For the new hires be careful what you bid...
05-08-2015, 03:08 PM
#1
Gets Weekends Off
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Jan 2008
Posts: 246
For the new hires be careful what you bid...
Based upon some discussions in this thread...
http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/ua...h-class-4.html
and then, today, the company announced this...
If you are a new hire, and you have a choice, be careful what you bid. There is still a ton of flying that is shifting around and you will probably see a lot of senior folks change their bidding patterns as this flying gets shifted, especially if they are able to combine the 756 and 76T fleets. If you get the 756 in class you can't move off it for two years.
If you get the 737/320 you can move off of it pretty much right away once you get a feel of how things are settling out.
Why is all of this important? The 737 and 320 fleets are the fastest fleets to holding a line and upward movement. While reserve isn't 'that bad' here, being a line holder gives you a lot more control and flexibility.
Get some seniority in the 737 or 320. Then figure out what you want to do after that.
Welcome to United as well! You will love it here!
http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/ua...h-class-4.html
and then, today, the company announced this...
Between now and March 2016, we expect to take delivery of nine Boeing 787-9s, and we plan to use these aircraft on routes out of IAH as we transition our fleet based on the fleet changes we announced with our earnings release in April.
The aircraft will fly primarily between IAH and GIG (Rio de Janeiro) and EZE (Buenos Aires, Argentina) and SCL (Santiago, Chile) in South America; FRA (Frankfurt, Germany) and AMS (Amsterdam) in Europe; and LAX and DEN domestically.
While using 787-9s on routes to South America doesn’t take full advantage of the aircraft’s range, their increased seating capacity allows us to better match our capacity with demand while addressing other fleet constraints and movements.
For example, some of the Boeing 767-300ERs that currently fly the IAH-South America routes will fly trans-Atlantic routes that typically see decreased demand in the winter season, while the higher-capacity 787-9s will meet the higher demand in South America during the winter. In turn, using the 767s on routes previously served by Boeing 757s to Europe enables us to use the 757s on domestic flights such as hub-to-hub and Hawaii routes (see 767s to replace 757s on four trans-Atlantic routes for more information).
The five 787-9s we currently have in our fleet are flying between LAX and MEL (Melbourne, Australia), PVG (Shanghai) and NRT and will continue to do so through the winter season. These are replacing the 787-8s that previously flew these routes and are now flying out of IAH to Europe and Africa.
We will enter these changes into the schedule on May 9.
The aircraft will fly primarily between IAH and GIG (Rio de Janeiro) and EZE (Buenos Aires, Argentina) and SCL (Santiago, Chile) in South America; FRA (Frankfurt, Germany) and AMS (Amsterdam) in Europe; and LAX and DEN domestically.
While using 787-9s on routes to South America doesn’t take full advantage of the aircraft’s range, their increased seating capacity allows us to better match our capacity with demand while addressing other fleet constraints and movements.
For example, some of the Boeing 767-300ERs that currently fly the IAH-South America routes will fly trans-Atlantic routes that typically see decreased demand in the winter season, while the higher-capacity 787-9s will meet the higher demand in South America during the winter. In turn, using the 767s on routes previously served by Boeing 757s to Europe enables us to use the 757s on domestic flights such as hub-to-hub and Hawaii routes (see 767s to replace 757s on four trans-Atlantic routes for more information).
The five 787-9s we currently have in our fleet are flying between LAX and MEL (Melbourne, Australia), PVG (Shanghai) and NRT and will continue to do so through the winter season. These are replacing the 787-8s that previously flew these routes and are now flying out of IAH to Europe and Africa.
We will enter these changes into the schedule on May 9.
If you get the 737/320 you can move off of it pretty much right away once you get a feel of how things are settling out.
Why is all of this important? The 737 and 320 fleets are the fastest fleets to holding a line and upward movement. While reserve isn't 'that bad' here, being a line holder gives you a lot more control and flexibility.
Get some seniority in the 737 or 320. Then figure out what you want to do after that.
Welcome to United as well! You will love it here!
05-08-2015, 03:49 PM
#3
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,803
What we have now + 9 more 787s, anyone want to do the math?
When the fence comes down and you consider how (relatively) junior the 787 FO's are, this thread should be writing on the wall for continued manpower rationalization system wide. For QOL the Guppie and Bus will be the sweet spot for a few more years.
When the fence comes down and you consider how (relatively) junior the 787 FO's are, this thread should be writing on the wall for continued manpower rationalization system wide. For QOL the Guppie and Bus will be the sweet spot for a few more years.
05-08-2015, 05:14 PM
#7
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Sep 2010
Position: EWR 777 Captain
Posts: 1,715
Nobody can predict the future. Bid what you want.
I bid 737 FO because we had a briefing from the Head of Man Power planning who insisted an order for 737s was in the works and that fleet would see massive growth. I bid 188 out of 190 in ORD on 737. For the next 18 months I remained 2 from the bottom because UAL ordered A320s and not 737s. I wanted to bid the DC-10 and there were 2 DC-10 positions available in my class. Those 2 went to Hawaii and took a bid to 756 one year before me because of the rules in effect at that time.
Point is . . . no one can predict the future and you only live once . . . bid the plane and base you want . . . not what you think will work out best.
I bid 737 FO because we had a briefing from the Head of Man Power planning who insisted an order for 737s was in the works and that fleet would see massive growth. I bid 188 out of 190 in ORD on 737. For the next 18 months I remained 2 from the bottom because UAL ordered A320s and not 737s. I wanted to bid the DC-10 and there were 2 DC-10 positions available in my class. Those 2 went to Hawaii and took a bid to 756 one year before me because of the rules in effect at that time.
Point is . . . no one can predict the future and you only live once . . . bid the plane and base you want . . . not what you think will work out best.
05-08-2015, 05:15 PM
#8
New Hire
Joined APC: Mar 2013
Posts: 9
Reserve on the 756 is better than 80% on the 737, and 50% on the 320 if you are a commuter. I was reserve for almost two years and my quality of life was way higher, not to mention pay, than my classmates on the 73. Yes, they held a line after six months. But their schedules blew donkey b@lls. Again, strictly speaking from a commuter standpoint. What's with the fear factor on the 75 at this airline. ? It's awesome! Europe, South America, domestic...the world is your oyster. Oh, and did I mention the majority of your trips are commutable on both sides? The 75 is a commuters dream. 
05-08-2015, 05:37 PM
#9
Line Holder
Joined APC: Mar 2015
Posts: 35
Originally Posted by oldmako
Reserve sucks here.
05-08-2015, 06:08 PM
#10
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Nov 2009
Posts: 5,193
Originally Posted by Seggy
If you get the 737/320 you can move off of it pretty much right away once you get a feel of how things are settling out.
Why is all of this important? The 737 and 320 fleets are the fastest fleets to holding a line and upward movement. While reserve isn't 'that bad' here, being a line holder gives you a lot more control and flexibility.
Get some seniority in the 737 or 320. Then figure out what you want to do after that.
Welcome to United as well! You will love it here!
Why is all of this important? The 737 and 320 fleets are the fastest fleets to holding a line and upward movement. While reserve isn't 'that bad' here, being a line holder gives you a lot more control and flexibility.
Get some seniority in the 737 or 320. Then figure out what you want to do after that.
Welcome to United as well! You will love it here!
Originally Posted by VB Hornet
Why is that? You are not the first that I have seen say that but how bad is it? I live in Virginia Beach and will have a 3 hour (on a really good day) drive to DC. On the surface, it seems that it wouldn't be that bad to sit around DC with friends and get paid to do nothing. Everybody says holding a line is the best thing in the world, but I'm not sure why it is better that reserve.
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