xjt domiciles?
 

I just got hired and will need to state my domicile preference. I was thinking Newark due to family/friends in the NY area (no crashpad needed while I commute). But all the Mexico flying from IAH has appeal. Anyone know of any other advantages/disadvantages of those two bases? Which is more junior? Thanks.

You will probably hold a line quicker in EWR, but they are both pretty junior. Mexico may have appeal now, but after the 9th time you do it in a month, it may start to get old. If you go to EWR, most people commute there. If you live there, the lines aren't too bad as there are a lot of early shows/ late releases. And overs (pay over scheduled block) are huge in EWR due to pretty much daily delays.

Hope this helps. PM me with any other questions. I'm curently an EWR FO.

I don't know about holding a line sooner in EWR. I know the company has been reducing lines in EWR and adding lines in IAH (right now I think there are like 230 EWR lines and 520 IAH lines). But there are also a lot of people who trade bases between EWR and IAH so it might be a wash. I do know that a friend of mine from class who was senior to me had a line last month in EWR while I was a reserve but he lost his line for next month and I got one. I also heard a nasty rumor that big CAL was sending XJT to hardstands out of the A-terminal in EWR and taking our gates in the C-terminal. Thats going to suck come January. What I do know about EWR: the EWR pilot group is a lot of fun, you will make more money because of delays and tons of people commute so there are tons of decent crashpads.

Will EWR stay a base for XJT when they don't fly for CAL anymore?

And, sorry to ask but I live in Germany so many words aren't so familiar anymore, what is a crashpad?:o

First of all, it will be a long time before XJT is no longer flying for CAL. Even with 69 of our airplanes not flying for CAL, we will still have over 200 airplanes flying with blue tails. Second, EWR will stay a base for XJT as long as it is economically feasible. If it doesn't make sense for EWR to be a base, that will be the day that EWR is no longer a base.

crashpad = an apartment or house shared by commuters who just need a place to "crash" while on reserve or before or after trips. Some crashpads you have a bunk or a room that is "yours" (called cold bunking) or you may have a situation where you take any bed that is open when you get there (hot bunking).

Thanks alot. I appreciate it... Happy and safe flying everyone!