Dashgreat

Thanks for your help. There's a lot about FedEx that interests me, but it would certainly be convenient if I could occasionally get overnights in the city I live in.

What would you say would be a good aircraft and base for a new hire to get a line quickly?

ClncClarence

Airbus and 757 in MEM have the quickest seniority progression currently.

threeighteen

Airbus, 757, MD11 MEM all offer great opportunities to hold a line fast and move up the list fast. 757 offers an easy transition to 767 once your seniority on the 767 would be better. Airbus offers wide-body pay right away. MD-11 MEM offers the most diverse options in flying the company has to offer. Everything from out-and-backs, night hub turns, day hub turns, trans-cons, Hawaii, PR, Europe , Middle East, Asia, Anchorage, Australia, etc.

I honestly don’t bid for trips that layover in my home city but instead bid trips with deadheads on both sides of the trip so I just show up to the airport in my home city and get on a paid ticket to wherever the airplane is and start my trip there. You will probably get the chance to get layovers in your home city at some point but honestly prioritizing getting a line as fast as possible is much more important to your QOL than trying to get layovers at home, because unless you’re getting long layovers at home, you’ll need that time to rest anyway.

PostalAV8B

FWIW...starting out if you could get home town flying, more than likely your layover would be from 0600 am to late evening sometime. Which equals drive to/from in work traffic, trying to sleep during the day with noise and a honey due list hanging over your head. I got less sleep doing this. Works for some, but I prefer when I am at work to stay at work. I get more sleep on the road.

ClncClarence

Best advice in this thread. Laying over at home sounds good on paper but if you’re hub turning it’s exhausting. Long weekend layover is great, during the week not so much.

As an Airbus commuter I go for high-credit deadheads on Mondays and Fridays and just stay on the road all week. I’m relatively junior but I get the overwhelming majority of my weekends at home this way and don’t have to be a zombie on my off time.

I’ve ‘worked’ 4 total Saturdays or Sundays in 2022. Two of those were either an early AM DH home or late evening DH to an outstation for a trip the next day.

AZFlyer

Just an anecdotal data point with regards to seniority progression: I was hired spring of 2021 MD11 MEM. After IOE I spent two months on reserve, then holding a line since then, with only my first month as a line holder (my 3rd month off IOE) doing night hub turns. I've been able to consistently hold commutable pure day flying by my 4th month off of IOE. Very happy and very fortunate to experience that kind of progression that quickly.

C17B74

Makes total sense. Bumper Sticker: “I would quit my job, but that’s the only place I get any sleep!” Probably someone’s avatar on APC here as well.