Bid narrow body. Reason: quickest route to a line. Reserve sucks and doing it on probation doubly so. 1st year pay rate is the same but you'll probably make more on the narrow body due to being a line holder sooner. It also gives you options. If you decide you want the 756/777, it will still be there and you can go anytime you want. If the economy takes a dump and you can't, you'll be glad you didn't. You can also optionally bid reserve on the NB and be the senior guy. People who say reserve doesn't suck are usually doing it with some seniority. Take the advice of FOs at UAL who decided not to upgrade. Seniority in BES is EVERYTHING at UAL. Don't think you're smarter than >50% of the pilot group who decided to let those captain slots stay open. BTW, that's another option. If you're narrow body now it will make your upgrade ina year much easier. Have fun with that though.

BES?.........

BES = Base, Equipment & Seat

Does reserve suck even if you live in base? Assuming you don't mind living on min guarantee as long as you end up spending less nights away from home?

Some aspects of it aren’t great, but the crappy parts are largely issues for commuters.

Online assessment
 

Might be in the wrong thread here but does anyone know if the United online assessment prior to interview has any cognitive skills testing like Delta’s or is it purely a personality assessment? Thanks

All personality. No sudoku stuff.

Why this comment? the "fave fun with that" part.

Appreciate it!

In base reserve (especially on a WB) is the best job at the company.

Can you elaborate as to why? Just not being used much? And out of which base? And Thank you!

because if you play it right you can work one trip every couple of months and get paid to be at home.

I despised reserve and I live an hour from my base. I felt like the companies b!tch. Nothing says "you're my b!tch" like being reassigned an out and back turn while flying the last leg of your pairing back to your base and your lineholder captain gets 50% reassignment pay while you get nothing. Or you're passing through a base at the end of your pairing expecting to deadhead home only to receive a message from skeds saying that you've been "out of base" reassigned another day of flying. Or the unlimited SCs and FSs that skeds builds... go to bed at the bottom of a silo with no SCs or FSs left only to be awakened by a skeds phone call at midnight telling you that you have a SC/FS.

First world problems. In base lineholder > in base reserve > commute lineholder > commute reserve

I can't speak to Global reserve life. It sounds like rainbows and unicorns.

New hire commute from Montana
 

Greetings, I am going to be in an upcoming new hire class and just wanted to get any input that I could on my situation from any commuters that know the life. I will be a career commuter from western Montana, so my ultimate goal will be Denver as my hub. Do any current commuters out of Missoula or Kalispell know the grind? I am just trying to get an idea of what I am in for as a newb. Thanks!

nb reserve is definitely less stable. Too many times a lax or Pdx turn will pop up because some crew is late inbound. rarely happens on the WB.

Domestic / Narrowbody sucks at United because that's how 55 percent of the pilots and their union want it. After all, it's a choice, right?

how would you make it better?

definitely putting a cap on the amount of times the company can short call you would be a start. Am/pm short call lines. Extra money for FSB. I haven’t been on reserve in a while but I think I could only count on one hand the amount of times I actually got to utilize my long call. And I was on reserve for 2 years. Oh and Global reserve needs a complete over haul. Who only wants a string of 6 days where you can actually plan anything.

Just tell all the kids in your class not to act entitled and like they worked years upon years to get to united. Kinda getting tired of the 25 year olds thinking they paid their dues...Also, it would help if you guys/gals read "flying the line".

Increase the assignment window from 117 mins to something manageable. Caps on scheduling to fit the operation vs the availability of people (e.g. magical SC appearing in silos). Aside from that, I don’t remember enough about the particulars, just that when I hear what others do, my memory of what we had was terrible.

Regarding likely length of time on reserve—how long is it taking for newhire FOs to get a line in CLE?

I haven’t started Indoc, but have a class date and will be moving to Ohio, so CLE 737 is clearly the best option due to living in base (as noted above, in base > commute). If I can’t bid CLE right out of Indoc (which is possible), then I’d bid the 737 to a different base then bid over at the earliest opportunity. That said, CLE seems to be significantly more senior than all the other domestic 737 bases, so sitting reserve for an extended length of time appears to be in my future.

Any insight into life as an junior, in-base 737 FO at CLE will be much appreciated!

So many “kids” in each class, right? You know, I found that when I flew with a young FO, my preconceived idea of their entitlement could affect the outcome of our dynamic in the cockpit - expect something and usually you’ll find it. I got it, some are probably entitled DBs, just like some old farts that walked to school up hill both ways and had it way harder than any before them. Imagine that there are some of those old farts that have had equally blessed careers as the lucky 8-ball every week (who will likely have their own hardships over 40 years). Most fall somewhere in between.

Once a vacancy is posted how long does one have to bid?

Around a week

i believe the contract specifies vacancy bids open for 10 days and displacement bids open for 20 days.

Sorry not familiar, is this available to anyone looking to learn the way things work or only for current UAL pilots? Thanks very much.

https://www.amazon.com/George-E.-Hop...00_abau_000000

There are two volumes. Made available during indoc for new hired. Also available for download on the ALPA.org site.

Anyone know the latest time line from hogan to class date? And when does medical kick in? Thanks

Medical is from day 1.

Awesome & thanks for getting these on my reading to-do list.

“Flying the Line Volume III” is currently being researched and written as well.

ALPA has been putting them out in podcast form too.


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I'm taking the hint and adding it to the list (as I'm still in the stage of realizing the more I know the less I know). All good and thanks again.

Any ALPA Member can get both vol. I & II for free.

Also available via ALPA APP in PDF

”How can I get a copy of the books, Flying the Line I and II?

Requests for the Flying the Line books I and II should be made to your MEC. Additionally, both volumes and the podcast are available on alpa.org.”






Hello, does anyone know the current timeline after interview in terms of class date and training? Thanks

Could be as short as two weeks.

Hello everyone, I just started training. I stopped by the store at TK and saw a pretty nice soft shell jacket. Is that an approved uniform item? Or maybe unofficially approved? I'm trying to figure out what are the different options out there, other than the blazer or the full trench coat. The leather jacket isn't really an option as it's a pain in the rear for commuting.
What do you guys/gals wear out on the line?

at the moment the only officially approved jackets are the blazer trench coat or leather coat. Doesn’t mean you won’t see other jackets, but I would wait til off probation to start wearing whatever you want

You can also get a wool coat too, as opposed to the flasher-style coat, in addition to those mentioned above. No need to buy anything early though.

Two more thumbs up on the wool option.