Hi all, currently living the 787 IRO life and considering upgrade before my flying skills evaporate completely. I'm able to drive 1 hour to work (SFO) to mitigate some reserve misery. Comfortable in the left seat, but looking for some feedback between the 737 and Bus.. I'd be upgrading at 1 year & 500hrs on property.

737 Pros-

Already typed (Prior SWA)
Slightly better seniority/movement (ATM)
Subjectively speaking, slightly better trips/overnights

Cons:

Cockpit/Cabin
Arguably more fatiguing to fly

320 Pros-

Quieter/ more comfortable = less overall fatigue at the end of the day

Cons:

New airplane and learning Airbus brain logic from the left seat
Trips slightly less desirable
Bottom of the barrel seniority with no cushion

Appreciate the thoughts, Thanks all!

 

Airbus is easy. Trips should get better with the neos. Still some valid points for the 73 and bus but I don’t think the cons are as bad as you think.

 

When I upgraded back in 2019 I had the same dilemma. Ultimately I ended up going 737 for the following reasons:
1) I had lots of previous time in it from the right seat;
2) It went to Hawaii and the Bus didn’t;
3) It was one less thing to learn brand new while I was perfecting my Captain-ness

All that aside I don’t think you can go wrong either way. While I’ve never flown the Bus everyone I know that has gone from Boeing to the Bus has enjoyed it. They’ll teach you everything at TK and like anything new it takes a bit of experience for it all to click but when it does everyone seems to love it. Even doing some of the smaller “regional” layovers on the 737 proved to be really fun. There’s always going to be a great spot for some food and an adult beverage if you look and have time. That’s one of the great benefits of going to the left seat, you’ll always get to fly with your favorite Captain and you get to set the tone for the trip.

 

This is a tough decision as I've been confronted with it myself.

My $0.02 -- upgrade on the 737, switch over to the 320 later. You're a first time captain upgrade with the company; you're already typed on the 737 and going 787 --> 737 will be a cakewalk. You'll benefit from the better seniority and movement. If you're still inclined to switch over to the 320 a few years from now, do so when you have better seniority. However, if you think you think you're going to inevitably go Airbus, maybe do it now, 'ripping the Band-Aid off' so to speak. Flying the jet is easy, but learning to translate Boeing into Airbus has a little bit of a learning curve.

 

This is my newly formed plan. I am headed to the guppy myself with a plan to switch to the BUS later on.

 

A good choice to have! I am leaning towards ripping the band-aid off.. I see the training footprint as the easier route on the 737 for sure, but after TK I really think the Bus is the place to be IMO. I also have a fondness for Redmond-type overnights, 5 minute van rides and walking the highway to the local beverage station. lol!

 

I have similar experiences talking with the folks I know who went to the Bus.. no complaints.

The 787 is one hell of an airplane that I fully intend to revisit down the road, but hour-plus van rides and landing back home in SFO at 7am after pulling first bunkie shift are a different type of torture!

 

Ha! A new-hire friend of mine (fellow Horizon) is going to the 320 in EWR so I pulled the last award to discuss QOL. I said I see a lot of Redmond on here, do you think United stays at the No-Sleep Inn alongside the Highway? Have you gotten all the Wal-Mart and Panda you can stand?

 

Redmond overnights are one of the longer rides. 25 minutes to Bend.

 

Wouldn’t count on seeing much NEO on the left coast in the short term. For now the Bus in SFO is a bit more RJ with more red eyes then our beloved Guppy.