Upgrade times
#1131
#1132
Line Holder
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 231
Likes: 22
#1134
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 4,553
Likes: 397
Recently flew with a Captain who took earliest upgrade. Commutes from Florida to the West Coast. Has to fly PMs because they are junior out there for some reason and that's all he can hold.So he gets up at oh-dark-thirty, commutes out West, then flies to Hawaii, arriving around 10pm local or around 4am Eastern Time after being awake for almost 22 hours. That sounds miserable.
Pros and cons of the "early" upgrade I guess.

He has decided to bid back to FO until he can hold something closer to home.
Pros and cons of the "early" upgrade I guess.

He has decided to bid back to FO until he can hold something closer to home.
How can that possibly be worth it?
You would lose money, days off, good vacation, and your sanity. No way would I ever put myself or my family through that. It would have lasted one month and I would have bid back and hoped to lance somewhere else.
#1135
How would you bid to Lance? Find a domicile where you would be in the top 3% and opt in?
#1136
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 4,553
Likes: 397
Yes. Look at the contingency bids. You can set them up to trigger a Lance position, at least that is my understanding of it. Right now, most of the lances have "timed out" and so a lot of the upgrades recently have been replacing them as they take captain positions.
I would Lance in any domicile. It's easy to give away a turn line or sweet 2 day line and just pick up at captain rates. Unfortunately, Lance has been going way senior to junior upgrade for a while. I suspect that disparity will only increase as upgrades begin in earnest.
In your guy's case, I doubt he would have too much luck if he is that junior. He would also probably time out since he has started his captain "clock".
#1137
Line Holder
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 769
Likes: 77
Yes. Look at the contingency bids. You can set them up to trigger a Lance position, at least that is my understanding of it. Right now, most of the lances have "timed out" and so a lot of the upgrades recently have been replacing them as they take captain positions.
I would Lance in any domicile. It's easy to give away a turn line or sweet 2 day line and just pick up at captain rates. Unfortunately, Lance has been going way senior to junior upgrade for a while. I suspect that disparity will only increase as upgrades begin in earnest.
In your guy's case, I doubt he would have too much luck if he is that junior. He would also probably time out since he has started his captain "clock".
I would Lance in any domicile. It's easy to give away a turn line or sweet 2 day line and just pick up at captain rates. Unfortunately, Lance has been going way senior to junior upgrade for a while. I suspect that disparity will only increase as upgrades begin in earnest.
In your guy's case, I doubt he would have too much luck if he is that junior. He would also probably time out since he has started his captain "clock".
#1138
Recently flew with a Captain who took earliest upgrade. Commutes from Florida to the West Coast. Has to fly PMs because they are junior out there for some reason and that's all he can hold.So he gets up at oh-dark-thirty, commutes out West, then flies to Hawaii, arriving around 10pm local or around 4am Eastern Time after being awake for almost 22 hours. That sounds miserable.
--brk brk--
That's also the buried lead to the touted vacancy bidding and domicile footprint of sw. When you're stuck/displaced in OAK for 18 months and counting as a east of the rockies guy, well all those virtues and a $1.99 get you a cup of coffee. People quit jobs for less. I certainly would (as a NH I mean), each their own and all that jazz of course.
Happy new year! Cheers.
#1139
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 4,553
Likes: 397
Guys lanced for over 2 years while movement was stagnant. And they were way junior to what you would expect. There are the rules as they are written, and then there are the ways around them. Was a sweet deal for a handful of guys with the brains and the balls to figure it out
I have flown with a bunch of them. It was an accidental stroke of great timing for all of them and they know it. Most of those guys are upgrading now, so as a new group starts their year clock, we will see what happens.
#1140
According to last SWAPA snapshot email, 678 upgrades for 2022 with 1372 FOs.
Newhire classes:
Jan with 30
Feb with 18
Mar with 156
Apr with 120
The rest TBD.
First upgrade class is March with 104.
Newhire classes:
Jan with 30
Feb with 18
Mar with 156
Apr with 120
The rest TBD.
First upgrade class is March with 104.
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