bottoms up

Well you showed him. Have a cookie

griego

In the same boat. May class. Want west coast, 75 would be fun.

- Is the SFO 756 base a rumor or a certainty?
- How much new flying in SFO? And what type of flying?
- Any guesses on how many new crews to the base?
- Other thoughts on speed of seniority movement on the west coast 75 vs 73?

Sorry for the interrogation. Just want to have my ducks in a row in case I'm fortunate enough to have a choice.

MasterOfPuppets

If you want west coast go with the 737/320 you will get it almost immediatly. You will be able to bid up to the 756/76T because it's higher pay so no seat lock.

your looking at 2 years for the bottom guy in LA. SFO is a little more junior but they are not backfilling it and if you do get it you will be on reserve for a very long time. I have my bid in for 80% ( average line holder percentage), and I'm not based there yet after 2 years.

One day, probably around April next year, SFO will become a 756 base by default as the 76T will be gone completely. Will the base grow? no one knows at this point. If CDG goes to the 787, which I expect to happen, Then SFO may continue to shrink.

Once you start going up in pay you never know how folks are going to bid. you have the ones, like me, that bid for QOL, the ones that bid for base and the ones that bid for money. So there's never any telling how senior you will be, when you can hold it or when you will be off reserve.

good luck and know no matter what you take the movement here is off the charts.

82spukram

If the base you want is not available in Indoc......think about what you can contractually do next.

You want the lowest payband equipment (737,320) so if a 756 or 76T positions opens you can bid it. If you have a choice between the 737 or the 320 then the junior man tables and potential fleet growth in the base should be consider. At the current time only 2 fleets are growing at UAL 737 and 787. Everything else is either stagnant or shrinking. (As a former 320 pilot ,different airline, soon to be 756 and glad to be leaving the 737 pilot I wish other airframes had some growth). That is based off of information today. The 320 has had opening out in SFO but that is driven by people bidding off of the 320....the 737 is a growing category out in SFO,LAX, DCA.

I'm sure someone knows more about this subject and can feel free to correct me but this is my best advice. If you can't hold it in class bid what will give you the most flexibility. Nothing would be worse then bidding the 756 EWR so you can go to Europe and a week later seeing 737 SFO open up.

Good luck and welcome aboard.

82spukram

Apparently I agree with master of puppets.

Andy

I agree with both MasterofPuppets and 82spukram with only minor differences.

I understand what Spukram's saying about growing fleets, but there are enough rumors about United looking for used airframes of all varieties that you don't know which fleet is suddenly going to grow. If they buy or lease 20 more 320s, it'd be instant fleet growth on the 320 (just an example; nothing in the rumor mill that I'd put any faith in).

As a newhire, try to bid 737 or 320. Don't bid 75/76 unless you have no choice or it is at the exact base where you want to be. You can always bid up to it later, but you'll have more opportunities to bid elsewhere with the 737 or 320.

I prefer the 320 over the 737 because it's a LOT more comfortable than the 737. The 320 will likely mostly be used for longer haul flights and the 737 will be used for shorter flights due to several factors that were mentioned by management that I won't rehash here.
But as Spukram stated, the 737 is the growing fleet, not the 320. Of course with retirements, there should be a decent number of vacancies on both aircraft.

If you want to get to the west coast, plan on going to SFO first before LAX, as SFO has historically been junior. That's changing a bit, as EWR and IAD are close to each other and both are large bases, so they'll probably be the most junior bases in the system for the foreseeable future.

Grumble

SFO 737 has had unfilled vacancies last several bids. If you get it, prepare for a lot of red eyes. Better flying on the 737 than the 320 IMO, I'd rather sit in the 320 though.

Jaybird84

Super helpful, thanks guys.

KAFhelper

I live in DC area, so better to bid 756 if it's avail or is it better to bid 737 since it is a growing fleet?

Airhoss

It depends on whether you want to fly or whether you want to sit bunkie. Jr guys on the 756 in EWR can wind up sitting bunkie and getting nothing else for long stretches. I get them in for landings requal all the time.