Read your ****ing contract

Incorrect.

Reference 8-D-1-d

An Equipment training freeze shall not restrict a Pilot in a lower–numbered Equipment/pay band from being awarded a vacancy in a higher-numbered Equipment/pay band, pursuant to the bands described below:
1) 321/320/319FO, 737FO
2) 767/757FO
3) 747FO, 777FO, 787FO, 350FO
4) 321/320/319CA, 737CA
5) 767/757CA
6) 747CA, 777CA, 787CA, 350CA

No seat lock incurred for a lateral to another base.

No. CHANGING EQUIPMENT. Not lateraling to a different base. You can do that as much as you want.

But if you bid from Airbus FO to Guppy FO then 6 months later you want to bid 777 FO you won't be able to (unless the company releases you from your freeze)

I actually know someone that this happened to. They went from Airbus to Guppy for seniority, then wanted 777 but couldn't get an award because of the freeze.

OK. You keep believing it. But we have 3 different types of freezes now. That is only ONE of them. That's why its called "Equipment Training Freeze".

Now read this.....

8-D-2 Bidding Freeze
8-D-2-a When a Pilot is awarded an assignment through vacancy bidding and such award does not move him from a lower-numbered band to a higher-numbered band in accordance with Section 8-D-1-d, he may be ineligible to be awarded any other vacancy for twenty-four (24) months.


So as long as you keep climbing the ladder, no freeze, but as soon as you stop or bid backwards, you have a different freeze.

Like I said, I know someone that didn't get a 777 FO award and this is the reason they were told.

Your story contradicts what the contract says. Such an award airbus fo to 777 is a higher numbered band award. The way I read it is he should have been awarded 777 FO. Did he talk to anyone in the Union?

According 8D2A, if you lateral to an equal band (A320 FO to 737 FO) or bid down, you can't bid ANYTHING for 24 months the way I read it

... except as mentioned earlier, 8d2ca. Allows you to bid Captain on same equipment you bid down to.

Where that is nice is if someone's been on the 777/747/787 for a long time and wants to bid 320 or 737 Captain, but would like to get a bit of time in the jet before going to the left seat. This would allow them to get familiar with the plane before bidding the left seat.

wow. easy to grasp but hard to explain evidently.

with an equipment freeze...yes, you can always be awarded a "higher- numbered equipment/pay band".

with a bidding freeze you cannot be awarded anything except a captain vacancy in current equipment, a "new" base (opened less than 6 months), or of course a lateral (same equipment/seat)

You incur a bidding freeze by bidding a vacancy that does not move you from a lower-numbered band to a higher-numbered band.

So yes, if you are a 737FO and you bid A320FO, you will incur a bidding freeze which will not allow you to be awarded a 777FO bid until you have served that freeze. You could be awarded a 320CA bid, however.

Clear as mud? Bid accordingly. Good day.