Class Drops
 

Does anyone have information on the latest class drops for United? What are the junior/rookie bases primarily? How many of each type aircraft are falling to the new classes?

Plenty of old threads on this topic
 

The coasts are usually pretty junior. New hires get 737, Airbus, or sometimes 756s

https://www.airlinepilotforums.com/united/110837-new-hire-classes-drops.html

As a new hire plan on EWR or SFO on either the guppy or bus right out of the gate. Maybe 757... that one comes and goes for new hires. Beyond that, there hasn’t been a vacancy bid recently to allow for new hire slots. They have to run a vacancy bid, allow pilots on property to bid, then whatever goes unfilled goes to the new hire classes.

How is LAX looking for either the Guppy or Fifi right out of training?

There’s a good chance you’ll see some newhires get the bus and guppy to lax out of Indoc.


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The last vacancy bid had the following unfilled vacancies:
8 EWR A320FOs
10 EWR 737FOs
1 LAX 737FO
1 LAX 756FO
9 SFO A320FOs
19 SFO 737FOs

Odds of getting LAX for a newhire are extremely low; the 2 LAX slots are very likely to be taken by furlough returnees.

I wouldn’t say that that on lax, every vacancy has had 737 fo on it I believe, we have new hires doing ioe now on the bus. Good luck.

There are a few of us recent new hires that will be vacating LAX for the east coast when able.

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While I generally take Andy’s commentary straight, no chaser... in this regard I have to strongly disagree:

The odds of getting LAX right out of training are actually fairly high compared to the non-coastal states. You’ll get awarded SFO in BI with about a 99% likelihood and get LAX within a few vacancies after that (again, if not immediately).

Depending on where we’re at in the hiring curve, you’ll get there before you finish IOE.

That last statement is fairly incorrect.


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We'll have to see how the chips fall.

Since we have a lot of furlough returnees in this class who will have first choice, I would anticipate that the only vacancies remaining will be SFO and EWR. Furlough returnees have to pick from unfilled vacancies unless that rule's changed recently.

The list I posted is from 18-06V, which closed in early Feb.

No matter, if a newhire ends up in SFO or EWR, they should be able to get to LAX fairly quickly.

If I were a gambling man I’d say

LAX straight out of indoc is 45%
LAX within 6 months is about 90% likely

Excellent, thanks for all the info. I'm hoping for LAX but I'd take anything right about now.

Returning furloughees use their current seniority, right? Are they required to bid what’s in a class drop or could they return to their previous seat. I know there were some pretty senior pilots who volunteered for furlough, but I’m really more interested in the process.

Last I knew, furlough returnees bid what was in the class drop in seniority order. If that's changed, it would be good, as most of them will likely bid larger equipment in upcoming vacancy bids.

Mil leave and medical leave would be able to return to previous equipment or, if they were wise and bid on larger equipment while out, they'd go to the BES awarded in a vacancy bid.

My information's a bit more than a year old so things may have changed since then. It's entirely possible that returnees let their desires known prior to the class drop and that BES would be in the class drop. At this point, all furlough returnees should be senior enough to hold WB FO.

Even better than that actually...mil leave can return to anything they "could have been awarded" during any vacancy bid during their time away. They don't actually have to have bid it. I returned to the 777 in that way. Furlough returns can only return to what is available for their recall class assignment drop.

... and I will now eat my words, based on the latest vacancy snapshot. LAX 737 is looking very doable for newhires.

Here are today's vacancy snapshot's unfilled vacancies (subject to change until the vacancy bid closes on 7 May):
1 DCA 756 FO
14 EWR 320 FO
16 EWR 737 FO
20 LAX 737 FO
6 LAX 756 FO
33 SFO 320 FO
68 SFO 737 FO
20 SFO 756 FO

Edit: It got more interesting for furlough returnees with this drop. All furlough returnees can hold WB FO or NB CA based on the first snapshot. I'm sure that will continue to be the case once the vacancy bid closes.

New Hire going from SFO to LAX
 

If you are taken as a new hire and end up in SFO, how hard is the commute from LAX? What's the QOL in SFO for a commuter? With that, what's the seat lock for new hires -- and how does the bidding out of your first base work? I'm looking to get staged out of LAX (unfortunately), and trying to figure out which airline offers the best or fastest opportunity to do that.

Hopefully you will get LAX as an initial assignment, there were 16 unfilled 737s in LAX on the last Vacancy bid, so there is a chance.

If not, getting SFO should be really easy. Then you would be eligible to bid for a lateral to LAX on any Vacancy bid that closes after you start. So, it would not surprise me at all if you had a lateral to LAX before you even finished training. Then you would request to have the lateral "activated" as soon as possible and hopefully not ever have to commute to SFO, or at least minimize the amount of time you had to do so.

Obviously there are a ton of flights between LAX and SFO, but commuting to reserve is never fun.

With all the movement that will be happening over this coming winter, I would anticipate having a new vacancy bid every month, so it will not take long at all to get back down the coast (if you don't get LAX originally)

as a new hire do you get to bid for the available vacancies or does UA just assign you one of them?

You bid for the available unfilled vacancies based on your seniority in the class which is done by age.

To add to that, if while I’m training a new vacancy opens up, you can put a bid in and be awarded a new domicile before finishing training. Obviously seat lock rules apply.....


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Have any Hogans gone out recently or is it a waiting game until the latter part of the year?

Does UA allow any open vacancy to be filled during training, or are specific classes for specific vacancies

For example- 30 open EWR A320, 10 open LAX 756, 10 open LAX 737.

Can anyone in the class bid for any one of those vacancies, or will they have a class specifically for like 30 A320. Or 10 737, 10 756, 10 A320 and can only bid for what’s offered?


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Our class was offered specific bases and equipment. I.e. 15 EWR 73, 7 EWR 320, 15 SFO 73, 10 SFO 320. There was 1 LAX 756.

Sad statement if you ask me.

First day of Indoc they will post on the board the open vacancies. Returning guys will get first pick. Then new hires will pick bases on seniority in the class (age). They just go down the list and ask what you want. That becomes your initial assignment.... But if a vacancy bid opens while you’re there, you can bid in that. Seat locks still apply so if your initial award is 737 you can’t bid A320 in the vacancy (but could bid up to 756).... When I was new I was awarded DCA 737 and before being done with training was awarded ORD 737 in a vacancy bid.

In class you can bid for any open vacancy if there is one. When you show up day 1, you are advised of what is available to bid. New hires bid on vacancies that went unfilled from a previous vacancy that has already closed. Day 2 you bid on these unfilled vacancies within your new hire class and find out your airplane and base that morning. At any time during training if a new vacancy bid comes out you can bid on and be awarded a new seat/ base. Check applicable bid/training freezes in contract.

Vacancies can only be offered to new-hires after they've gone unfilled on a vacancy bid. This gives existing pilots the first shot at them.

Those unfilled vacancies *MAY* then be given to new-hires but the company is under no obligation to fill them. Those unfilled vacancies expire after (I think) 90-days but can be used for multiple classes of new-hires until they expire.

Once all unfilled vacancies have expired, the company must have another vacancy bid to produce additional unfilled vacancies before they can have any additional new-hires.

When a new class starts in Denver there may be 30 people in the class but many more unfilled vacancies from previous vacancy bid(s). The company chooses which 30 of the unfilled vacancies will be offered to that specific class.

Once a new pilot has started class they are eligible to bid on any open vacancy bid. The only restriction is the seat locks from their initial award so they can't lateral to other equipment (737 to 320 or vis versa) but they can bid up (737 or 320 to 756) and they can bid other bases in their current airplane.

I'll add to what others posted in response to this. I went through ReDoc (Indoc for UAL returnees) about 2 1/2 yrs ago after being out on long term disability.

The instructor in charge of the class asked everyone what plane/base they wanted before finalizing the list of planes/bases offered. He was able to get a couple of changes made so that everyone got pretty much what they wanted. It helped that a lot of new hires in my class wanted EWR.

I posted upthread what the unfilled vacancies were. If you're in one of the upcoming classes, look at the list and rank order what you'd want; that will give you realistic expectations.

Well, I guess that answers my question. [emoji41]

Do the seat locks start upon that initial bid while in indoc, or can you change say 737 to 320 if the bid comes out before you start aircraft specific training? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

Once you are awarded your plane you are seat locked. You can only bid up. Not sideways from 737 to A320 no matter when your aircraft training starts.

Seat lock starts day 1 of indoc.


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Iceman. Take the waves as they come and ride them to your benefit. Enjoy what you have.

I received a Hogan late Feb- not sure how recent you’re asking about

Time from congratulations call to class date?
 

I'm a current "poolie" who received my "congratulations" call back on 15 Mar. I'm expecting to be in one of the upcoming classes this year and I'm asking you all what you may know about the time span between the call and an invitation to a class date. I prefer actual data from fellow "poolies" but any reasonable speculation will be helpful too. Thanks! :D

I got the CJO the same time as you. You should have received an email recently that said you’ll get about a 30 notice for class. That said, if seats open up after initial invites are sent they could shorten it up to what you said your availability was (I.e. 2 weeks).

Yep, I got that email too. 30 days notice is fine, I'm just wondering how long into the Fall we may have to wait.

PM me......