What are the typical trip lengths in Florida bases? Finishing up IOE at my first airline, time to start throwing apps out again.. 2 biggest factors for QOL for me are shorter trip lengths and being Florida based. I also don’t mind sitting perma reserve in base if it means I’ll fly less. Sorry if that’s too forward 😅. And how will the merger impact trip lengths? I can't find any info about the average Jetblue trip lengths.

 

Lots of 1-2 day trips

 

Trips are 1 day, 2 day overnight turns, 2, 3 and 4 day pairings, with more 1 and 2 days trips now than before.

Reserve doesn’t guarantee you will fly less, and it’s impossible to know what pairings will look like post merger because route maps and destinations will all be subject to change.

 

Well, being Florida based shouldn’t be all that hard. While on reserve - well, you fly what you are assigned. You have some control over trip length by RAP bidding, but not much. Not too much control over that ever until you can hold a line, but the ability to bid a line and then trip trade really gives you the opportunity to sculpt your schedule to a great degree, better the more senior you are of course.

How merger will impact trip lengths depends to considerable degree on how the JCBA goes (assuming the DOJ allows it) and your guess on that is as good as anyone else’s. Jet Blue does Europe trips and is planning on expanding those so it’s gonna be different than what NK is used to.

Best advice I can give to anyone new to the 121 world is to learn how to use PBS to your advantage (assuming your carrier uses it). It never fails to amaze me how many senior guys don’t really understand the ins and outs of PBS bidding (in fairness, I don’t know $hit about line bidding), but learning how to bid effectively (ALPA has video tutorials) and learning the fine points of the CBA you are operating under will pay huge dividends over the course of a career.

 

How is IAH looking for basing? Any insight on that yet? Prediction on if it be junior for a while?

 

People are getting jt straight out of training extremely Jr here

 

- Which base is more junior on the FO side, IAH or DFW? -

- Which has more commutable trips?

TIA!

 

In the FL bases the shorter trip lengths go somewhat senior as most people live within easy driving distance. The only commuters I've flown with over the past 3 years all lived in ATL or IAH, and now we have domiciles in both of those cities.

In fact just this past week I saw very commutable 4 day trip, late start/early finish with no redeyes and 1-2 legs per day, sit in open time for several days and eventually went to a reserve.

 

Any FLL captain reserves here to talk about how life is and how much you fly and what kind of assignments?

 

IAH for sure i think dfw at least on the FO side is one of the more senior bases at least on the bottom side