B717 ATL For New Hires
 

Wondering what life on the 717 is like. Is 717 ATL senior? Schedules commutable? You name it, the more info the better.

I was hired Jan of 16. Big difference between now and then. I sat reserve one month, got 23 IA calls in one day last summer. This summer we have had extra x days for reserve and I haven't gotten an IA call all summer. I am a commuter, lines are very commutable. Maybe there are just a lot of guys willing to fly early in the morning because they live in base. I'm at 50% in the category but movement has slowed some. Lots of guys bid out on the MOAB, maybe more will bid out to the c series but we will see. I love the plane, it works great and is easy to fly. Lots of chances to hand fly into the small places we go into. Lots of 30 hr layovers in small locations but a day off is still a day off. The seat sucks, get a pad/cushion. The cockpit is cramped but you aren't in it for really long legs. Just one mans opinion but all in all I like it. Welcome to the category if you've already got it, good luck with your choice if you haven't picked yet.

The "good" thing about ATL 717 is at least as far as trips go, seniority hardly matters. The entire bid package is garbage so the best trips really aren't that much better than the worst.

Both statement above are correct. I was on the plane 2.5 years .. finally bounced due to trips still sucking even at 40% seniority. Good thing was getting all holidays / weekends off if that's your thing. Had great captains to fly with on the plane as well.

How would you define "garbage" in terms of bid packages and how does the typical 717 bid package compare to those of other fleets? Can you give examples of what is bad about it? How is it better or worse than MD88 trips?

I think they are getting at the repetitive nature of the trips. You can hit all the layover spots in 2 years easy. The 88 has a much more diverse bid package because of the size of the category and the larger capacity.

As an 88 guy who considered moving over, when I looked hard at their bid packages they had way more 5 day trips and way way more 5 leg days than the 88.

If thats good or bad is in eyes of the beholder, but Im still on the 88

A large % of trips either get in very late or leave very early and typically in small towns where there is no ability to get food after arrival or before departure. Lots of legs. Very short turns, except when you get your 3 hour sit in ATL which then turns into reroute patrol -- amazingly this seems to happen before that 1 good layover of the 5 day trip. An expected 17 hours in TPA can turn into 11 in TLH in no time. Fortunately that usually works out so there's no extra expense to the company...

Yes, this happens but not nearly in the frequency you seem to be insinuating.

Are you referring to my entire post or ATL rerouting?