Hello, how long would it take to hold MCO as a new captain ?

I’m thinking 8-10 years to upgrade , then another 5 years to hold MCO as a captain ? Does this sound about right ?

Thanks for any replies.

 

Thing is, by the time a new hire can hold MCO as a captain, the landscape may (and will likely have) changed. The reason MCO is senior is driven by the former AirTran pilots and the weather/tax situation in Florida. Overtime, the AirTran pilots will be less of an impact as they get older and the pilot group becomes bigger. Another variable would be opening of a new base. For insistence, if BNA or FLL were to become bases, that would likely make MCO more junior. Or United could come in and open an MCO base and ULCCs could take a greater market share and MCO could shrink. It's certainly clear that SWA at this point doesn't have that much interest in expanding MCO (or other east coast domiciles).

I can give you a snapshot as of today. The most junior Captain in MCO was hired in 2007.

An example of things changing - when I was hired it took 10 years seniority to hold Atlanta...as a First Officer. Now it's not much different than any other base, new hires can easily hold it within 12 months.

 

Fantastic synopsis of seniority list evolutions over time.


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I hope you’re not making a career decision on when you can hold CA in a certain base. If you care about being based in MCO, SWA Aug new hires are awarded MCO for December.

 

I can't speak to the specifics, as it's always changing, but several things have not changed since we opened the MCO base in August of 2001.

Lots of senior FOs camp out at the top of the list for years, until they can hold a Capt hard line in MCO. Some have zero intention of ever upgrading.

Those that choose to commute to upgrade typically do so for several years before being able to get back into MCO as Capt. at which point they sit reserve for another few years.

MCO is a "pre retirement" base, mainly for BWI and MDW folks.

Almost every time someone senior retires, another (or more) senior pilot, prepositioning for retirement takes their place. I move up and down a few numbers every few months. Currently, I am 5 numbers junior to where I was last January, and I am sitting in the top 15% in MCO (4% company wide). This yo yo effect has been happening for the last 21 years, and I suspect that it will continue for the foreseeable future. FWIW, I've moved up 125ish numbers in that 21+ years in MCO.

This summer, we finally started getting new hire FOs in MCO again (I can't remember the last time I flew with an MCO based probie prior to June), which is a nice change of pace, and we've added a few Capt slots, so maybe with the massive hiring, things will change a bit in MCO.

 

I have been here 15 years. Was MCO FO for the last 12 years. Upgraded over the summer. As of the November award, I am still 1,100 numbers away from holding the last spot in MCO.

As others have stated, MCO is where CAs in their last 3-5 years bid. They come down here, buy their beach condo and retire out of MCO.

For QoL sake, we are moving to another domicile.

 

how far from holding the plug in MCO for those who want it? I think swapa has those numbers if you can read that chart

 

OP,

Slightly off your topic, but look for a UAL MCO base to be announced imminently; probably MCO/TPA jointly. Likely to be wildly senior initially, but a data point for a central FL person considering a major job. It’s already a stated objective for this to help UAL with recruitment by poaching those in the job market from airlines with established FL bases.

 

Beach condo? I knew one who lived in the Villages, you know, the STD capital of the US!

 

Plug CA: April 07 hire
Plug FO: August 22 hire