I'm 99% sure you do, plus day off restoration.

And this isn't really the question you asked, but one other gotcha that's worth mentioning: if you had already converted your day off into a VHDO, you're only going to get VDO pay and not DDO pay. The VDO pay itself is almost always going to be less, but... 1) you might pick up some extra goodies like overtime pay along the way, and 2) you're moving yourself up the assignment ladder by doing that, so you're more likely to get used compared to someone with an HDO the next day. Pros and cons, but it can be a decent strategy if you feel like embracing chaos.

 

so many moving parts. I did know that, but since the VDO after the LSR pays higher of 5:15 add pay or %50 of the block as add pay on the day of VDO, it’s somewhat equivalent.

The difference for VDO being, along with ladder position, you don’t get 20-L-5 OT (if it wasn’t a reassignment) and you can’t request the 4 hours add pay in lieu of restoration, if I’m reading the ARGUS correctly?

 

That's really good numbers... I got 106 this month, but had 14 days work, extended once, got home day late, 1 turn, 4 3-days, on trv, 1 trip going into next month, getting me 6 hours vdo for October. But I'm definitely working for it.

 

Hi everyone, I appreciate this has probably been asked a few thousand times, but any updates on what bases new hires are being offered on day 1 of indoc?

IAH is what I would be aiming for, is that mostly on the A320 and how long would it take to be able to get it?

Thanks!

 

You are correct

Recently
100% narrowbody. mostly 737
Majority EWR/SFO, smattering of elsewhere

with currently projected hiring you should be able to get IAH well within a year, possibly before IOE finishes.

 

Today's new hire class was 72 pilots. All 737. They were offered SFO, EWR, DEN and ORD. the last new hire class had a bunch of Airbus.

We ended September with 219 new hires for the month. October classes will be 60-90 pilot each.

We will end 2025 hiring about 700 more pilots than they estimated at the beginning of the year. Things certainly change.

 

Is it common for DEN to be available out of training? Do you think it will continue to be available right away?

 

as with all things in this business, it ebbs and flows. In just the past few years I’ve known people who have waited almost a year for Denver. And then this class has it right out the gate.

 

‘if you don’t get it in training it will happen quickly with the number of new hires being brought onboard

 

As others have mentioned, yes it will most likely be available very quickly.

It has been a bit since this was discussed so here is how this all works from a contractual standpoint....

In order for an assignment to be available to a new hire it must have first gone "unfilled" on a vacancy bid open to all pilots already here. Any unfilled assignment on a vacancy bid is available to the company to give to a new hire for up to 120 days after the vacancy bid is closed/awarded. The frequency at which the company offers vacancy bids is up to them but with all the aircraft deliveries and pilot retirements we have going on right now, they have been quite frequent. (basically monthly)

In order to keep unfilled positions available the company will need to have large vacancies advertised. This allows them to continue to have choices of what to give out to new hires based on their most immediate need. It also allows the recently hired to very quickly have a chance to lateral to a different base or upgrade to a different plane. You will get a "freeze" into the plane you are assigned as a new hire, but that freeze does not stop you from lateralling to a different base on that plane or from bidding up in pay category. So, if you get a 737 as your initial assignment you can lateral to any of the other 737 based or bid up to 756/777/787 (if your seniority can hold it) on any vacancy bid that closes after you are here (several times that has been just 1 or 2 days after classes have started) The only thing you wouldn't be able to bid if you get the 737 assigned is over to the A320 fleet.

Right now we have recent vacancy bids that closed/awarded on 6-13/8-11/9-12, so the company can use unfilled assignments from all of those still. but none from any of the vacancy bids that closed in May or earlier. After next week's class the unfilled assignments from the 6-13 vacancy bid award with expire and they will be down to just the other two bids. I would anticipate that we will be getting another vacancy bid in the next couple days. Those bids are open for 10 days for all the seniority list to bid on and then will be awarded. Again, the company doesn't have to put out a bid, but if they don't the clock is still ticking on the 120 days, so old unfilled assignments could expire. Given the fact that there were almost 1300 unfilled assignments on just the last two vacancy bids, they are not in any danger of running out, so skipping a month in the vacancy bid cadence is always a possibility, but in the hiring pace we are at right now, I still think there will be vacancy bids every month over the winter. They almost always over advertise for the junior FO slots on those vacancy bids during this kind of hiring, so they always have "choices" of which base to give out to new hires. This is a good situation as it means you will have a very quick opportunity to lateral if you desire.

Lastly, just because an assignment went unfilled doesn't mean it will be offered to new hires. The company gets to chose which unfilled assignments they use for new hires and which they let expire. So, even if there were a few unfilled assignments in the base/aircraft you wanted on a vacancy bid right before you get hired on, it does not mean that it will be offered in a new hire class.