We run vacancy bids every other month and pilots can expect training within the next three months after awarded a new position therefore the pilot must have the prerequisites prior to being awarded versus the large annual bids you guys run where training could be 8-12 months from the award. Not saying either way is better but explaining the rationale behind the requirement here at UAL. The fact that we are even having this discussion one year after narrowly missing thousands of furloughs is entertaining to say the least. I have whiplash….

 

Do you guys get to bid on your training schedule?

 

if you mean on when we go to transition training, not really, we can ask to go after or before a certain date, but nothing is guaranteed. If you mean sim times, no. We do bid for recurrent training tho.

 

Reserve isn't that bad at UA. Im narrowbody right now in right seat in NYC. Some guy like to complain about everything. We have senior guys that are able to bid Widebody because of the size of our widebody fleet. We're just built differently. (widebodies) Next summers international flying is historic which is good for the senior guys.

 

May I ask what approx. DOH hire applies wide body captain (real wide body like 787/777)? Just curious if the vacant NB captain bids correlate in any fashion to juniority on the WB side of the house.

Over here, the lamest wide body trip beats typical domestic. So if you are the recipient of what's handed out to reserves, the QOL is pretty decent once you are out flying. Bottom line is that a junior wide body pilot is not living in misery once flying assignments are made.

 

Oh we all know which way is better - our 12 month put your life on hold for 1 year method sucks!

Scoop

 

fully agree. I also think requiring 1 full year and 500 hours at Delta would be a good idea.

from what I saw posted over there, probation pilots cannot bid a CA position, and you are not off probation until 1 year of service, no exceptions.

 

While this is something that will resolve itself the vast majority of the time (with extremely rare, very isolated, very limited exceptions) if we implimented a policy like you are advocating then we would have to either pull down block hours and cancel flights or junior assign to CA positions for those meeting the 500/1 "company minumims".

The very rare couple of unicorns a few years ago when the entire pilot group was running around saying "I can hold Captain!" because 2 probies briefly got NYC88A awards was enough to get the tiger teams to pay attention. They were planning longer OE and other things, but just as quickly as it happened it was over so I suspect those efforts were at best backburnered or at worst scrapped.

But in any case, the only reason A positions would go to first year pilots is if no one else bid them. To change the possibly of someone under 500/1 from getting it would take other measures that would have their own negative effects. Not sure what the right answer for this is FWIW.

 

or… they can post those unfilled positions in a base that can get upgrades. Or they can improve reserve QOL to make upgrading more desirable.

UA cannot force upgrades and I don’t see them pulling back hours after 46 CA slots went unfilled.

I understand what you are saying, I just think there should be a point where the company has to stop and not award a CA position to someone brand new to DL.


on the flip side of this argument, I think new hires should be able to break their seat lock to move up to a WB B position if their seniority allows (which is currently not the case here, unlike UA)

 

They also had 157 unfilled 777/787 FO positions. The capt positions might be filled next month or in a coupla months with another bid. I know they train pretty quickly, but I know of a few Capt's still awaiting training after 4 months and still not scheduled. Or, they just overman other, more senior bases and start/end with DH. Or, they just build the rotation to be covered by other bases from start to finish with more scheduled block hours (shift of flying). I feel certain, that their mgt will figure it out and/or just not expand the flying as rapidly. Hardly a crisis. OBTW, do they still add the "homily" during the interview of "We hire Captains at Delta"? It's not like the pilots we hire aren't well qualified....same for UAL and AA