ETOPS
 

What are the advantages/disadvantages to being in the EBG? I'm asking about schedule, pay , bidding power etc. Basically can one make more money and have better QOL in the EBG?

It's awful! Just awful. unless you're junior, I'd steer clear. And honestly, there's less money to be made due the relative stability of the trips and fewer reassignments.

So why are senior guys the first to bid into it?

"1 leg = only one chance per day to get violated" is a tongue in cheek response I've heard.

ETOPS
 

I will say the vacation overlap drops look very nice. I’ve seen a handful that pay 55 for one week of vacation.

The HI overnights are nice I've heard. I think there's quite a bit of AM turned PM trips so they're not as lucrative for those who are pretty set on AM or PM's.

I'm guessing Sr. dudes are just looking for something different to do. If DEN becomes a ETOPS bid group, I'll bid it...get all my sightseeing in on the islands and then move back if I don't like it.

rumor from the school house is once we get the max 7 DEN will be ETOPS. So you might get your chance. Only thing I see as an advantage is you can bid both groups. Out of DEN the trips might be higher paying.
it would be nice to have more variety but I'm a pay per day and qol guy myself.

For sure...the downside is if it goes Senior when it first opens you may end up on ETOPS RSV when you could hold a much better schedule in a non-etops bid group.
I'd be about 22% in either LAX bid group, but that base has been established for awhile. LAS is a bit different....58% ETOPS vs 38% Non.

So I guess it's just the senior guys tired of the Texas two step

Not at all; lots of junior captains and FOs doing it as well. (Honestly, even the "bad" ETOPS lines are pretty good.) Even new-hires are getting it right out of the gate. It isn't for everybody, but I really enjoy it.