority would have been better on that. Now we’re staffing for resumption of Bus deliveries and adding lots of FOs to my status.

I think we continue to get 73s as well this year (?) so hang in there. Unless you really want to come to the Bus I think you’ll see your desired 73 job soon nimslow.

I remain optimistic. However, DFW is my end game, and the September bid should bring the final MD80 displacements, so my money is on Sometime in 2020.

Anyone think upgrade time is going to keep trending down? What are the chances that come a year or so from now it’s down to 2 or 3 years from new hire to G2 left seat. I find the logistics of all this quite interesting. All I want is some movement in Charlotte lol.

It's been trending more and more junior the last few years, especially since the single seniority list. I think it will go more junior over the next year. As people get fed up with PBS, our work rules (or lack of), coverage days, January vacations, red/redder, etc. they will want to get at least a little seniority before upgrading. As more people learn how to use IMAX to their advantage, you may see more people wanting to be senior in the right seat.

I keep hearing this and am curious - other than getting the time off, how does this work?

Step 1: Have no life.
Step 2: ???
Step 3: Profit.

(Seriously... you have to be totally flexible schedule-wise the majority of the time)

Basically work your a$$ off for 8 months, especially in the summer, and if you planned properly you might get some time off.

apa website. Quicklinks, compass project, documents index, IMAX.

TLDR- Fly 90 hours a month. In FAR max months drop trips using PVDs, then pick up more trips. Essentially you trade next year's vacation to lower your IMAX to a point where you can get a few months off this year, with pay.
If you want to fly some low time months or bid reserve this strategy won't work for you.

Kinda/sorta. The key item is that you have to have a low credit month, then average over 90hrs for 6 months or so then have 2 huuuuge credit months (140 hours-ish), then when that low credit month drops off the 8 month average, you all of a sudden are IMAXed. There are ways to snowball it from there. The trick is the huge credit months that you either need to be senior/lucky enough for premium or vacation drop trips. So since the no float campaign, vacation dropping a trip isnt possible, so you mostly have to hope for premium, which if you’re junior, you ain’t gettin. So unless you can do that stuff, you won’t imax and will be limited to 90hrs a month avg. Some guys make it work... for some reason they never want to tell you how, they’d rather just call you stupid and tell you that you need to educate yourself without further elaboration, but they all essentially do the above.

Yup, let's just say the best IMAXers aren't exactly the kind of people that let life get in the way of their work.

I wouldn't be sad to see it negotiated away for literally anything else.

There is so much bad info being put out here IRT IMAX. Read the APA product on the Compass homepage.

I certainly wouldn’t want to give it away, but I think we can do much better. Admittedly, I don’t know what that would be, but I’m not big at all on limiting the masses on pay so the few that can make it work get time off. We could start with 200% premium, redo the OT process, re-evaluate OG/MU, pickup of POSTED trips within the footprint of a canceled sequence (double dip), etc. just spitballing. But even though I think IMAX isn’t ideal for the group, I’m not keen on giving it up unless we get something BETTER.

I did. That’s where about 99% of my post came from.

Sorry family, I know I've been working a ton these past 6 months, but if I really neglect you for the next 2 months I can get a month off with pay when you're in school and have work.

We've had a no-float campaign for 2 of the last 3 years. So now the best IMAXers will also be the crappiest union members as well...

I'm no IMAX expert, but one question- can 90% of pilots do this successfully?

I want a scheduling system that works well for the majority of the pilots, the majority of the time. Not one that works for the smartest/craftiest/hardest working/obsessed(pick your adjective) 10%.

Thanks guys. I’ll read up on it on the APA site, but it doesn’t sound like anything I’d be interested in.

Take an honest look at it... if it works for you, great! It definitely does for some.

You used to be able to see what everyone's IMAX is. The most recent month I see it for is Aug 18. In my bid status there were 226 awards that month. None had an IMAX below 79. A handful had an IMAX below 100. It's a small selection and just one data point but it appears very few people take advantage of IMAX. It seemed like guys were able to IMAX out for the fall months and unfortunately I can't see the IMAX numbers for those months.

Does anyone know when the final results come out?

Is there ever a change between the prelim and final?

In a way, yes: then we can find out when we are transferring.

Did you get ord?

So people who use the their resources in the contract have no life and are bad union members? Bullish!t. I averaged about 80 hours hard flying time each month and got 9 weeks off with pay. Yes, when I was sick, I used that sick call to bump my PROJ. When a trip turned green, I dropped it with PVDs to run my credit up.

People who talk crap about IMAX are generally ones who are too lazy to learn it. They want the union to spoon feed them.

The company is never going to allow FAR MAX each month. They aren’t going to let you time out. IMAX let’s you “time out” AND get paid for it. Let me say that again. You get PAID. No other airline has that.

Also, if you mention Premium in the same sentence as IMAX, you’ve just shown you have no idea. Those that are trying to build credit to get IMAXed will turn down Premium because it doesn’t help them. It’s only helpful during those months they are limited because it goes above your IMAX guarantee.

A few things can change between the prelim and final bids. There could be errors on the prelims. A lot of it is still done by hand (shocking, I know).

Whatever chump. If you like IMAX, fine. Lots of guys I know "talk crap about it" but aren't lazy in any regard. Money isnt everything to alot of people. I can see it's your precious little baby, how dare anyone make comments about it. And wanting the union to spoon feed them? Dumb.

Guess I’m a chump. Paid 1200 hours for 600 hours hard time with 9 weeks off.

Literally the one thing we have better than Delta and you’re too stupid and ignorant to see it.

We’re f&cked.

Ah, photon back to personal attacks. What an addition to the board. CnR misses you.

OMG!!! Your candyass calls that personal attack??? Your butt buddy generalizes folks that arent interested in his program as lazy and wanting to be spoon fed which i think is a dumb statement. And then he calls me ignorant. He is right though, we are f'd with candyasses running around regarding everything as a personal attack. To the point, I dont think its a matter of being to lazy to learn it. I think alot of folks just arent interested in the execution. But I am not demeaning anyone who does it.

I have a friend that works IMAX really well, and never works more than 14-15 days a month and usually has two off (NOV/DEC) with the occasional premium trip. He’s always working though, trying to play the game that works for him.

For awhile I worked more trip trading to get turns than I worked at the company, and that was exhausting but fun in a way. Turns were actually pretty tiring, but I was home every night for two years with two exceptions (meeting a buddy for a mancation using MU to pick up a 1-1). I was always on the computer, and always checking my phone and LS for trades. But now I’m enjoying early retirement on the jr widebody - and I check AAreserve once a day and there’s usually NOTHING going on. Hopefully this will continue for the next twenty years.

Boring story short, I’ve found my niche and I’m very happy with it. Although I can’t see a scenario where I would ever IMAX (unless I get so bored that I bid 320/CA), it’s in the contract and if we ever give it up, we should get amazing returns for it (beyond INDUSTRY LEADING).


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I see it jackass. I know what it does. I'm not interested in it. You can do it it your hearts content. Im not calling for it to go. I simply responded to your generalization about laziness and spoon feeding. BFD.

Nope, that’s how it’s done!


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If you'd read my post closely enough you would've notice that I didnt criticize what IMAX strategy can result in. So i'm happy you worked it. Got no problem with that. The thrust of my post was a response to a generalizing of people and an accusation of wanting to be spoon fed. Had nothing to do with your IMAX results.

I stick by my generalization. The ones who criticize it are to ones too lazy to open the contract and learn it.

But you do you.

Instead of calling people stupid, how about you try to educate others on how you accomplished that. That will probably help your cause... I’ve read the contract, the APA IMAX guide, and have done my own spreadsheet to mess with the numbers. I can’t cone up with a reasonable plan without relying on ridiculously high credit months in the summers.

Are you a member of Below the Line on FB. There are numerous people there that will help you.

Trick #1 - If you get sick on a 3 or 4 day and have a few days off after, call in sick, wait 6 hours and call in well so you can trip trade again. Then pick up a trip on the days off after your sick call from below the line (to help a fellow pilot out). So, you have days off over the footprint of your sick call that you’re getting paid for from your sick bank, you’re resetting your 100 in 30 (far max), and you’re adding 15 to 21 hours to your credit with the trip over the original days off. Just one little trick if you’re willing to do it.

There are others like this. IMAX isn’t as easy as sitting short call in base. It takes work. You’re gonna work. But with a little planning, some flexibility, and knowledge, it’s just really not that difficult.