A Few Questions about United
 

Hi all,

I’m very thankful to have a job offer from United. I currently have a good corporate job with a decent QOL and I’m weighing my decision to leave for UAL. The primary reason to make the switch is to have a more stable schedule and to know ahead of time when I’ll be home. Unfortunately, I don’t know a single pilot at United but I have a few questions about the operation that hopefully some of you can answer. Thanks in advance for any info you’re willing to share.

1) EWR is a 3.5 -4hr drive from my house. What does a reserve schedule look like? Will I have to commute in the night before or dose a receive block always start with long call?

2) How much vacation does one get and how do you use it?

3) If you want to purchase airfare for the whole family at a discount (instead of trying to fly space available) how are the tickets discounted?

4) As I understand it, profit sharing is available after completing your first year and averages somewhere around 8%. Is this correct?

5) How far in advance is your schedule known?

6) Can someone explain how one drops or trades trips? How useful is this tool for manipulating your schedule?

7) How are the family healthcare benefits for someone with a large family?

Thanks again!

Everyone starts on long call. When you're assigned short call you'll need to be able to push the aircraft in 3 hours. You can aggressively pick up trips to avoid short call assignments.

One week your first year (pro-rated), then two until you complete 5 years, then three weeks and it keeps going up. You bid for it annually.

There's a discount applied to the current fare structure for revenue seats. You can then use accrued miles for upgrade opportunities.

Approximately yes, but never bank on it.

By the 18th of the preceding month.

Black magic and unicorns unless you're in a properly staff BES

I've found the insurance options to be good.


I've never met an airline pilot wishing that they were flying corporate. I've met plenty of corporate guys trying to crack the code to get to the airlines. If I were in your shoes I'd take the job and bid the 737. You'll be off reserve quickly in EWR and be in a great position.

Congrats on the offer from UAL! I think in the short term you will probably miss the corporate gig but in the long run you will be in a much better place particularly since you mention wanting a more predictable schedule.

1) EWR is a 3.5 -4hr drive from my house. What does a reserve schedule look like? Will I have to commute in the night before or dose a receive block always start with long call?
- Reserve is 18 days per month. You will start on long call but frequently be given short call and field standby assignments if not assigned a trip. I had to drive about 5 hours to my first domicile from where I lived and I kept a crash pad until I switched to living in base. During a 4-5 day block of reserve you will likely have to spend 1-3 days at EWR to cover SC/FSB assignments unless you are assigned or aggressively pickup trips (if available). The best thing to know for now is that in the narrow body fleets you are given 12-13 days off per month that the company can't move around. Another thing to consider is that EWR is a junior base and you will be a line holder within a reasonable time - probably less than a year. As a line holder you will have your schedule and can keep it or modify it as able and the rest of the days off are yours. Lineholders typically see 15-16 days off but at a minimum have 12-13.

2) How much vacation does one get and how do you use it?
-14 days for the first couple of years. You bid annually and/or monthly. Junior vacation awards are typically anything but summer, Christmas and spring break.

3) If you want to purchase airfare for the whole family at a discount (instead of trying to fly space available) how are the tickets discounted?
-About 20%

4) As I understand it, profit sharing is available after completing your first year and averages somewhere around 8%. Is this correct?
- Not sure if there is a historical average but the important thing to remember is that the profit sharing is for your first CALENDAR year. So if you start anytime in 2020, your first year of profit sharing check would be for the CALENDAR year of 2021 and show up sometime in 2022.

5) How far in advance is your schedule known?
-First Officer schedule awards shall be completed no later than 2359 CT on the seventeenth (17th) calendar day of the month.

6) Can someone explain how one drops or trades trips? How useful is this tool for manipulating your schedule?
- We have a trip trade system that is electronic and you submit your requests with that tool and sometimes over the phone with the futures desk. To most of us its a mystery but it is possible with some seniority to manipulate your schedule and move reserve days and drop trips IF there is adequate coverage. So in theory per the contract we can drop trips but the company keeps the "reserves required" number artificially high relative to the number of reserves available which leads to the "No coverage" response.

7) How are the family healthcare benefits for someone with a large family?
- There are a couple of different plans available and in my opinion they are typical company sponsored healthcare plans that have deductibles, caps and copays. I don't hear anyone complaining that often. I personally use the military system and use the company for vision and dental.

Terrain Inop,

Thank you for taking your time to reply to my post! Very helpful!

FlewNavy,

Thank you for your reply and for your service!

No two ways about it: it will be short term pain for long term gain.

Hopefully the economy keeps plugging along and you will be off reserve quickly. That alone will make all the difference in the world for QOL unless you absolutely desire weekends off and bid reserve intensionally.

Whatever pain you experience in the short term will be minor compared to when your sweet corporate gig disappears in an instant, and it will, statistically speaking. Very, very few corp jobs last a career---it's just the nature of the beast.

Much better to make the switch on your terms.

Note that the discount (in theory, 20%) is subtracted off the lowest fare in the computer system, not necessarily the lowest that UAL is actually offering. Thus, the discount can be much, much greater than one would expect and far below anything available on any airline. Other times, not so much. It pays to watch fares and shop around.

Unfortunately, I sometimes buy a ticket for my wife on another airline because it's cheaper than our 20% discounted ticket.

Regarding scheduling...we use something called PBS, which stands for Pilots Butts in Seats. This unique system insures the trips are properly staffed and deconflicts known absences and training and other conflicts and puts pilots booties in the seat. Seniority is used, but the reality is it depends on overall solution constraints. this is where the black magic and unicorns comes in. Your preferences are racked and stacked against other pilots preferences, and the procedure is somewhat reminiscent of the lottery system.

Also utilized is the G line. Not to be confused with the G string, or the G spot, the G line is the published line you want to be above in order to guarantee you won't be on reserve. However, the G line floats from month to month and it's in flux much like how the magnetic north pole floats about.

I agree. Our discount program isn't that great. Just pay us more and airfare won't be an issue.

If you can get on a wide body as an FO that will go along way into predicting your schedule and commutability.

4 hours to EWR isn't that terrible. But the wide body trips usually start later in the afternoon or evening, so that gives you all day to get to work. I found that FO wide body was the most family friendly schedule I ever had. Money was good too.

Your real decision in my opinion is where you want to be and expect to be in 10 and 20 years. As another poster alluded to, it's short term pain for long term gain. Not sure how current situation is in your corporate gig, but back in the day, corporate operations weren't that predictable, profitable, or stable. But, heck what is?

All the other advice is spot on.

I will mention something important.

You are within driving distance of one of our two very large AND very junior coastal hubs. EWR and SFO have massive opportunity for advancement and if you can make living near one or the other work, you will have a great career. You will get to choose whether to be SR on the 737/320 or move up quickly and fly something bigger. You will get better days off and more desirable flying faster as well. This translates into better QOL and pay and time with family.

To put it into perspective, many people who have nothing waiting for them in NY or CA move to within driving distance of SFO and EWR just for the career implications.

Good luck on your decision.

2 1/2 to show, 3 1/2 to push if operating. 3 hours for DH.

(In a Sean Connery Accent)........Lightschpeed-for the love of God- if you turn down a job offer from United Airlines, I will personally hunch you down and schlap you silly.

(Accent off)..... Dude, just take the job!

I buy tickets on other airlines often, mostly because of direct flights save you all kinds of time and is worth the $100 premium!

All the above + the company throws in 16% of your pay into your 401k each month, immediately, and you don’t have to pay a dime (although you can and should). With compounding, that adds up over time.

Hi there. I retired from United 2 years ago after 27 years. Also, my daughter was hired December 10th, and just completed basic Indoc. I’d be glad to speak with you on the phone. PM mean if you’d like to chat and I’ll pass on my cell. Jeff

How long is the current break between indoc and fleet? I know it can be as little as a few days but not sure if that’s actually the case right now.

My daughter is ranked 58 of 60 in her class. Her 320 class starts 18 Jan I believe. Jeff

Is she trying to get DCA?

Yes, this decision is a no-brainer.

I was corporate for nearly a decade (regionals before that) and made the leap (SWA in my case) four years ago.

Losing some perks from corporate will suck but just for a short time. The long run big picture is leaps and bounds ahead.

The closest you have to being on call is reserve, but when the block is done you go home and you know when your reserve days are.

Don’t look back!

Thanks to all for taking the time to answer some of my questions and for sharing your perspective! Some of your responses were hilarious ��

South Africans
 

Anyone know there are South African Expats flying for United? Just curious.

Hi. More than likely. J

Just out of curiosity what’s about the top Corperate pay these days? Is it climbing with big retention bonuses like the regionals?

Negative Ghost Rider.

Unless you are working for a top-notch company/ Flight Department- Walmart, Discount Tire, Shell Oil, etc.- Corporate flying is a far cry from being an airline pilot. The two are barely in the same universe.
I know because I’ve done both.
I could go on and on with details but I’m too tired to type it all out.
Just trust me.

A few years ago
Lots problems with some Africans during training
United starts questioning their licenses , types etc
For that reason getting hired with no PRIA record is a fat chance

I know two and there are plenty more.

Same story with me. Trust him.

I was out on furlough for 10 years and flying corporate. Yes, the pay has gone up substantially and I have a number of friends who are doing corporate and making 200-300k. My employer tried hard to retain me and basically matched what I’d be making at UAL for quite a few years, minus the retirement. Many pilots leaving corporate to the airlines so they’ve had to up the pay quite a bit to keep people around and not have a revolving door.

What’s the junior WB CA DOH/#?

767 Capt went to 2013 DOH #9820

777 Capt went to 1995 LUAL/ 1998 maybe LCAL #4160

Thanks.... 👍🍻

Damn....much more junior than I'd have thought

Yeah that’s pretty junior. They are looking at years of reserve and feb/oct vacations. Being at the bottom of a BES isn’t for everyone, but everyone has a different situation.

And that right there is probably the #1 thing I like about this industry.

It'll be interesting to see how many miss their seniority and bid down to NB CA or WB FO when their seat lock is done.

For a potential new-hire on the Airbus who would have to commute regardless of base, can someone please provide information about the different types of flying that can be expected in EWR vs. SFO vs. LAX?

Trying to figure out if one of those bases has “funner” or “better” flying, per se.

If it matters, from where I live, UA has a few daily direct flights to EWR and SFO. I would otherwise have to rely on AA to get to LAX. But, there are probably triple the number of daily AA flights to LAX than there are UA flights to the other bases.

Moving is not an option at this time, and all three commutes are about equal in time assuming a one-legger. Also, QOL and time at home are bigger priorities for me than money right now.

My goal would be to get to IAH as soon as possible, even if that means being junior for longer.

Obviously the West Coast has the nicer weather, but I want to factor in other items, such as crashpad availability, QOL while hanging out on reserve, etc.

A couple of concerns for me would be the difficulty of having to cover both EWR and LGA as a commuter if based out of EWR, and the potential difficulty of having to rely on AA to get me to work if based out of LAX.

Thoughts?

Thanks.

I think you've identified most of the issues. So in no particular order...

Yes, you will need to cover multiple airports in EWR, and yes, you are on your own for that. It sucks, but that's the way it is.

Yes, the WX is generally better on the west coast, especially LAX. HOWEVER, SFO can drop into "flow delays" at the drop of a pin.

I would suspect that you would get off RSV sooner in either SFO or EWR, which will increase your QOL greatly while you wait for IAH.

And if you are truly interested in QOL, open yourself to the 737. The 320 is the far better airplane to spend a workday, IMHO, but the UAL 737 fleet is HUGE. EWR 737 is massive, for example, and has the best mix of narrowbody flying in the system, perhaps even the world. Even folks without great seniority can find stuff that works for them in EWR. But it's EWR so the commute can go sideways quickly.

Thanks. Is it correct that SFO also covers flying out of SJC? That seems a lot easier to do via BART than having to get to LGA?

Guessing crashpads in the bay area are crazy expensive.

BART doesn’t go to SJC.