I did the commute from DFW to MSP, ORD and IAH. MSP was fairly easy but a longer flight. ORD was actually harder because AA is hub to hub and its either way over sold or wide open. When AA was open, so was UA. When AA was oversold, so was UA. While IAH was tough sometimes, it was definitely easiest of all three, simply because of the short flight made my life easier. I liked being able to hop home for a night. Plus Skywest does many IAH-DFW flights too.


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Does IOE happen in base (no hotel covered) or are they shifting you around and covering hotels?

 

They have to get you a hotel for IOE even if it's in base. My base was ORD and my 6 days of IOE was almost all local trips, but they got me a hotel whenever I needed it. My IOE was broken up into two 3-day segments. Each time I commuted out the night before and they got me a hotel that night plus the other nights I needed one. In Chicago it's the Aloft ORD which is pretty nice.

You can request IOE and OOE (Other Operating Experience, covering the -700 and -900) out of different bases, though there's no guarantee you'll get it. I requested IOE and OOE out of SFO...I got IOE out of ORD but got my -700 OOE out of SFO, and my -900 OOE out of LAX. Since I live in SFO, that made those trips a lot easier.

To answer the other poster's sim delay question, it all depends on how 'senior' you are in your class and how many slots there are. In my class of 29, there were only 18 sim slots available right after Systems, so 11 of us got to defer. The deferral wound up being 7 weeks long.

Also, you can expect a wait between finishing sims (LOE) and IOE. In my case it was just 9 days. My sim partner waited a month to get his hands on a real airplane. Also expect to wait between finishing your IOE on the -200 and getting OOE on the -700 and -900.

 

I was offered a hotel during IOE in base even though I lived in base and did not need it.

In other news, I've been on property less than 7 months and have over 300 pilots beneath me already. Also, if upgrades continue at 36/month or whatever they are, I will upgrade in 26 months...

While I highly doubt that will happen, I also highly doubt things will be doom and gloom even if we DO downsize a bit this year. Hiring will continue it seems. In fact, if we DO downsize I think it would be a good thing in that our schedules will get better!

 

I've been around the biz long enough to know we can't count anything either way until it happens. I hope the positive trend continues, but am ready for the worst. I ain't skurd tho.

 

That's what, two and half years for you?

 

SkyWest is trying to hire 100 per month.

Attrition is running a little over 1 per day.

Training department is hiring lots of instructors.

 

Well looks like the signing bonus for those who have a CL65 type is official. $7500 once the applicant passes IOE.

 

I'm not one to get all giddy and start calling shots but things are defiantly speeding up at all levels (except lifer Captains, and the top 10% lifer FO's).

 

Damn. Just saw that.