WantTheJob

Look, I am not saying they don't exist. My point is simply that the captains you speak of would most likely be in the minority versus the ones that choose to come to places like Frontier, Virgin....etc.

My opinion is not against guys that choose to stick to their regional either. I myself was at a regional for over a decade so I do speak out of very reliable experience when I say that the number of factors that make someone stay at a regional versus the airlines mentioned above are very limited. Just calling a spade a spade!

terryhflyer

The latest bid has 18 new captains and first officers in ORD for Feb.

Bolo

This point forward if any of you think you are some day going to get Denver in the next 3 years minimum then I have a piece of land on MARS I want to sell you.
Plan on being based somewhere other than Denver. If you are Denver based now, that is where you will be on the list most likely without any backfill when people leave.

sulkair

This is kind of what I was thinking too, but one thing confuses me. If they don't backfill FO's into Denver to replace senior & middle FO's taking east upgrades this will begin to create an uneven CA/FO Denver list.

Presupposing a balanced list is preferred, a decision to keep DEN status quo will require backfill FO's - the only other option is to allow DEN to shrink with eastern growth, but then this will conversely require Jr. Captains to be displaced to keep the list balanced.

Wonder which it will be?

I would imagine early on, the new base(s) and Chicago won't need to be huge, so it makes sense to keep Denver status quo, and grow the new ones with new-hires and upgrades. My theory is in the short run this mitigates risk & cost involved with displacing pilots to untested domiciles, and avoids real costs associated with Jr displaced Denver CA's bumping back to DEN FO.

However, I wouldn't imagine this careful approach will last forever. Eventually as fleet size grows, the 'outside of Denver' markets now with a history of viability will spur greater bolder crew placement decisions. By then absorbing costs associated with displacements will be a necessary cost of doing business.

Just thinking out-loud.

Bolo

You are right. At some point in time with the uneven balance of Captains to FO's the Company will have to backfill Denver. At what point that is the question? May be a while.

sulkair

Good point.

rjfoguy

Any guesses as to when a new base might be announced?

dang

Ord will double in size in 2015 if not more. The next crew base will "reveal" itself in late 2015 early 2016. A new east coast base will come but the market will decide. (Management doesn't know yet)... Now what about that contract?

dfwflyboy

what are the odds of a Phoenix base? I saw on the route map, that Frontier flies quite a bit out of PHX.

Jungle Rat

Management told our recurrent class in Dec not to expect any bases west of DEN in the foreseeable future. Said west coast is a bloodbath right now with Delta and Alaska going at it. Specifically mentioned no Phoenix any time soon.
Also confirmed Dang's observations above concerning Chicago and East Coast base.