QOL question: I’m sitting ~25% on the FO side in ATL and am chasing QOL and flexibility. What do you pros see as the impact in the next couple years to someone in my position in the 88ATLB category? LCA drying up? Overstaffed? What is the best way to preserve the QOL and flexibility while maximizing pay?

I was told when they got rid of the DC-9 it was very lucrative for the category as they did the draw down (GS and such) due to minimal staffing. Anyone live it? Thanks in advance!

I'm a junior atl 717 captain and am seeing random 88 guys around my seniority scout my line. Starting to think I might eat a secondary displacement. Possible answer to the OP's original question.

Great point. Junior Captains everywhere better have displacement bids to in place.

I lived the DC-9 drawdown and yo answer your question it got very understaffed at the end. I was also on the ER during the summer of 15 and the fall of 2013 was when I got most of my green slips in my career. Dudes getting 6 GS in a month was common. One dude got 10 GS December of 13. It’s probably the all time record.

To Han Solo’s question I’m able to hold reserve weekends off right now on the 88. If I lose 50-75 behind me that will change. So I will probably bail to the 717 asap.

The bottom 140ish captains on the 88 in ATL can’t hold another captain seat in ATL. The bottom 70 or so can’t hold another captain seat anywhere. If this bid only displaces 50-75 (and I’m just using those numbers based on the rumors here and on FB) then no other captains need to worry. Things will get interesting when they start to displace bigger numbers of 88 captains, but I’m betting by then there will be vacancies on other narrow bodies to soak up some of the displacements.

Do you think any of the senior guys, who have been waiting since the MOAB to jump, will take a VD to the baby bus or 737?

If the junior 88A’s can’t hold 320/737A positions, a VD won’t do senior 88A’s any good.

Not sure I follow. I guess I’m wondering if any 88As who wouldn’t take a huge seniority hit by moving to the bus would take the displacement opportunity to jump ship (one less summer sweating it out on the dog ). Less MDs in that case.

As Xray stated above, the bottom 70 ATL 88A's can't hold any other CA position at Delta.

A senior pilot using a VD can only go where a junior pilot (who would have been MD'ed) can go. There'd have to be pretty deep displacements before VD's come into play.

Thanks for the clarification!