There is a similar thread over at AA just curious with the retirements at UAL, how long would it take someone hired in the next year or two to hold a WB position - say IAH or DEN.

 

10 to 15 years.

 

Denver doesn't have widebodies. IAH is in a reduction mode due to the local economy so it's artificially high. SFO 777 FO in 3 years should always be there unless the music stops. Very long time to be WB lineholder in any base. In SFO you could be at 50% on the 737 doing HI flying at the same time as being the 99% FO on the 777.

 

It’s impossible to tell.

DEN at this moment has no WB base and the day it does it will be more senior than you can ever imagine. DEN 757 may not have any post merger FOs after this bid closes.

IAH seniority has not reached pre merger hires, it’s 9000ish and the first post merger hire is 10200ish.

 

FedEx hiring into widebody, not the Legacy carriers. Most jr IAH 777 FO is Capt seniority. Long, long line, I'm in it.

 

The current junior WB FO in SFO would be 40% on the 737, but that was awarded a while ago when things were humming right along and the early retirement of the 747 didn’t drive the award seniority much higher. He was at just over two years on property then. The most junior SFO WB pilot award on the last vacancy snapshot would be 9% on the 737 in SFO.

I’d guesstimate that that seniority will drop over the next few vacancies and you’ll again see the 777/787 available to guys in SFO at 2+ years, if wanted.

But, as mentioned above, you’d be giving up poke at Suisan and Umekes, sunrise at coffee plantations in Kona, cheap scooter rides with snorkel gear thrown in for free, Mai Tais and pupu at Uncle Bo’s, and free Blue Hawaiian helicopter rides all over the islands so quite a few will choose paid vacation for “work” with weekends/holidays off over watching other people fly from the jumpseat.

 

Thread drift,

What happened to Irifune? Was in HNL yesterday and no mas.

Nice list btw Winston. Partake regularly in all of the things you mentioned.

 

At most legacies there are opportunities to make more on smaller aircraft. New hires here can go directly to the 75/76 and 777 in three years in the least desirable bases. Going to an airline based on the shortest route to a widebody is a little naive though. You might find that the schedule flexibility and trip mix on a certain aircraft is your Goldie Locks scenario.

 

I have a question about your last part: let’s say you’re the FO plug on the 777, are you pretty much gaurenteed to never land outside the sim and just be the relief pilot?..or do they mix it up?

 

You’re pretty much a bunkie and that’s it you will land the sim. I have 4 landings since IOE over a year ago.

The 777 is a bit different though with all the domestic it does.