FAT is by far the most junior. LAX, SFO, PSP are all around the same seniority and are decently junior. PDX, SLC and SBP are senior. That's kind of how it always is. The seniority at those bases hasn't fluctuated much since I've been here (aside from opening SFO).

Best base to work out of depends on what you want. SFO, SLC and FAT have the highest credit trips. LAX and PSP have the best overnights with the bonus of not having to deal with as much SFO flow BS but they fly more legs per trip with generally lower credit. SFO is pretty easy to commute to from almost anywhere and has had a lot of commutable trips recently. FAT and PSP are extremely difficult to commute to.

Every person is looking for something different in their 'best base' so it would be hard to say which one is the best without knowing what you want.

Looking for somewhere that's possibly commutable from the east coast, but cheap enough to live in should I bite the bullet and move. Also, a place that has decent trips to survive on 1st year pay. And then where it would be most likely to hold a line the quickest. Is there any base in particular where most of the transitions are going to come from when they run that class?

You can always two leg it on Airways to FAT thru PHX. They do 5 flights a day.

Heh after all is said and done it would be a 3 legger...

FAT is probably the cheapest domicile to live in but the worst to commute to. SFO and LAX will be the easiest commutes for you by far but probably the most unaffordable to live in. SLC might be your happy middle ground. Not a bad commute and it's affordable.

FAT is where you'll hold a line the quickest. SFO and LAX aren't bad either. In SLC and PDX there are two year bro FOs on reserve. That could easily change once transitions start up but they've hardly transitioned anyone in the past year.

I would expect the junior domiciles like FAT, SFO and LAX to lose pilots the quickest once transitions start. Most people in those domiciles already have bids in to transition and are just playing the waiting game. Almost 90% of the people in SFO have their bid in. The senior domiciles have more people who want to stay on the brasilia in order to live in base.

FAT is a disaster of a commute though. I was two legging it from ORD for a long time and I would always get out to LAX or PHX with no problem at all then get bumped 4-5 times in a row going into FAT. There were times when I left my house at 8am on my day off and didn't get to FAT until 10pm or later. I've had to drive from LA or SFO more than once due to being bumped off the last flight of the night or having the last flight cancel.

It doesn't, it's just a one-year lock on internal seat/equipment transfers, there's no training contract at SKW or anything else that would keep you from leaving at any time you want.

Don't commute to FAT, unless you can drive it in a few hours. The town's a dump, but there's some nice areas close to the mountains within easy driving distance.

What's the callout time on reserve? Any ready reserve?

2 hours.

They do ready, typically more at the larger bases. Also you're likely to be on ready after you finish a reserve flight assignment before you get to go home.

Would a new hire on the Bro have any chance of PDX or SLC? What's the difference in paycheck one might expect from reserve at either of those domiciles vs a line in FAT?