Min days off are 11 for CA and FO.

Lol. Well youll upgradehere quick. If you become a senior fo youll be able to push a great salary through bid strategy and open time pickups.

You're running out of reasons not to return.

I left in 2014 after 8 yrs (2005 Mesaba hire). Just interviewed and will be in class very soon. Wasn't sure what to expect, but I was put through the same interview process as everyone else. No special treatment for former pilots.
Keep longevity, lose seniority. Everyone saying I'll be back to left seat soon (especially if I take NYC 200). I left the industry, and now ready to get back in the game. From what I hear, morale is much better now than a couple years ago.

Scheduled to start in June and have a few questions. When on reserve, can you swap reserve blocks between bases after schedule is posted? For example, if NY 200 based, can I swap with ATL 200 reserve blocks if they align in Flica (assuming they show in Flica). Also, how does it work with picking up open time when between scheduled reserve blocks?

No you may not simply trade reserve in one base for another. The only way to do that is if scheduling is willing to switch you to "out of base reserve" I haven't heard of that happening like it used to. It might still but I don't know. You can't pick trips to fly from open time unless you are able to drop any reserve days over the trip then pick up the trip from open time. (don't count on that happening very often either) Reserve here is basically at the mercy of scheduling with basically no control over anything more than what 11 days off you get per month. You aren't even guaranteed a start time because a trip can usually be preassigned during the preceding stretch of reserve days. Example, last day of a set of reserve is Friday. Next set starts Monday at 10 am. Scheduling can call you Friday and assign you to a trip that reports at 6 am Monday morning and now you are stuck commuting in the night before instead of that morning screwing up your plans for the weekend... sorry . We have a lot of guys commuting or delaying upgrade to avoid reserve here. (we also have several sitting reserve at home rather than commute to a line, to each their own)

Ugh. Please let me get Atlanta...please let me get Atlanta.

Even if you don't get it during the first week of training, you should get it very quickly. Lots of movement and the base is only going to grow over time.

Have a buddy that has been out on leave or furlough for quite a while. If he comes back will his opportunity to go to DL happen with his old seniority number? He did not resign his seniority.

There hasn't been a published guideline on how the DGI would function. We are going to have to wait until the SSP is completely finished before we have that answer.

Hire date?

If your buddy was hired before 2014 then he missed the boat on Delta. SSP first interviews are over and you needed to submit your name last year if you planned on participating.

Any questions he has should be directed towards the Endeavor MEC.