Petulant child syndrome....

 

Hey wait a minute....

You KNOW the voice of reason has no place here...
🙃

 

When MCO opened it stagnated LAS, DFW, ORD, and DTW. ACY is what it is on staffing and FLL is always adding pilots. So no, not just me, but a significant number of junior Captains and numerous FO's wanting to get into their bases of choice. New hires are great for system wide seniority but they're insignificant for in base seniority. Long term more bases provided more flexibility, and I suspect we'll see even more as we're a point-to-point airline and not a hub and spoke, but short term it's a significant QOL killer as you ride seniority or can't get into your base. Did you miss the other discussions from other posters discussing how long it is to get into a base and to not even worry about a line for 1.5+ years?

I don't think there's really any question anymore about the 737Max. If we were going to order more 320's we had ample opportunity to announce such at airshows and trade conventions this summer. The only reason to delay an announcement is to coincide such with Boeings triumphant return to the skies. You don't really want to announce an order for broken bird.

Faster upgrade with two fleets? I'm genuinely curious why that would be. Do you think some 320 FO's would stay put and not upgrade at all instead of upgrading into the 73?

I didn't say the sky was falling. I said that adding new bases and a second fleet will kill QOL which is not incorrect. New hires and upgrades going into other bases and another fleet do nothing to improve the relative seniority of anyone in the existing bases. Reading comprehension obviously ain't your thing.

 

This is spot on. For those wanting the A220, it applies as well. And, would a A321 override apply to either? One is definitely not an Airbus, the other a renamed airframe.

 

The only way this scenario could play out differently is if a new base were a desirable on for senior folks flushing them out of entrenched domiciles. BWI ain’t it. Hell even middle seniority folks won’t want it. It’ll be super junior and stagnation will continue everywhere else.

I love a growing airline and system seniority for job security but opening new bases at the expense of growing current ones is a qol holding pattern for most as we’ve seen. FLL is done once the two new gates open and the runway opens so a tittle movement for some on the bottom in the near term. Long term there is nothing more there. Its maxed out even if they wanted growth there. It’s going to be a big ACY before long. Ord probably the same because of gate space. LAS and DFW we can get gates I expect but for some reason they aren’t interested in growing those domiciles instead of our new super hub MCO. Bwi is a dump hope it never happens.

 

What he points out is a tremendously self-centered sentiment...but it is in most cases quite factual. The only way to change this fact is for senior dudes to take the top spots in the new bases and fleet type. Well there's no chance of that, is there? By the way, I'm new here so i'll choose my words carefully. What is all the talk about another fleet?

 

The 2 new potential fleet types (737Max or A220).
The 737Max would suck regardless, I’m totally biased. Possibly an entire fleet swap.
The A220 I could see happening (especially the -300) as its operating cost is less than a A319 NEO and it seats more (tied in with the cost structure).

Either way, dual fleets dilute relative seniority for those in the upper echelons of both seats...

You’re new, welcome aboard!

 

All of this is academic at best... CLEARLY, maintaining a single fleet is best for all- but we pilots just don’t know....

As for the rest- seniority is seniority... if a new type comes to a desirable base, AND happens to have desirable schedules- guess what?? The new type will go senior- right up until the point that it looks like not-so-desirable....

These are moving targets- that will probably continue to move.... IF it even happens....

 

I think NK missed the boat on the A220. Bombardier appears to have hit a home run with this as current operators report better than expected efficiency and dispatch reliability. I can't see why Airbus would be willing to sell their new gem at a highly discounted rate.

Conversely, Boeing has 450 airframes sitting that need to be returned to service and foreign regulators are balking at their anticipated return to service dates. I suspect there's a hell of a Groupon deal to be had on these. You know Spirit; we'll buy a fresh turd if it's on sale.

There's been considerable discussion about Spirit's inability to recover from IROP's and how they couldn't possibly handle a dual fleet recovery. Well, we can't but Sabre can. And we're about to be the launch customer for their new software package.

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-rele...300896394.html

This is all conjecture but reading the tea leaves I wouldn't be surprised if we didn't already order a garage sale ton of antique airplanes at a highly discounted rate.

 

Self-centered? I'm sorry, did you delay your start date so that someone junior to you could have better seniority? No? Well, that's awfully self-centered. Will you not bid a schedule or vacation so that someone junior to you can have something better? No? Well, that's awfully self-centered. Will you bypass upgrade so that someone junior to you can have the seat and pay sooner? No? Well, that's awfully self-centered.

Everything that we do when exercising our seniority is self-centered. Every pilot will bid what is best and attainable for them with no regard for those junior to them. That's how seniority works. We don't begrudge those senior to us nor do we fail to exercise our own for those junior. Wanting to improve the QOL for all of those on the list is not self-centered. If you read my reply you'd see that I addressed diluted QOL for junior Captain's and for First Officers. A rising tide lifts all boats but we need that tide in the same ocean.