ASA CRJ 200 vs. 700
 

What is the difference in QOL between the 200 and the 700? I know the reserve is longer on the 700, but how is the overall QOL? How much flying can you expect per month on the 700 vs. the 200? What are the lines like? Any info would be great. Thanks.

You'll be on reserve for over 1 yr on the 700 flying less than 40 hrs a month. On the 200 you'll be holding a line by your third month. If you commute life will suck for a while on the 700.

200 all the way. You will be glad you did.

Which a/c? It's easy, holding a line on the CR2 after your 3rd bid will net you significantly more money your first year than sitting reserve on the CR7 (reserve pays 75 hrs vs. a line around 85-90 plus, do the math) and once you can hold a decent line on the CR7 then move over. Remember that first year pay is the same regardless of what a/c you fly so go for the line, you'll be happier in the end.

Also don’t forget that when holding a line you’ll log 40+ more hours per month which will help you obtain the mins in order to upgrade when you number’s called. Yes, upgrade may currently be around 2.5-3 years but you never know what the futures may hold.

If this is the case then only newbie JSJers should take the CR7 so they can learn their lesson.

Apparently ASA has been putting up to 1/2 of each new hire class onto the -700.. any ideas why that's happening if reserve is going so long?

Seems kind of silly to be putting 1/2 the new hires each month onto a plane that's got such a long reserve.

it's called seniority... someone's got do it if no one volunteers for it...

the Story, as told to us in indoc, is that the - 700's are where the growth will be ( if- 900's come on property, their crews will come from the - 700 crews- and the -900's would be limited to 76 seats by Delta's Scope protection. )

Now, remember these were the "Rumors" that management whispered to us. My belief is, don't believe it until i see it with my own eyes. Driving in to the general office this morning what did i see? a Delta widebody sitting in font of our hangar. All it would take is the word "connection" painted on either side of the fuselage, wouldnt- it?...:eek:

kidding aside, I believe the big beef-up on the - 700's is Where managemt really expects to pick up the pace. For now, I'm sticking to the 50 Seat and hoping for some quality of life while things sort out.

That's what I heard too.

Well, wouldn't it be possible to just bid the 200, fly the heck out of the 200, and then IF and when 900s show up on property, bid the 900...it sounds like a half-promise to entice people into bidding the 700 in training..."oh, we'll have the 700 crews fly the 900s when they get here."

Example: If I started out on the 200, and some other guy 5 classes later (with lower seniority) starts out on the 700, then a 900 shows up, can't I just outbid the 700 FO for a 900 line???

You could but you would still have to go to differences training first.

I'd say probably not...can't imagine the FAA (and ASA) would go with a training program anything more than a few hours of ground-training being that their -700 training is already fairly intensive...but I could probably be blowing smoke LoL

At ASA you do your SIC type in the 200, and a week long differences program for the 700, since there is no specific 700 only training program.

yeah which means a weekend of drinking to forget the 200 flows and crap then go in and learn the 700. fun fun :cool:

What?? All we have to do in the -700 is remember "Flaps 1" and "Bleed Valves AUTO" LoL :D

there's a little more to it than just that ;-)

Does the 700 transfer the bleeds from the APU to 10th stage air automatically? I don't know much about the differences between the two.

The differences is pretty laid back. I was on the 200 for a bit when I went to the 700 they just give you a few days of ground class, a few days of sim training and then a little SOE to finish up. Then they finally get around to creating a line for you which is mutually agreed upon. It takes about a month to finish all the training. I hear all sorts of estimates as to the length of reserve. Guys quote anywhere between 4-10 months as an FO. Of course you hear otherwise on this forum which are guys who heard it from someone else and so on. For now I'll just go on what an actual 700 FO told ME.

As far as QOL it all depends on whether you like reserve or want a line. That's totally preference of course. When you hold a line you fly all the hours you get paid for but you accrue time faster for upgrade and it's easier to commute. Of course I would like to get my hours building much faster but right now on first year pay it's kind of helpful to be able to do a little work on the side to offset some living costs.

The way I see it: on reserve you get your 75 hour guarantee (75X23= 1725) and I only fly about 40 hours a month so basically it's kind if like 1725/40=43hr. And during my free time I work out of the house and the local area for another 40hrs a month at a significantly greater rate/hour than my normal pay. So I could hold a line and actually work 85-90 hours at 23/hour or I can work 80hrs a month and get paid for 115hrs (75+40). Just something for now. And FYI I don't have to commute and only live about 25mins from the airport in which I can just take the train so reserve isn't bad at all. All in all that's really the only difference between the 700 and the 200 besides the better overnights on the 700 and the thing is a lot funner to fly. But then again who flies for fun anymore;)

Yeah, it's pretty neat. As soon as you pull the power back to the climb detent it switches the bleeds over automatically. I remember on the 200 almost shutting the APU down after takeoff and I had missed one of the bleed valves on the flow. No more of that.

We're getting two 700s from Comair in April but besides that no further expansion has been planned. The main focus of ASA right now is improving our reliability and on time performance. With the ATR leaving more senior FOs will be coming to the 700 and pushing less senior reserves back down. If 900s do arrive on property I expect it to be an extremely senior aircraft for a couple years.

It may not go too senior if the pay is the same as the 700.

Heh...you said "funner":D

Yeah, I suppose the correct terminology should be "more funner".;)

You don't need to go off on what anybody told you. Just go to ourasa.com and look at the 700 roster and the junior lineholder's seniority number. Its 13 months right now.

If I remember correctly your contract dictates that the CR9's will be flown for the same rate as the CR7's due to the number of seats and your seat range. If so then your CR9 pilots won’t be separated from the CR7 pilots like they are now from the CR2 pilots. So a CR7 pilot could have a trip where he constantly moves between the two a/c on longer turns. This would dramatically improve CR7 pilot’s lines due to the fact that you have more routes and a/c with the CR9 added to there rotation.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but this is how my friend at ASA explained it.

I believe you are right.

Where on ourasa do you see that? I'm still fishing for it

go to documents, forms, crew members

Good point............but correct me if I'm wrong, that list changes almost daily if you think about it. One month lots of 700 FO's are upgrading to 200 CP's and 3/4 of the new hire class was dumped into the 700 initially. The next month a whole bunch of FO's are coming over from the 200 and no one in the newhire class was assigned. I think it is the aircraft that sees the most movement so it's really hard to say what the reserve time is going to be when you get assigned to the aircraft. Reserve time depending on your seniority really varies unlike the 50 seater where it's pretty consistent for the time being. Just an observation on my part, other people may see it differently.

Im on the 200 and this was my 2nd month bidding, they built me a line so no more reserve for me which is great....I guess w no relief lines they just build u a schedule if u ask for it....

Man, must be nice... been on and off reserve since August. I'd like to know how you pulled that off... So much for seniority... (btw for those of you claiming reserve is under three months on the 200 at ASA it is a bit longer than that)

Finished IOE in August and had a line for november. Was two months for me.

Yep... For those in a class one or two before mine, it worked out perfect. My class mates and I have been sitting anywhere between 10 and 30 numbers from a line for 4 months now. Just waiting for summer flying to pick up so we can have some semblance of a normal life.

*btw... the conversion line issue has been rectified. A solution will be sent out by ALPA through the ASA connection in the near future.

Forget about it anyway......ASA is not now, or will ever get 900's. If any addition 900's are given out by Delta, then Skywest/Pinnacle/Mesa will be flying them. Skywest will never send 900's to ASA, they will keep them on the Skywest side only. Fact.

That's not what the upper management at ASA seems to think... we've been told twice this week in training that the 900's are coming in the fall. Maybe they've just been hitting the pipe?

ASA has to conduct 80% of the flying out of ATL. We're losing the ATRs so Delta has to replace them with something eventually or risk paying Skywest Inc. Big Money if ASA flights drop below 80%. What are they going to replace the ATRs with? Not 50 seaters I can tell ya that. Mesa is a sinking ship. Pinnacle is in a civil war right now. Skywest is slowing moving their 900s back out west. ASA is under new management that has proven they know how to run an airline. Many things have improved since Skywest Inc took over. The contract is set. Pilots will be banking big time when duty rigs kick in tomorrow. The new GO building. ASA terminals going to all jetways. ACARS coming. Autoboarding. Do really think we'll be staying with all these 50 seaters? There probably won't be much expansion, but more 700s and 900s swapped for 50 seaters will be the norm. The 900s will be on property in the near future. I guarantee it.

Correct, 80% must be flown by ASA/Skywest!!!! That is why as the ATR's leave, they will be replaced by a 900 flown by Skywest. Just watch.

As for Pinnacle and Mesa, what you say is true, but.....those company's have contracts for many years to fly those 900's.

So, don't look for them at ASA.

Just out of curiosity how is this a "Fact"? Do you have credible sources for this "Fact"? Just wondering how you are so confident in this statement. Nothing personal.

Pretty sure it's ASA only not ASA/Skywest. Anyways, the 900s Skywest is flying was supposed to be ASAs except we were squabbling around with the contract and had no rate that's why Skywest has them. The 900s Skywest have are slowly going back out West as Pinnacle and Mesa are getting their deliveries. I am pretty sure the Skywest ATL base is not a permanent thing. All those 900s are heading back to Salt Lake and LAX. Im sure Delta needs them there. But like you said, lets just watch and see what happens.