Been here 3 1/2 years. I was awarded 777 FO under three years. Could have held 737 CA at 2 years.

Got it. Thanks so much for the insight

captain was just awarded at 2 years 8 months by the time pay effective or training almost 3. So it’s increased a year after the guy above by about 8 months

The timeline is definitely getting longer for both. I don't really think it’s helpful for people hired today to look at how long it’s taking ‘21-‘23 hires to hold either seat. Two years won’t happen again any time soon. I’ll probably be able to hold the award on of the next two vacancies which will put the effective dates around 3-3.5 years. For someone hired today I would say plan on 5 years.

NB CA plug is 13499.
WB FO plug is 13090.

As of today our lowest system seniority number is 17208. The 3700/4100 retirements required to reach those seniority levels will happen during the 2030 calendar year.

I got super lucky and MBE closed was a week after I got hired, finished training almost 3 months later and the MBE was effective the week I finished. So, potentially you never commute if you hit it the first roll, but probably an outlier.

So you went from New York to Dallas pretty quickly?

On the flip side of this, I got hired the Wednesday after a vacancy closed (5 days prior) and then they stopped hiring into my base of choice for four months. Couldn’t MBE due to being the plug before the next vacancy closed 3 months later. Awarded my base in that vacancy, and now locked out of MBE due to pending status change even though they started hiring into the base again. For me it was 8 months from DOH to base of choice and ended up commuting for four of those post-OE. I also had like 6 weeks off between indoc and sims…no idea what the wait is these days.

That’s probably about as long as it would possibly take at this point, maybe 9 months if you are super unlucky. Just sharing my example to point out there could be an outlier in either direction.

I’ve been here for 2 years and still can’t hold it.

Our bids are quarterly and six months out, so our next vacancy will be on March 1 for September 1 training date.

That said, at our current rate, I might be awarded it 3 vacancies from now. If that holds the I might be in upgrade class June 2027. The Fall awards (September) tend to have a lot of backfills though, so it’s hard to say.

Also, the above only applies to LGA 320/737 maybe MIA 737 and PHL320. YMMV.

plan on 10 years and you probably won’t be disappointed. 👀

So- I’m an Aug 22 hire.

Currently there are 300 NB CAs junior to me. By Sept 1st, there will be about 450 junior to me (already awarded/awaiting training/etc.).

right now there are only 60 WB FOs junior to me. By Sept 1st there will be 64 junior to me (already awarded/awaiting training/etc.).

The first time I could have been awarded 73 CA was for DCA was on the July 2024 results (OCT, NOV, DEC 2024 class dates). I think the next two or three bid cycles went senior to me at all bases.

I guess what I’m saying is that seats move at different paces and different directions.

You really can’t use anyone else’s experience to manage your expectations.

yup… WB CA about to drop to 15 years by the end of 2027. Meaningless to anyone hired in the last 5

DFW 320 has entered the drop….

3/4

BOS/FO/737 3
LAX/FO/737 2
LGA/FO/737 2
MIA/FO/737 3
ORD/FO/737 3
PHX/FO/737 4
DCA/FO/320 4
DFW/FO/320 5
LAX/FO/320 13
ORD/FO/320 8
PHL/FO/320 3
PHX/FO/320 8
LGA/FO/320/D 8

66 total. Wonder why the increase back to a big class

Sumer is coming up is one guess. The other, and most likely, the school house needed to lighten numbers for a few classes.

When I was looking a few weeks ago, it looks like our flying for this year is +5-10% YOY in block hours. It looks like they are finally tired of UA just adding flights with impunity and taking our YOY growth.

I honestly wished we just operated like the mob - we have our hubs and they have theirs - and we stay out of each other's business and just print money lol.

I remember Parker got in trouble with the SEC for even suggesting capacity discipline.

Airlines' undisciplined talk may have led to antitrust probe: experts

Why don’t we just merge all the airlines into one big national airline funded by the US government?

didn’t we already do that about five years ago?

Hey guys. Would someone mind letting me know how long it takes to get CLT and to hold a line in CLT on the bus vs 73? I’ll be in one of the next classes and my local airport only flies direct there so just trying to get an easier commute.

Just on our forum alone, we have post after post after post about how mismanged we as a company are, and I'm sure at the end of the day, DAL and UAL suffer their fair share of mismanagement. Could you imagine how maginified that would bexome if the federal government was to take over the big 3 legacy airlines?

The 737 plug is a 2/25 hire. Up until a few weeks ago new hires were getting it on the bus (unless things change you should be able to get it on the first vacancy bid if it’s not offered in your class). So 0-3 months vs ~1 year. The 320 bid status is 3 times the size of the 737 in CLT.

CLT Bus Wait
 

10/01 Indoc class here, no CLT for our class so I chose the Bus in PHL. Got CLT as a preference for June. My first trip was in Dec, so it will be a six month wait. Dec and Jan classes had some CLTs right out of Indoc, and as the previous post said, they were all A320. I can drive to CLT so that’s better for me, but PHL is an arguably a better base. Better seniority and a much easier airport to navigate. And while the CLT leadership seems fine, I like the PHL leadership.

You definitely want the bus in CLT. 737 is small and senior. Unfortunately the bus in CLT has more regional type flying (3 & 4 leg days).

Also, take a Bus anywhere if you desire CLT 320 eventually. If you end up on the 73 you WILL get withheld and itll be a year+ before youre actually there; all while watching new hires go into a seat you bid for 6+months earlier...

What status doesn't have 3 leg days? Narrowbody of course.

If you find out let me know ASAP.

Senior lineholder

LGA airbus has lots of 1-1 two days and numerous other trips that are2 legs a day

I’m down to about 40-50% bus FO in CLT and prioritizing 2 legs over 3 in PBS has gotten more complicated. Instead of an RDU turn and leg to Florida for 9 hours you might go to MIA, sit for 3 then off to LAX for a 12 hour day.

If reigning in the optimizer is impossible witchcraft can we at least get more PBS layers to sort through the garbage a little easier? No? Ok got it thanks.

Airbusdriver has flash cards again....for bus.....

I'll let you know if you're junior to me..... ;)

This is the rub. Once you're senior enough to hold 2 leg days, the inevitable 1-2, that you think is great ends up with LAX-PHX, sit 3 hrs. PHX-home.

One key to somewhat cracking the code is early sign-ins if you can do it. When your duty is chopped to 12 or even a 0459 sign in or earlier cuts flying to 8, the optimizer has less wiggle and youll find some nice 1-2s, 2-2s. 1.45 or less of ground, lend themselves to less soft and higher/hard time trips, longer legs.

Just a minor tip if you can deal with the earlies.

Especially annoying to see layers in the software just sitting there, unused.

NavBlue would solve many of the PBS issues we have with this janky version we use. Unfortunately the only way we get a real PBS system is through section 6, and im guessing the company would price it very high

Yeah, this is the worst PBS system I’ve had. 90s tech with terrible filtering. The whole layer concept is garbage.

The latest survey from the union asks if we would like more layers at the expense of longer processing times, which are already worst in the industry. Bidding should open on the 1st of the month.

Bizarre my schedule doesn't exist for next month until 2/3 of the way through the current month.

Haha. And yet other airlines manage to use a much deeper bidding system and get lines out earlier than AA currently does.

our actual processing time is shorter than most the problem you’re talking about is bidding doesn’t close until the 13th. Most others are around the 10th so we are just starting later.

if all else stayed the same but bidding closed on the 5th we’d have a schedule by the 8th.

I'm not picking up how more layers would add processing time. It's a computer. The schedules are likely spit out in seconds or less. The "processing time" as I understand it is after the PBS solution has happened. It's the company manually changing things for training/planned absences/IMAX etc.

Why would more layers affect this?

Seriously. I’m starting to see people from my hiring class upgrade and I won’t be able to until I can know my schedule a little earlier for life stuff, so I have to stick to my semi-senior line. I’d be cool with resigning to plug reserve but not knowing what days I’m working until AT LEAST the 16th no matter what is lame. Needing longer processing times for more layers in a world where my phone can turn red hot and generate a picture of a cat paddling a canoe in 5 seconds is just bologna, sorry I don’t buy it.