DAL 7ER out of JFK...
 

8 of the latest class will be showing up after the holidays at JFK to sit reserve on the ER. Any ER drivers out there know how often the reserves are being utilized out of JFK? Obviously the base is short on bodies...we're 8 little people going to fly big planes and ATL ERs are filling some of the JFK lines.

I'd like to get an idea of if it will be "sit and wait" or "King in the Castle..."

G99

Is that 777 or 767? New hires?

The last time I checked the most Jr. 777 driver had a seniority number in the 4000s, so it has to be the ER. Also, we are getting those AA/TWA 75's and putting them in JFK so we need bodies.

Tom

Thanks.
I saw the destinations you guys are starting out of JFK. That's cool.
Our mAAnagement is more into shrinking.

How many hours a month are the ER pilots averaging? Is it possible that new hires will be getting into the ER for the next 6-8 months?

Average line value for November is 72 hours, and lines will range from 65:00 to 79:30. In the summer, ALV and the associated range was 10 hours higher. Another bid is coming out next month, and I expect that some ER F/O slots will go unfilled in JFK. In other words, there will probably be new hire ER slots for a while longer.

Again, are the 7ER reserves getting used often out of JFK?

Yes, reserves are being utilized in JFK on the ER. This summer we were so short half the guys I talked to were on Green Slips or Inverse Assignments. FOs have been making more than the average Captain lately. ;)

Things should be slowing down a bit for the winter but we're still understaffed. Plan on flying on reserve....which is better than sitting around in a crash pad!

As another new ER dude, thanks for the info Flare.

Prof

I can vouch for that. It was a GREAT summer.

Tom

I am starting class on Oct 15th, and live in D.C. The commute should not be too bad for me. I have a good last four of my ss number (9051), so I should be high up on the pick. I am leaning towards NY MD-88 is order to hold a line quickly. My wife has a well paying job, so income is not critical to the decision. Any arguments for selecting JFK ER instead?

Best/Worst Layovers for JFK ER
 

What are the best and least favorite layover destinations for the 76ER guys out of JFK? Just talking about the actual destinations/hotels/cultural value vs. the money made on the trips.

How would you rank some of the destinations in terms of attractive layover from a non-monetary perspective?

Thanks

Nearly all of them are good when money is not a factor.

Guys tend to avoid Accra due to lack of things to do there/ climate/ tropical disease potential. Sao Paulo is often avoided due to the hours at which the flight operates. Some guys avoid London due to the unfavorable exchange rate, as well as the layover location (not in London).

Beyond that, it comes down to personal preference. They all have something to offer, and the hotels are generally very good. I haven't seen a bad layover yet.

My favorites: Rome, Berlin, Barcelona, Budapest, Kiev, Venice. Moscow is interesting once in a while.

Awesome. Finally what I asked for. So much chaff on this website it just takes awhile to get some input. Thanks Flare.

We just had the scheduling class, so I'm going to be leaning hard on the green/yellow slips and inverse assignments. Glad they're working. I've got a reserve job so I'm going to have to juggle a couple jobs. I'll see if it works. Prof and I will see you out on the line in January.
G99

Every pick comes down to your personal needs, but believe me, your personal needs will take a back seat to your ego when the time comes. If you're in NY then I wouldn't worry about holding a line. I'd be looking at a way to not beat the crap out of yourself (i.e. up-down-up-down-up-down...welcome to the shuttle). If you manage your reserve line on the 7ER you can work less than a shuttle guy (that is be home more). 18 days on reserve can turn into 14 with green slips. If you pass on the ER and you don't like the 88 and the spots fill up, your stuck. If you take the ER and don't like it, I guarantee you'll get the 88 on the next bid. Give the ER a shot. Budapest, Spain, Italy, Moscow, Brazil, etc. YGTBSM!! Are you smoking crack.

Anyway...did I say it was a matter of personal preference? Bid what you want and want what you bid.

G99

Gretzky, thanks for the input.

I don't live in NY. I live in Washington, D.C. I've been told that I can do long reserve from home in Washington. Also, I have relatives that live within 2 hours of JFK that I can stay with for short call. That is nice, but it's still not home with my wife and kid. Another thing to consider is the MD-88 shuttle does a lot of overnights in DC. Also, If the reserves are getting called up all the time, does it really matter if you hold a line or not? What's the better quality of life? MD-88 or 767ER?

Opinons?

(1)All of the 767ER trips are a same day commute, whereas many of the domestic trips will involve a hotel stay on one end or the other.

(2) You'll be working hard in the right seat of a Maddog- even if you have some seniority. You'll also be dragging your bags from one end of ATL to the other, waaay too often.

(3)The beer in Frankfurt, Germany is better than the beer in Frankfort, Kentucky

Should be #1, then no need for any other comments. :)

The shuttle will do a lot of overnights in DC. You have a good chance of sleeping in your own bed a lot. The reserves are getting used, as you said. The difference between holding a line and not is the quality of the trips. On reserve you will get lots of broken trips. If a three day trip, for example, is in open time scheduling does not have to give a reserve the trip as it was built. They can break it up. A line holder is assured an average of 5:15 per duty period. Not so for a reserve. On reserve you will end up with lots of trips where you only fly one or two legs in a duty period and end up with 3 hours of pay for that day. Bottom line.....on reserve you will fly more than a line holder but get paid less.

Xray,

Is what you are saying about broken trips for MD-88, ER, or both?

Good question. What I said would apply to the 88 or 738. Not so much on the 7ER. Kinda hard to break up a three day, two leg trip to Europe!

It's tough to have a broken trip on the ER. They generally fly as published, and the Crew Tracking (reroute) people have very little opportunity to mess with you.

Sounds like I should go for ER if it is available, and if I don't like it switch to the MD-88. Is that what I am hearing?

That's not a bad plan. The negative as a new guy is the lack of actual flying. It'll take some time to get comfortable in the AC.

As far as favorite trips goes, the nice thing about international flying is many pilots have their favorites so one guy's pleasure is another's pain.

When I could hold a regular line I bid days off with max time per trip. I liked Moscow so 80+ hours and 12 days work per month. I'm on reserve now so things are different. So far 2-4 days short call and two trips per month flying England, Ireland and Ghana mostly. I get most of the other cities occasionally.

Are new hires going to the ER being treated as "in flight relief ONLY" pilots, or are they getting an equal share of flight time/takeoffs/landings?

I understand that they may not get the required number of quarter/monthly landings due to the nature of the flying, but as far as dividing up the t/o's, landings and flight time on a trip how's that working out?

Generally, the captain takes one leg, and the other leg goes to whoever needs a landing. Actual seat time is divided pretty evenly. If you're junior, you'll get plenty of landings by virtue of flying to Ireland and the UK as part of a two-pilot crew.

What can I expect as a new hire FO on the 7ER? How many days on short and long reserve, how many days flying, and how many days gone from home total?

How long should I expect to be on 7ER reserve? I hear a year or longer?

For someone who is commuting from D.C. is it better to be on reserve on the 7ER for a year, or hold a line on the MD-88?

In the 7ER , how long is the break between initial 2 weeks of indoc training and the simulators? 2 weeks? A month?

Thanks!

Is it about the same for the ATL ER guys?

Quick gouge...Ate dinner with GuardDude tonight (Malone's) and his buddy is 50ish out of 100ish on the 88 out of NYC and has only been with the company 6ish months. Read: seniority comes faster on the 88 outta NYC.

7ER is going to new hires but there are still enough guys in front of you to be on reserve for awhile (>2years...??).

Hold a line 88 = pick your lines (sometimes), establish a regular schedule (more predictable and <18 days ... normal reserve line)
versus reserve 7ER = can work the system to get airborne off short call on a "green slip" and fly <18 days a month, but it is unpredictable (compared to holding a line). You can't say either is better. It's just a difference between what you want to put up with right now to get to what you want later.

Remember, as long as there are bids (for awhile now) you will always be able to go back to the 88 NYC, but there's no guarantee that you'll be able to go back to the 7ER.

Previous classes had as much as 5 weeks off between indoc and training. Our class has a couple starting 15 Oct (we finish indoc 12 Oct), and the rest in the 76/75 NLT 29 October (2 weeks). The 88 guys are starting training as late as mid-November, but they'll be done and on the line before we are. 7ER training includes 76/75 OE, a type rating ride and then the international stuff in the 7ER to complete TOE. That is, longer training.

Bottom line, enjoy whatever you get now. 10 years from now you'll look back and wonder what you even worried about.

76/75 or 7ER guys...
Anyone know if the LuggageWorks 107NG International 26" bag (vice the typical 22" bag) works in the 767 or 7ER? I pack like a chick and am attempting to squeeze my Steve Madden white loafers in the bag to match my Lagerfeld day suit and my Armani full-length Siberian otter pelt coat in my carry-on (for the cold Moscow February).
Thanks...
G99

The big bags work fine on the ER...plenty of room for them in the cockpit or the closet. Your problem will be commuting/deadheading with the tall bag. You'll take up most of an overhead with it if you can't throw it in the cargo bin downstairs.

btw....it was snowing in Moscow just a couple days ago so you'll definitely want to pack a coat (and hat and gloves)!

Also, now that we're getting a 777 base in NYC, expect more movement on the ER....you guys might not be on reserve as long as you think.

The 777 is a funny animal as far as bidding. It won't cause as much movement in NYC as you might think because pilots will bid in from all over the place and commute to the 777.

CVG is getting a 73N base, and I hear NYC is losing their 73N base. This was talked about a lot about a year ago, but never happened. I think it's going to happen now.

Listen to the codaphone....NYC is not losing its 737 base...the 737 hours to create the LAX and CVG 737 flying is coming mostly from ATL and some from SLC, and the time will come back when the 737-700s arrive.

I think the 8+ 777s we're getting in the near future are going to have a huge affect on staffing no matter where you sit on the list.

I just listened to the code-a-phone. That's different information than I heard in a lounge show just last week.

As far as 777s on movement, I never said they would not create movement on the total list. They will. I did say, and I stand by, you can't predict how much movement a new 777 category in NYC will cause for NYC. Every new 777 captain could come from a current NYC category, or every one of them could come from somewhere else. A posting of 30 777 captains in NYC (just using 30 as an example) does not mean that you will get 30 777 captains worth of movement in NYC.

That's true....too many &%^ commuters here in NYC... make room for us locals dammit! ;)

Just read the info on the 767 Crew Rest Module....(bunks for 12+ hr flights). Sounds like they did a decent job on it.

I've read the bulletin about the new bunks, but I'd like to see a picture or sketch. Are there any out there?

i looked on dalnet...couldn't find any.

So LAX is getting the 737, is this for certain? Will it go fairly junior? How junior is LAX 767/757?

Once the flood of ER new hires make it to NYC, the current ER pilots should be off reserve. There have been 30+ new hires on the ER beginning with the 8/20 class. More new hire ERs expected in upcoming classes.

What's better, holding a junior line with Ireland and Africa or sitting reserve and working the "rolling thunder"?