Originally Posted by glassnpowder98

DEN 737 will take you all around the system and is the most diverse. Downside is the summer flying has quite a bit of redeyes (47% of pairings for August, 37% for September). 320 will be a bit more regional type flying but might change when more 321’s show up. I haven’t looked at the 756 bid packet in a while but it was mostly Hawaii flying with redeyes back. Just passing through the airport it seems like the 777 (no DEN 777 so it’s flown out of other bases) is doing a lot of the Hawaii flying so the 756 trip mix might be a little different. The 787 is pretty small and therefore quite senior and limited to just a few destinations. The training center is another great option if you want to spend all your nights at home.

Most of the new hires I’ve flown with recently seem to have spent a few months commuting to IAH before getting DEN. It’s hard to forecast how long it could take to hold DEN, but the base is supposed to grow even more which should create opportunities to get there quickly.

Having experience commuting to LAX, that was a super easy commute, but it has also gotten more senior. SFO sees a lot of commuters who are typically quite senior going there for arguably the best WB flying in the system. Personally I prefer to commute westbound if at all possible. At the end of the day commuting and flying standby out of DEN kind of sucks. Lots of positive space bookings for training and then you’ll run across someone who finishes training early and last second lists for the jumpseat to get home earlier. The good news is if the last few years are any indicator, you’ll get home to DEN pretty quickly. Good luck and hope to see you here soon.

Originally Posted by MrIceCreamMan

Thanks for all the insight! The idea of having the opportunity to do some work at the training center while being home more is certainly an interest of mine, as I'll be a single dad and would like to maximize the time I have with my son. I look forward to flying the line and soaking up a ton along the way, but QOL is a primary factor in where to go.