Originally Posted by hummingbear

Now you’re hitting on something big. We ought to stop focusing on why the most junior pilots are passing on NBCA perma-reserve, and start asking ourselves why so many mid-upper seniority pilots who could be NBCA lineholders today are also passing on it. The obvious answer is that the amount of extra compensation is too frequently deemed not worth the extra work & responsibility.

I would never say WBFO is an overpaid seat, but I do think NBCA is an underpaid one. With such a massive influx of new pilots who are, on average, less experienced than anything this industry has seen in a long time, UAL should be focused not just on filling CA seats, but filing them with the most tenured, experienced pilots they can. A successful solution to this problem, in my opinion, would be junior NBCA returning to 60%-65%, not just figuring out a way to “catch” enough guys who weren't eligible on the previous run.

Originally Posted by Hedley

We have far more widebodies than our competitors and many come here because of that. It’s a desirable position and a pretty sweet gig. Many of us have been captains before and would rather enjoy the good life flying 1 leg to Europe, nice layover, and one leg home. Being a captain going forward is also going to require more work as the experience of our applicants goes down. We need to adjust our training to compensate for the new world that we live in. A low experience captain paired with a low experience new hire isn’t something that we’ve ever dealt with. Perhaps it’s time to increase the training footprint and intensity.

Originally Posted by Longhornmaniac8

Not until I'm done, please.

In all seriousness, I think this is a good comment and is a problem being faced everywhere across the industry. As a new CA at my last airline, I was working, in some cases, with people who 3 months prior were flying C172s at rural, uncontrolled airports and were on their first flight off IOE. Still felt a lot like IOE. That's not a comment about them or their skills at all, we've all been new at this once upon a time. But you're right that the training philosophy now that people are expected to just know this stuff is probably not realistic anymore.

Originally Posted by Hedley

Right seat on a WB sounds like a lot less work.

We’ve also had a cultural shift in the industry. In decades past everyone upgraded as fast as they could at the regionals to build a resume. Once at a career company most people wanted to be the captain, advancement opportunities were far less frequent, and upgrades went more senior. Things are different now. Regional FO’s bypass upgrade because QOL is more important than money or gaining PIC time. At career companies the prestige of being a captain and a higher pay scale has been replaced by the emphasis being placed on days off and QOL when at work. Titles and money aren’t the motivators that they once were.

Originally Posted by Sunvox

SK are you listening?

Originally Posted by Hedley

Knowing that by the time that you can hold a line as a 737 captain, you could hold a line as a WB FO, work half as hard, more days off, and not much less pay.

Originally Posted by ThumbsUp

Actually you can hold a line on the 777 if you were hired last summer. The seniority dynamics of WBFO and NBCA are way out of line re the norm at the junior end of the scale.

Originally Posted by Swakid8

Yup, if he wants to be based in EWR….

Originally Posted by hummingbear;[url=tel:3603501

3603501[/url]]Now you’re hitting on something big. We ought to stop focusing on why the most junior pilots are passing on NBCA perma-reserve, and start asking ourselves why so many mid-upper seniority pilots who could be NBCA lineholders today are also passing on it. The obvious answer is that the amount of extra compensation is too frequently deemed not worth the extra work & responsibility.

I would never say WBFO is an overpaid seat, but I do think NBCA is an underpaid one. With such a massive influx of new pilots who are, on average, less experienced than anything this industry has seen in a long time, UAL should be focused not just on filling CA seats, but filing them with the most tenured, experienced pilots they can. A successful solution to this problem, in my opinion, would be junior NBCA returning to 60%-65%, not just figuring out a way to “catch” enough guys who weren't eligible on the previous run.