MCO base
 

Just looking for more info about this base, the schedule, reserves lines, and if there is some rumors, the possibility for the base to grow and any talks about having WB there in the future.

Is it too late for the union to use the new base openings (or not) as contract leverage?

the Union is already using it. The Company wants a TPA co terminal with MCO. Union won’t give it to them.

Thus far there are 3 data points on mco

1) may schedule
2) june schedule
3) slight growth seen on recent base bid

None of this really points toward anything actionable beyond “yeah, there’s a 737 base in mco”

The company said mco was not a hub for the airline operation - just a convenient place to keep pilots. Mco flying will start and finish with a hub leg. No new routes.

The company has commented extensively on other potential narrowbody bases and the unifying theme has been “if the numbers work”. There has been zero official inside discussion of a non-hub widebody base.

Thanks for the info. How senior did the left seat go?

Last vacancy was ~44% system seniority, junior man report and current snapshots for the vacancy that’s open show ~58%. If they keep up their plan to stuff NB CA’s wherever they can find them, it might get pretty junior.

Thank you
When you say will start and finish with a hub leg, meaning one of the legs will fly into a UA hub? But start and finish in MCO?

Yes. The company said they aren't adding any flying. Just instead of an EWR crew flying EWR-MCO-whatever, a MCO crew will take EWR-MCO, trip ends, and the next MCO crew picks up the MCO-where ever trip. It seems to make sense that they will eventually add flying and that jives with Kirby's lip service to competing and dominating the ULCC's, but that requires the company to walk the walk, so who knows.

If you are familiar with how outbases worked at the regionals, it will operate in a similar fashion. Trip will always start with a leg to fly to a hub to get the crew into the system then finish with leg from a hub to base.

Historically, outstation based results in a lot of un-commutable trips. I haven’t looked at the bid packages for MCO and LAS (outliner due to number of red eyes).

Gotcha, that's fine because I live in orlando, so living in base is definitely a plus.
I hope there is growth out of MCO in the future.

What do the trips out of MCO look like nowadays? What is the breakdown approximately of 1-4 (5?) day trips?

Any idea if there will be other type aircraft introduced there?

Updates on TPA co-base?

Is it still possible to get MCO out of training on the 737?

Thanks!

It happened once back in 91 when United opened the mini hub we moved to gates 40-49 (we opened the Red Carpet Club) we served LAX, SFO, DEN, ORD, MDW, MSY, BOS, BDL, EWR, LGA, PHL, IAD, DCA, JAX, TPA, SRQ, PBI, FLL, MIA, RSW, and MEX. The plan was also to fly to GIG the following year and kick off S.American flying. The was also the reason Orlando tried to bid for MOC II but lost to Indy.

The equipment flying in and out of MCO at the time DC-10, 722, 733/5, 752, 762, and 763 every once in a while the B400 would make an appearance on the 7:05am out of ORD to MCO and then do the return leg before heading to NRT. No pilot base for United just a hub or aka focus city. LAX, SFO, DEN, ORD, MDW, BOS, BDL, EWR, LGA, PHL, IAD, DCA, JAX, TPA, SRQ, PBI, FLL, MIA, RSW, and MEX. United also operated a flight to MKE for a brief periodvLAX, SFO, DEN, ORD, MDW, BOS, BDL, EWR, LGA, PHL, IAD, DCA, JAX, TPA, SRQ, PBI, FLL, MIA, RSW, and MEX. United also operated a flight to MKE for a brief period LAX, SFO, DEN, ORD, MDW, BOS, BDL, EWR, LGA, PHL, IAD, DCA, JAX, TPA, SRQ, PBI, FLL, MIA, RSW, and MEX. United also operated a flight to MKE for a brief period

I could look ... but it will certainly change when the TPA co base opens with the new contract. It's coming (assuming AIP ratified)

Zero indication of other fleets

Out of training, no. Quickly, yes.

Thanks, any idea how reserve at a co-base works? Do you have to position yourself to be at either airport within 2 hours?

Here’s the current language:

20-A-4-a. A Reserve in a Short Call window or a Lineholder in a telephone availability window must be able to report for duty (call-out time), including to a Field Standby assignment, no more than two hours and thirty minutes (2:30) after the Company’s initial attempt at contact. Consideration shall be given to heavy traffic, construction, and similar circumstances. When the call-out time is less than three (3) hours, to effectuate an on-time Departure or a Field Standby report time, the Pilot may elect to pay for parking closer to the terminal and shall be reimbursed for such expense. Additionally, at Bases with co-terminals, consideration shall be given if the Pilot is given an assignment that reports at an airport that is not the primary airport of the Base.

There's going to be different requirements for these bases do to the large distance between them.

The trips out of MCO are mainly 3 and 4 day trips. There are some high time day trips such as Denver turns. Usually 2 legs a day, always through a hub. No 5 day trips in the bid package, although I’ve seen some pop up throughout the month in opentime. A good mix of different report/release times and layovers that suit everyone’s likings. We should see some more growth shortly once TPA is officially announced, however both seats have grown in the last few vacancies.

I feel bad for anyone having to deal with I-4 traffic from Disney to Hwy 27 that is a mess to deal with.

Reserve
 

How feasible would it be to commute to MCO via bright line from Palm Beach on reserve? They are opening next month with trains every hour claiming a 2:08 long ride. Living :15 away from the station would put me on MCO property between 2.5 & 3.5 hours. Would the new contract allow that? Follow up question: is there long call and what’s the report time for that?

No noted improvements were made to short call reserve call out times to bring them to DAL/AA standard of whenever you get the airport (aka “report promptly”)… so probably not on probation, and off probation, just depends on how early schedules called you (More often than not they’ll wait until the last minute to call out a reserve even though they know the trip is uncovered well in advance… because they can).

Long call is 12hrs… allegedly moving to 14-18hrs depending on the time of day the call out exists.

A lot of UAL AIP reserve “improvements” are yet to be determined. They’re too convoluted (like current UAL reserve rules) to make a clear determination on what effect they’ll have on QOL. If you live in Palm Beach and want to bid reserve, you’re probably better off going to AA.

It’s not 2.5 to the property, but to wherever report is at MCO. So it doesn’t even sound feasible even if everything else were to line up. I’m assuming the train doesn’t run every minute, either.

I will be starting in late September and trying to figure out if it is realistic to think that I can be home based in MCO within the next two years. I am pretty young and think that I will be at the bottom or very near the bottom of the list in class. Say that I get the 756, would I still be able to bid for the 73 in MCO or LAS in October since it is still within the 6 months of being a new base? Thank you for the insight.

NO you will not. If you have a choice make sure its 737

Ok, thank you

I’m sure I could dig these answers up but I am not APC savvy from my phone. Apologize in advance.

Coming out of wide bodies elsewhere. While I love WB flying, being domestic and driving to work might work best for my family. Commuting means a 50 minute drive to the nearest airport, time sat waiting and stressing, and then a minimum of a 45 min flight to a base, but I can get anywhere pretty easily. I’m 2 hours on the nose from the parking lot at MCO…further for TPA. I have somewhere in TPA I could hang out and somewhere at a midpoint to MCO if need be but would prefer to be at home ready to go if I’m sitting on reserve. Is this doable under the new contract? Any further info on how they are going to handle the TPA co-base thing? If it’s the same time requirement as getting to MCO it severely limits the number of pilots that would still be interested, wouldn’t it?

Now that MCO has been going for a few months, what are the trips looking like? Do some end up back in MCO for overnights mid trip? Not that I’d try to go home, but the fam could come over and spend the day at the theme parks. How about destinations? A lot of EWR/IAH/ORD/IAD shuttling back and forth or is there some Caribbean and some variety in there?

Much appreciated. Your cabin crews and flight crews I’ve had the pleasure of dealing with have been top notch and pleasant whether I’m in uniform or not.

You have 2.5 hrs to report time which sounds like if you leave your bag packed in the car you grab your iPad on the way out the door and go. Lots of us have made reserve work like that. With the co-base of TPA we are waiting on final TA language but current precedent is they give allowances for cross town driving when making assignments. In ewr and given a lga assignment it could be 3 hrs stuck in traffic some days but an honest effort getting there and you will be treated honestly. On probation I would do your best to go above and beyond but I think you will find it really won't be an issue. The quality of the flying in MCO is a varied but might change with the new TA language. It is a little bit of everything right now. The great thing here is it is like goldilocks. If you don't like the home base narrow body you can go do something else until you find what you like. There is almost too much variety in the flying and positions to wrap your head around. People find what they like and 20 yrs later they are still doing it.

That all sounds pretty good to me, and going back to WB sounds good too if the shoe fits better. Is MCO likely to run a bit junior for the foreseeable future? Saw a comment earlier in the thread that it could change in a couple months when people aren’t able to use it to jump to the base they want? I’m not sure how all that works so sorry if it’s a dumb question.

Edit: Also, I know this should prob go in a dif thread, but how important are internal letters of rec at United? All my good friends are at a competitor…I’d be trend-setting.

What are the chances they’ll (Union) will be able to keep this way?

Zero. It was held up with the contract negotiations. That’s done now.

MCO isn't really junior. It's tied with DEN as the most senior 737 FO base. But.... the junior pilot in each base has been here less than a year, so "junior" is a relative term. You can likely get there before you are done with OE and almost certainly get there within a year.

Nobody really knows that answer. Prep companies will tell you that internal recs > external recs. We also know that recs from management carry more weight. I had my app in for 6 months with multiple internals, but recieved an invite 3 days after a Chief Pilot meet. YMMV.

Do we know when the MCO/TA co base will happen?

MCO is already open, and the last vacancy bid said they are still looking at Tampa. They also said they have grown MCO bigger and faster than planned, so I don't know if the means TPA will be sooner or later.

Tpa trips r supposed to be in the January bid package for the mco/tpa base

I thought that the TPA plus up starts with the Jan vacancy bid and TPA trips added at a later date.

Per the 11/15 Flt ops update January trips from tpa

That's the way I read it as well....I'm curious if they will be adding more vacancies to MCO with the addition of TPA as we already grew more than anticipated.

Ppl actually read those?

some people r capable of choosing between the champagne from the koolaid

Hello! Can you guys update us on the most junior CA and FO here at MCO base?
Im wondering how long can take to get the base. Thank you all...

Most junior MCO captain on the mid 12k
most junior MCO FO almost 17k
don't know where to look for the DOH