Hey guys,

Assuming EWR is in the bid and 737-EWR and A320-EWR are both options, I'll be commuting on a 30 minute flight to EWR, 12+ flights a day, mostly on UA. I want to prioritize time at home. Currently an A320 captain, so my preference is the A320.

What is the time to hold a line for both aircraft in EWR?

Is it worth sitting reserve if its a 30 minute commute with 12+ flights or will I most likely get converted the max 6 days every month?

What is the upgrade time for both aircraft in EWR?

Will the A320 deliveries dramatically reduce these figures for the airbus?

It seems like the QOL is much better on the 737 and the flying, but it would be nice to stay on the bus then upgrade again ASAP. But I also don't want to put my spouse through a long time frame of short call reserve commuting again.

Thanks!

 

[QUOTE=GyroEnthusiast;3946976]Hey guys,

Assuming EWR is in the bid and 737-EWR and A320-EWR are both options, I'll be commuting on a 30 minute flight to EWR, 12+ flights a day, mostly on UA. I want to prioritize time at home. Currently an A320 captain, so my preference is the A320.

What is the time to hold a line for both aircraft in EWR?

Is it worth sitting reserve if its a 30 minute commute with 12+ flights or will I most likely get converted the max 6 days every month?

What is the upgrade time for both aircraft in EWR?

Will the A320 deliveries dramatically reduce these figures for the airbus?

It seems like the QOL is much better on the 737 and the flying, but it would be nice to stay on the bus then upgrade again ASAP. But I also don't want to put my spouse through a long time frame of short call reserve commuting again.

Thanks![/QU


737 all the way. There is about 5 times more 737 CA positions then Airbus … and 737 is still growing. Sounds like the Airbus will too but it will go way senior. Most junior last I saw was a 14XXX number for the Airbus and on the 737 it’s a 165XX. We sit around 18k pilots right now.

 

[QUOTE=rainyday;3947344]This. If you want faster movement and a much faster upgrade, the Guppy is the way to go. Bus is a much smaller fleet and is more senior in all bases that have both airframes.

 

I'll echo what others have said. The 737 is a bigger fleet which with that comes greater trading flexibility and normally faster movement in seniority. You can only make that generalization as snapshots in time for a given seniority range, however. There have been times when I've been more senior on the bus than on the 737. The other aspects of your question, won't differ much between fleets. Trips for junior people are basically the same. QoL is only better by faster seniority progression, but that stalls after a short period. You can probably do most reserve blocks from home and have to occasionally get a room in Newark for SCs.

 

How long is the drive to ewr?

 

Everyone has been spot on. I’ll just add that I’ve never been converted to all 6 SCs. Can it happen? Yes. I usually aggressively pick up trips and if I can’t, I aggressively pick up commutable both end SCs.

Disclaimer, if you APU a SC, it doesn’t count towards your 6 like DL (gotta change that in the next contract), but it helps avoid a 4 am SC lol Lots of different ways to skin the cat here, but reserve is awesome here

 

You can also bid pure long call lines (LCL). They go very junior. Company can’t assign you a short call, although you can bid for one if it suits you. Otherwise, you get to stay at home on long call (18 hr callout), or are first in line for a flying assignment, but can avoid unproductive sits in airport hotels on short call.

 

I dunno about EWR, but in IAH and SFO (the two bases that I've experienced reserve in), LCL lines did not go junior. There were definitely line holders bidding LCL as well as the top portion of reserve guys. Simply because with LCL they can't convert you to SC, and with an 18-hr callout (except for that short window every day when it's a 14 hr callout), it's pretty easy to sit rsv at home, as long as you're not doing a transcon or 2-leg commute.

I sat LCL reserve from home (SFO) when I was based in IAH, and I would try to APU trips that reported in the late afternoon/ evening...so usually I was able to commute same-day unless the Houston weather was acting the fool.
But since the OP has so many short flight options to get to EWR, he/she would be in a better position than I was.

If I were the OP I would count on traditional rsv for a while, with the Guppy offering the fastest opportunity to hold a line...

 

This was gonna be my question. If it’s under 3’ish hours… (fill in the blanks)