CRJCapitan

I agree 100% that being in base should be the top priority and anyone should pick the legacy that let’s them drive to work long term. I do disagree with you regarding seniority progression and I’m not sure why 99% of people wouldn’t give that considerable weight.

TankerDriver

Sorry, bringing this post back from the dead because it's the first time I'm noticing it

Moving is not an option for me right now and probably won't be for 5-6 years if I wanted to. Commuting is not an option for me either, but more importantly... how do you figure a senior FO on reserve is leaving a poop load of money on the table? From my experience, talking to junior CA's I've flown with (junior or not too far north of me), they're rarely able to pick up OG or PR flying. There's quite the open-time "mafia" in these parts as well as out-of-base CA's that jump on everything imaginable. They're all in the <5,000 range. Slim pick'ns for junior CA's, so if you're on reserve, you're in the 73-85 range unless you're getting reassigned, but no counting on that. Now that we want to be reassigned, it'll probably rarely happen.

I haven't credited less than 100 hrs per month on reserve in the past 6 months and I was barely trying. Still managing 14-17 days off. I believe my personal record was 18 days without putting the uniform on with 100+ hrs credit. That doesn't include some late in the day starts either. Now, I know there are plenty of people here beating that so this is by no means meant to be a junk-swinging contest, but my point is... life is good. If I can get 15-17 days off per month, get any day off I want in Layer 1, 3-day reserve blocks, and credit 100+ hours, do you think I'd be able to do that as a junior CA on reserve? In August, with a bunch of reassignments (CA's didn't get re-assigned... I did), I made near $28k. 6-year CA pay at min LC guarantee is $23,500. 85 hrs is a bit over $27. I haven't had a month under $21k since April. Most were in the $22-24k range with the pay raise. Again, I'm not even trying hard only because I'm happy with where I am. I know there's senior FO's making $30k+ a month easy, but those are the guys in the top 5-10% in base. I'm around 20%. I'm just trying to figure out where this "poop load" of money resides. If it's true, I'd consider the jump, but to me, $3-4k before tax is not worth everything else I'd have to give up going to the left seat.

Name User

FWIW I'm in a pretty junior bid status where premium (last year) flowed like water. I looked on the FO side and there was a total of eight premium trips awarded so far this month. The premium seems has really dried up.

Personal opinion but I wouldn't count on slaying the premium moving forward. They are hiring twice as many per year as are retiring and starting to really catch up. Soon, SC reserve may be the play if you want to maximize pay::work value line.

I averaged ~36k TC/month last year as a junior CA, so I know the premium game and how it's played, but I think the jig may be up.

hercretired

meanwhile junior DFW FOs are picking up premium with not much effort

DoNoHarm

When you notice the number of airplanes coming on property, and the increased flying that we are still doing as compared to last year, the extra pilots coming in the door really don't add up to much in terms of staffing coverage. We are flying a lot more this October than we did last October. We also have a ton of pilots in upgrade/transition training that aren't flying for 2 months at a time.

Premium flows in some bases in some months, and dries up in others. It is all cyclical. Make hay when the sun is shining, but then don't complain when it occasionally rains. Just use that time to count your money and to enjoy spending it.

Name User

Just counted for funsies, on 737/320ID combined, seniority >10,000, 16 total trips went premium this month so far.

So 2x a day. Not sure I would say that's without effort personally for the junior. Seems more like luck in a bid status with over 1,000 pilots between the three statuses

Certainly nowhere near what it was last year

TankerDriver

Well just like the stock market - past performance does not necessarily equate to future results. However, it's kind of hard to ignore. At PHL, I count 15 FO premium trips in the last 8 days. Some days none, other days 3-4 in one day. There were 12 CA's awarded PM in the same period, so not far off, but most of them are all <5000 in seniority. I have developed a knack at predicting when premium will flow and bid my off days accordingly. End of the month usually gets hairy with all of the reserves reaching their 85 hour limit, but you can also count on premium on Sunday's after they've tapped out all of their SC pilots. It's just what I've observed. It doesn't take much premium or OG on reserve to get to 100 hrs. Just wait until we go to 75 and 100%. On long call, you only need another 27 hours. My bread and butter is usually a late night, one-legger with a deadhead back in the morning working into my reserve block. No-show the deadhead and get back earlier or catch a flight home late that night on someone else's metal. 15:45 for being gone last than 18 hrs and if they don't hit you during DOTC, you have 12 hrs rest and another 12 hrs notice for your next trip. Pick up two of those and you're at 104:30 or around $22k for the month, $264k per year, $306k with 401k, for a 6-year NB FO. This is all, of course, without bump ups and January pay raises. Reserve has its perks. Another one - less sick time used (sick if needed).

After the people move where they're going to move with this recent vacancy, I predict I'm going to move up about 10% in seat - in base. That'd put me somewhere near 10-12%. If the premium starts to dry up.... I may make the move, but until then... I'll stay where I am.

DoNoHarm

Premium trips are plentiful when there is bad weather in the system (usually DFW and/or CLT) and we are towards the end of the month and many reserves are already timed out. The fewest number of premium trips are in the first half of the month.

ImSoSuss

Not when all the new contract items are implemented. Most premium will be going away. Sorry not sorry, I voted no on the pay rate only contract with smoke and mirror "QOL" gains.

TankerDriver

Premium will never go away. This airline can't spell "efficiency" and never will. When they use 2-3 FO's on a 4 day trip now, how do you forecast them avoiding that in the future? The bucket reserve system will fail as well. They'll be blowing through guys in the 4-day bucket on 2-day trips just as they do now. What you'll have to watch out for is them abusing RO.