Schedule Flexibility & QOL at United
 

Hello all,

I have posted about my dilemma sorting out which of the Big Three I would like to work for most in the general Majors section to get some info, but really wanted to ask some United-specific questions. I have the luxury of having interviews with each of the majors and would really like to have a better understanding of the thing that matters to me most, QOL, here at United. I appreciate your responses, flames and all. :D (I have done extensive searching, so I hope that I am not completely repeating anything.)

Firstly, I live in LA and know that it alongside SFO are junior bases here. Here are my questions:

• How long are people sitting reserve in LAX, in general?
• Once you have a line, how able are you to adjust your schedule to get days off that you want? I know straight drops are possible, but how easy is it to do in a junior base? I understand that there is always those who learn and work the scheduling system and those that don't. I would really like to hear from those that are master schedule manipulators.
• I also know that new-hires can get wide-body straight out of training. This seems like...well...a little scary. Why would someone do this? Why would they not?
• I have asked generally about leaves of absence in order to pursue personal dreams that require significant time off, but am curious if those are pretty much limited to medical reasons at United?
• Lastly, I would really like to hear what the newer folks at United feel about working here. I understand this is a forum and that well over half of us will use it to complain, like all pilots do. However, I do appreciate hearing the reasons why you are content and happy to be sitting in United metal.

I very much appreciate the responses. Cheers!

Just Do It. If you are lucky enough to get hired by UAL, count your blessings and enjoy the ride. Everything else will fall into place.

I am SFO based and am one of the more senior reserves. I'll be LAX in May or June and I will have either held a line or been the most senior reserve in April. Should be a line holder for May. For me that would've been 2 months of reserve had I been in LAX.

I'd like to bump this thread to get more responses to OP's post.

And one additional question: do trips that originate out of SNA go senior or junior?

Thank you.

Friend is a 756 FO in LAX and said he spent a total of 3 weeks on reserve. He’s been a lineholder ever since. New hire classes of 70 pilots every week will do that. We are hiring 2,000 pilots a year for 5 years, bringing on 500 growth planes, and adding more flying than JetBlue, Spirit and Frontier combined. Captain bids on the 737 went UNFILLED on the last bid, meaning you can hold it as soon as you get off probation.

We have around 500 airplanes scheduled for delivery, but my understanding is that approximately 60% of them are replacements. Still, 200 new planes will be welcomed if they’re actually delivered. The max 10 combined with the 321XLR for example will retire the 757 fleet.

Except for a handful of aircraft retirements the 500 airplanes are all growth. Kirby has said this multiple times….

The company has said lots of things over the years. We’ve been rapidly expanding the seniority list to 16,000+ for a decade now. At one point they were selling 60% replacements. If the Asian market stays depressed or if inflation/recession weakens current demand, expect the plan to change. Until they’re actually on the ramp, everything out of the company is just a sales pitch for the narrative of the day.

Good SNA trips (read: 1 and 2 days) go senior in both seats, because they are very limited. You can find longer trips in open time on occasion. I live 20 min from SNA and 1 hr from LAX and would rather do 4 LAX-IAH turns than a SNA 4 day, most SNA trips are not terribly productive.

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20-30+ years ago you would be correct. We are finally are seeing an industry that can be profitable and reinvest in the biz. The years after deregulation were a test that failed miserably. The people that ran the airlines were bankers that filled they're pockets with cash and left the companies in turmoil. So if your older I can understand the negativity and skepticism towards management. But if your truly following the industry from a macro level and listening the investor calls you can clearly see that we finally have airline guys running airlines. People that are just as passionate as pilots. This is a + for us. Your head is buried in the sand if you think otherwise. Just look at the 2 years during the pandemic. American furloughed...we did not. Gets old listening to some of these old guys ***** and complain, and the last time they actually dug into financials or listened to a investor call was 20 years ago.
The aircraft our growth. Besides the handful of old Buses and 757s. Kirby has pounding the ground with same statements since he got here. We did not utilize our network. We can be the largest US airline. We have the best hubs. I could care less about what people think of him on a personal level. Just do the job and make $$$$$ so we can benefit and future pilots can benefit.