Jeez you guys need to get out more. CUN ain't all that...especially after you've been there 50 times. Perhaps its all relative for the bus guys laying over in Des Moines every night.

 

I got it out of the initial bid at the end of January and there are two people junior to me, so it looks like the first available vacancy bid might do the trick.

 

Probably this.

 

I'd rather have a nice quiet overnight in DSM than be stuck at some resort and trying to sleep cause I gotta get up at 4am with drunk tourists running everywhere.

 

The High Life Lounge and an Iowa Cubs game. What more could you ask for?

 

There’s something for everyone. I’ve flown everything at UAL except the 787. I bid off the 756 as Captain to the bus, and I’m enjoying the smaller city flying that the bus is doing. True, they aren’t always the most exciting layovers, but the drive to the hotel is always short.

 

You must be getting old too. I’ve been to all of these places so many times that I just don’t care anymore. I only want to be able to get some exercise, have a quiet meal, and get some quality sleep. I don’t care where that is.

 

What regional had better layovers than United? I wasted so much of my life waiting for hotel vans to a sketchy, dirty airport Drury or La Quinta at a regional. Not to mention the miles of round trip walking to get something besides gas station food. Here the only place I have to wait for transportation to show is SFO but it’s at least to an adequate hotel.

 

The Bus does SJD and PVR long layovers. But maybe those don’t count as Mexico since it’s not CU
N.

and while theBus doesn’t currently do Hawaii, it will. Plus Europe when the XLR’s arrive.

the Bus is no worse staffed then the guppy. Bottom third of Captain lineholders in DC on the guppy are forced to 85+ hours with many at 12 days off. The line for the Bus is about the same.
EWR Airbus Captain definitely isn’t it understaffed as the bottom lineholders are getting less then 80 hours

look at the g line Document for May. Almost every base is within an hour of each other.

no matter what airplane or seat, the junior pilots will be forced to high time, min days off flying. That’s the nature of our PBS system and the big spread of hours to be awarded.

 

Ill throw my two cents in, for what its worth. I have young kids at home, so my priority is to get a line quickly and be home as much as possible, Id have a line with the 73, but I chose what was familiar to me, and I am more than okay with it. Been here for about six months, had a line last month, back on reserve this month (probably my fault for helping out my more senior friend bid), hoping for a line next month. Came from a previous bus operator, and glad my sentence was up. At this point of my tenure, the 73 is starting to get the better seniority by about 8%, and I'm guessing that number will go up in the future. Coastal bases do carry the better seniority obviously, but I already commute as it is, so I'm fine where I am at.

As stated previously, the 73 crew will be complaining about sunburns from the Bahamas while you're dealing with an apu that wont start in Bozeman when its -53F out. In my base, we do get some Mexico flying, but it is sparse/goes senior (as you might imagine... unless its Mexico City... you'll see that for sure as a half-winger). 2-3 leg days are the norm, as I have yet to experience the dreaded 4 leg day. All in all, great crews, good overnights (yes even in DSM, and CID when its football season).

Welcome to United, we're glad to have you here.