So for a Hawaiian pilot who's been with the company for fewer years than COVID has been with us,that just learned they're now going to be an Alaska pilot... What would a future look like at United? How many retirements left, and how many has United pre filled with the last couple years hiring spree? I didn't intend on leaving, but the merged list doesn't look good and neither does their merger history. A mainland move would not be an issue.

 

I think a fair few will update their apps now. One of the major draw cards that offset the rediculous cost of living here was the quick(er) progression to the left seat of a widebody. That ship has now sailed.

 

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(filler)

 

Ok the prospects don't look good. Both companies have young pilot groups with few retirements on the horizon. We don't know the specifics of how it will shake out, but unless we get a miracle ruling by the arbitrator, our career prospects just went in the toilet.

 

How old are you? Theres a few popsts about it on here but long story short is the company plans to hire 2000+ pilots a year for the forseeable future. The stated goal is to grow from our current 16k to a 28,000 pilot seniority list by 2030. Most here don't believe we will hit that (shocking I know), but even if we end up with *only* growing by 7-10,000 it shows you that there is plenty of room for growth and a stable career. Yeah maybe you won't retire in the top 1%, maybe not quite hold WBCA, but still have a solid seniority %, a good schedule, and be furlough proof.

 

330 FO here in the same boat, but I live on the Mainland. Pre-Dec 3rd, I was looking at WB upgrade ~2026. I have 15 yrs left.

I've been going through all the CBAs and crunching numbers for various scenarios. Some key info I'm missing is: How long to hold WBCA at United? Current vs Projected?

Mahalo in advance!

 

If you live on the mainland this might be a good thing. It's seeming more and more like AK wants HA for the international slots and 787s. That means probably 787 SEA,PDX,SFO, and LAX.

 

A pilot group merger is going to have widebody fences that I'd imagine will allow you to fill that WB left seat and avoid pilots piling in on top of you for a number of years. I think that seat in 2026 is probably better than the odds of WB left seat at UAL for more than just a brief period at best given your timeline.

 

Thanks. I agree and think its way too early to make any decisions, but it doesn't hurt to take a hard look at the math too.

 

Have you been through a merger before? Nothing is happening quick. 12-18 months just to close the deal. Then negotiate a new contract. Then negotiate towards a SLI, which will in the end be sent to arbitrators, and have to await their decision. 2026 would be the earliest we see a SLI. Separate lists until then. If you're holding WB CA in 2026, then take it when that opportunity comes. It could very well be 2027 before the SLI comes out.

As for the first guy, I think you're jumping the gun with a foregone conclusion. If you want to move to mainland and don't mind giving up sub 2 yrs at HAL, then have at it. But are you really leaving because of this annoucement? When it comes to the big 3 carriers with the amount of hiring they've done in the past 10 yrs, if you are 40 or older, you're on the back of the curve.