We are not "one" airline per say.
We are both an International Airline, and a Domestic Airline ie.. WB vs NB
Then you have to look at Line Holder vs. Reserve... they are 2 different beasts!
Lastly, you have to look at where you will be living, ie.. are you planning on being a commuter vs. living in base.
THAT will really determine what kind of QoL you will have.

Lets be honest, 2 yr upgrades at ANY major/legacy in not the norm. And it will go away at some point. Same with WB newhire positions.
There is a reason why these things are happening. It's great that "new" Pilots are in the drivers seat about where they want to go. But just remember, it can all stop in a heartbeat.
9/11 showed us that. Then the Global Recession in 09.
If Putin pulls a tactical nuke out of his pocket, all bets are off again!

Back to your question-
777/787 Line Holder as a newhire. Um.. YEARS!
756 Lineholder as a newhire. Anywhere from months to years based on where you are Based.
The movement from Reserve to Lineholder seems to be at the NB (73[GUPPY]/Bus). If you believe what management has been saying, they "want" to replace a majority of RJ flying with mainline. That's great! But with that comes RJ type flying.. expect 3+ legs a day and 3 or 4 day trips.
The devil is in the details. Many don't know that the company is allowed to 'Mini Pack' you as your last leg gets delayed, before another trip the next day! Allowed per the UPA.

Good Luck no matter what you decide
Always
Motch

 

It’s also dependent on the base. I’m in IAH and our junior CAs are about 2000 numbers senior to the junior CAs in coastal bases. Reserve in base beats commuting to reserve every day but when asking how long to hold a line it depends on many many factors.

 

Hello,

Thanks for all the answers, it s very helpful to get some insight. I have been flying the B-777 out of Dubai so this system is new to me. I ask questions around, assess the contracts/ pilot agreements, go in details to get knowledge and make the best decision. I have learned that chasing the WB does not mean QOL.
Flying WB takes at toll on your circadian rhythm and I am happy to be done with it for the foreseeable future. That being said, the diversity in terms of fleet and work experience is truly amazing at UA! Changing airlines is always a gamble and you never know until you retire!

Cheers for all the answers on the thread.

 

What do you mean by mini pack? Never heard of this can you please explain and give an example? Thanks

 

They can jam your two trips together and give you a hotel in base if you’re not going to have the legal time between separate trips due to a late arrival.

 

How long would it realistically take at this time to hold a line on a Nb in ORD? Weekends off? Thanks!

 

These days some people never see reserve and actually have a line after OE. For sure it's under 6 months right now, but for a new hire these days the "danger" (if you can call it that) is getting a WB FO slot and then you could sit reserve for your first 2 years possibly. Worse things can happen. That actually happened to me in '96-98. Man power put out a big bid for 73 FO expecting a big new order of Boeings and then the company announced an order for A320s instead. I was 2nd from the bottom in ORD for 18 months on the '73 before I could bid off. Luckily I was living in Hinsdale, just a few miles south of ORD, at the time.

 

At some point the music is going to stop. They have hired 2500 pilots in like 18 months. They continue with 100 a month.

ORD as a new hire assuming they continue to hire 100 a month 2023-2025 to a line 5 months.

Solid weekends off every single one 3-4 years.

The company also keeps saying we are OVER staffed on 737 FO so who knows where that is going. Without a new pilot contract soon. Things will get ugly in 2023.

 

They add flying on to you from another base. If you have a 30 hour layover somewhere you can fly all 6 days.

 

How long would it take to hold IAH?

For NB and WB