DEN Timeline
 

Hello all, I saw a similar post back from 2019 about EWR and it had great information. I'd love some help in understanding how seniority ranks currently at the DEN base if it's not too big of a bother.

Timeline for:

DEN NB FO line holder
DEN WB FO reserve
DEN WB FO line holder
DEN NB Captain
DEN NB Captain line holder
DEN WB Captain reserve
DEN WB Captain line holder

Any information helps!

1 ~8 months
2 ~8 months (however, this is from a base trade, within a few numbers of the bottom are 2015 hires)
3 ~23 years (legacy UAL)
4 ~1.5 years
5 ~8 years
6 ~26 years
7 ~30 years

That is the “what is”. What the future holds is anyone’s guess.

This is helpful info. What’s ORD NB CA?

there were unfilled NB Captain on the latest vacancy

Thanks a bunch for this!
Can I ask times for NB Reserve in DEN?

Den 320 may be available out of indoc, but otherwise likely on the first vacancy bid.
737 is ~4-5 months

thanks for the info! What is a base trade? Can you trade with a particular person, thereby jumping the transfer list? Thanks

whereas a vacancy might open every few months (or longer) and then take longer still to actually activate, base transfers are every month and activate the next month. You’d just put “I want Denver” and someone else puts “I want Houston” and then those trigger by seniority. if you want denver, but nobody in Denver wants to leave, then no base trade would happen.

DEN out of indoc
 

So you're saying it's possible to get DEN NB FO Reserve straight out of indoc? If not straight out of indoc, how long to get DEN NB FO Reserve? Thanks.

Den Bus FO actually went unfilled on the last vacancy. 73 went a couple hundred from the bottom. In any case, you'd probably be there within about six months of starting indoc.

Thanks for the info.

Immediately. Once you are done with OE you will be on reserve in all fleets at all bases.

I was wondering the same for ORD and IAH. Starting soon, currently live in ORD but contemplating moving to IAH and would like to see what I can expect as career progression at each of these bases. Would highly appreciate if someone can share this info.

ORD NB FO line holder
ORD WB FO reserve
ORD WB FO line holder
ORD NB Captain
ORD NB Captain line holder
ORD WB Captain reserve
ORD WB Captain line holder

IAH NB FO line holder
IAH WB FO reserve
IAH WB FO line holder
IAH NB Captain
IAH NB Captain line holder
IAH WB Captain reserve
IAH WB Captain line holder

well, I’m not going to put in all the effort for each of these, but I’ll just say, in the past 6 months, both ORD and IAH have gotten more junior than EWR on the 737, which was absurd to think about even 1 year ago.

ORD doesn’t have the 777. They’re both pretty quick for NB FO right now, but CA is going to be a while for a line. For reserve, there are unfilled NB CA spots in ORD. I don’t recall if there are any for IAH.

In both places, WB line holder (CA and FO) is a long ways off.

I don't understand the "how long to hold reserve on the..." questions. Reserve is what you do as a new hire until you are senior enough to get a schedule. This is true for all bases and equipment. A more useful question would be "how long will I be on reserve on the...." That answer is different for every jet and every base, but as of now coastal bases are 8-10 months while the other bases are a bit longer. WB tends towards years on reserve, but EWR 777 can get a schedule within a few months. This answer expires in 60 days. A year ago EWR 737 FO was just a few months. Now it's 8-9 months.


You can bid CA after a year. There are unfilled NB CA positions at most bases today. However, a year from now there *should* be a new contract, the effects of opening MCO and LAS will be known, and China should have opened back up. If the new contract fixes reserve rules and bumps NB CA pay all the senior WB & NB FOs will pile into NB CA and upgrades will go back to being measured in years. If you haven't been hired yet, you will likely have to wait longer than a year to be a CA, and that's a good thing.


Asking when you can hold WB CA won't get you a useful answer. It's measured in decades. I don't see any post-merger (2010) hires that are 777 or 787 CAs.

Thank you both for the answers.

Yes that's true, I was just keeping up with the format but are more interested in knowing how long have people recently stayed on reserve on NB as FO particularly for both of these bases. I'm looking to bid 320 or 737. Class starts soon. Preference is 320 but at the end will end up bidding for what allows me to hold a line quicker and get a better seniority progression in BES.

Not all domiciles on the WB can be held as a new hire, so it was a valid question as to when you can bid WB Reserve. Also, ORD has the 787, so there are WB positions there unlike what someone posted above. These numbers below are the DOH for the Feb bid month. Any NB selection in training will get you to a line in a timeframe that is historically very quick and can change month to month.


ORD NB FO line holder: Aug 22
ORD WB FO reserve: Mar 22
ORD WB FO line holder: Apr 15
ORD NB Captain: Sep 21
ORD NB Captain line holder: Apr 16
ORD WB Captain reserve: Sep 97
ORD WB Captain line holder: Feb 95


IAH NB FO line holder: Aug 22
IAH WB FO reserve: Jul 22 (base trade-vacancy bid awards about 4-5 years)
IAH WB FO line holder: Apr 13
IAH NB Captain: Aug 21
IAH NB Captain line holder: Jul 14
IAH WB Captain reserve: Dec 97
IAH WB Captain line holder: May 90

In keeping with the title of the thread, I should've stated my question better. I really don't care if I hold a line or am on reserve. All I want is to be in DEN after indoc/OE; . What airplane will let me be based in DEN the fastest.

It’s currently a toss up, but the 737 is the growing fleet and most likely to get you what you want. It’s also the fleet I would guess most people bid off of

No way to say. It’s not unthinkable You could get either one in basic indoc. It’s also quite possible either one could take six months, just depending how the bids happened to fall.

The difference will be negligible. The junior 320 FO is in the 15,500's. 73 is in the 15,300's, so maybe a month more senior. I would bet on the 737 due to the base being 50% larger and the large 73 deliveries coming down the pipe, and the extra 73 bases likely increases the possibility of other folks moving away. Honestly if you can't get it straight away, I would bet almost anything that it will be there on your first vacancy bid. Even if it isn't there the larger base means that many more folks available for a monthly base trade.

Or, worst case scenario (for timeline), get a year in and be a TK instructor.

Thank you.

I’ve been trying to get some current info on Denver. How is the overall QOL for that base? What do the typical lines look like for the 737/320? Any flexibility on dropping or trading trips?

Jr Lineholders = Mostly 2-3 leg 4 day trips. 14 Days Off 80+ hr credit lines.

Dropping trips? Unlikely... trading...maybe

Thanks for the info! Do things improve much as you get more senior on the 737? Better quality lines?

You’re asking what mid-seniority lines will look like in Denver in 2025.

Let me look into my Magic 8 ball...

http://www.ask8ball.net

Outlook not so good...

Can't predict the future but currently all the lines look more or less the same to me. Maybe another day off on average and better layovers as you get more senior but they all look like multi-leg multi-day pain from someone that likes one and done flying in a comfy airplane.

You can tell that the super senior folks are bidding trips that are attractive to the TK instructors. Buddy bidding the LCAs and 1 day turns with no overnights.

I have a CJO to Southwest and am currently at a delta regional nearing upgrade. What would be the quickest route to United? Building my time and upgrading at my regional or accepting the position at SWA and keep updating my app?

Southwest will

Go get in the right seat at Frontier and you will have an interview

Take the SWA class date.

I left SkyWest and started with Southwest in December. Had assessment invites from both United and Delta within 6 weeks.

Sorry if this has been answered. What about GUM? Can it be held straight out of class? Will it continue to be a base in the foreseeable future? How many days off and what are schedules like? Thanks.