As a US guy wanting Miami this makes me happy.

 

1) Only one type to learn on the 73 so lots less less to learn. The training is rumored to be the best according to people who have been through both. Also the 76 does a lot of double all nighters to South America, the trips on the 73 are preferable to most people.

 

^^^^ what Freak says. 737 flies a lot more fun Caribbean stuff and a much easier course. 75/76 goes farther and more variety but you gotta learn 2 different aircraft plus something like 5 different combinations of instrumentation.

Plus I believe first year pay is the same for all fleets?

 

True.

Also people should bear in mind, that your seniority for pay and bidding are not set in stone until you bid equipment, because that seniority is based upon projected training completion date.

You get to bid for initial equipment within the class by date of birth, oldest first.
But you may be faced with the difficult decision of choosing between losing up to 24 seniority numbers to get the base/equip you want, or going to a non preferred base and equipment to keep or gain seniority within the class.

A decision that could possibly come back to haunt you in later years or not depending on how things go.

New Hire lock in is 6 months.

 

Seat lock is only 6 months? I.e. go from 737 to 767 in 6 months?

 

and What aa73 wrote is tote's mg-oats (dead on).

There are 3 differences on the 73. Integrated standby flt inst. and non. Flashlight batteries. And the actual jumpseat ( must have cushion) some don't.

75/76 lots of differences. Hard to keep everything straight. If you've flown Boeing before not a problem.

AQP training your systems oral is on the computer. 737 oral took me 19 minutes. But that was before they added some scenario based questions.

777 oral on computer took me maybe 30 minutes.

The 75 flies to some tricky places. For a new hire getting checked out on 2 different FMS (FMC's) old and flat panel avionics. 757 Pegasus vs acars computer, and Oceanic (Europe) procedures is ALOT!

Flying the Carib and Central America is really different and completely non-std. El Salvador i've been to 10 times, never flew the same profile for descent/arrival.

TGU is completely insane. Although it';s been made easier over time with airport changes improvements.

UIO is easier, but almost 15 minute breifing every time.

I'll write more later. Just putting stuff out here for new hires.

 

I've heard this before and couldn't believe it... still have a hard time getting my mind around how/why AA figures pilot seniority this way. To me it's just bizarre!

 

So, 75/76 training isn't AQP?

It's actually some of those tricky (challenging) places that attract me to the 75/76. I also have some personal ties to LIM (SPIM) and would like to get on that double all nighter periodically. One man's sh!t sandwich is another man's caviar!

Still, in a system where 1 single seniority number (let alone 24) can be so significant, I think I'd have to decided to complete 73 training first myself.

 

Line holder potential should also play into this decision, I would think. How far, in terms of line numbers and/or time, am I from being able to hold a line on the 73 vs 75/76 in Miami if hiring into Miami continues at the current pace? Except for the last class of all MD-80, it seems like it has been 5-10 new pilots per class going to each. I'm assuming that the reason it's junior is because pilots above me would also be flowing out and making room for me to move up and that it's not just the bottom 20 pilots that continually bid out?

 

ALL aircraft AQP. When I went thru on 7576 there was no AQP.

We can't even guess when a new hire would hold a line on any equip.
LIM always goes to reserve. I loved Lima. But I flew it as a 3 day dinnertime/daytime. I never flew the all nighters.

Brace yourselves, I'm going to write something positive here...

Next Feb 2015 PBS is scheduled to begin. If we can get the 30 in 168 to be in base, then all reserve lines will be 6 days on, 2,3,4 days off. 6 on, 2,3,4 off 6 on, 2,3,4 off.
No more long blocks of days on in a row.

They never build reserve lines with more than 6 off at the beginning of the month or 6 off at the end.

Most times 5 off at end of month. And you have to be senior reserve to get the 6 off at beginning of month.

There is a mentoring program for recallees and flow thrus and now for new hires. I am involved, but have not been assigned any new hires yet.

If I get a new hire, I will send him/her my email and my phone number and I may even try to phone that person before they call me. On the phone I can tell/help them on the 75/76 before training.

737 I do not remember much.