Thats what happens when seats go really junior......Senior folks pile on bidding for percentage and vacation.

Check out 8-F-9. Laterals are not specifically mentioned, but a lateral is an award. They have 92 days or 3 bid periods after the effective date.

Snapshot shows DEN 320 FO going to LUAL 8/2000 hires (LCAL 1/2008). 737 slightly more senior. Keep em coming!

Thanks guys - your help and a PDR helped clear it up for me. The language in that section bounces around a bit!

There's a rumor that all the training spots (not including new hire training) are full through the beginning of December.

Anybody know if that's true?

The company could care less where new hires go. They just have to have the right number of bodies in each place. This vacancy bid is mostly feedstock for new hires, but the company has to issue them as vacancy bids so that pilots already here can bid on them, which they just did.

This is just the normal process for vacancy bids.

The company DOES care where Displaced pilots bid, but they can't do anything about it, other than issue more displacements from the affected categories that got overstaffed as a result of the diplacement.

read the bid announcement. They specifically say this is bid will allow the company to put new hires in multiple bases throughout the system instead of pushing them all into EWR and SFO.

Probe,
I disagree. This is much worse.

So Fifi or the guppy?
 

I am in the 29 September class and was looking over a buddy of mine's shoulder I noticed there were more vacancies to get to Houston on the guppy now then on FiFi. Are all of those slots going to be gone by the time I get to class and which one would you all recommend to get to Houston the fastest in the likely event there are none in our drop? Thanks in advance for your help.
Cheers,
Fetch

Don't expect to see newhires going to DEN, ORD, IAH. Most will be going to EWR or SFO with a handfull to LAX and IAD.

James,
I am willing to listen. How is it worse?
The company needs FO's at certain bases, including DEN. They put out a vacancy, but everyone can bid. What is left, including backfills, goes to new hires.

I don't understand how this is worse. But I will listen.

That was in response to an earlier comment you posted, which I guess you then edited. It was more of a generalization WRT the way the airline staffing levels.

So, never mind.

Before this latest vacancy I would say neither. 737 and A320 both were considered overstaffed and this week we have vacancies. I would probably choose 737 just based on the size of the base. The 737 has almost 400 pilots and the A320 has 182 FO's. This latest vacancy has 11 vacancies for IAH 737 FO but they are filling 35 position with the back fills (I assume several others bid out to other bases and their seats were filled).

Looks like they are both being filled by relatively junior people. It really is a roll of the dice. Good luck.

The 737 deliveries are drying up. The Airbus is the new "growth aircraft". I would expect more opportunities on the Airbus going forward with the deliveries of new (to us) aircraft.

Deliveries are not the only reasons for movement in 37; senior guys are taking vacancies on heavies as the old pilots retiring from them.
37 is by far the best for seniority, bases and trip choices.

44 more FOs than CAs on Houston Bus. 52 more CAs than FO on Houston 73. Bus is going more senior on this bid. This year junior folks coming into 73. Last year they went into Bus, in Houston at least. But anybody's guess is as good as anybody else's with regard to crew planning. FWIW over last 2 years new hires have had a shot at every base but ORD. Probably the same over next 2 years. Or not.

Good news is you only have to be junior once.

Current 320 FO (July new hire) and can't remember the answer to this question - how long is the seat lock for your aircraft?

2 years to lateral within the same pay band (bus to 73). No freeze to move up to a higher pay band. No freeze from FO to CA. Contract has the stipulation allowing variations to this if the company needs it.

Thanks for all the great insight, I appreciate it immensely!
Cheers,
Fetch

That's because it's 1950's technology with some lipstick on the pig. I know I flly it! It was like taking a step back into a time going from the 767 and 777 lol. I flew the 300/500 back in the 90s and it was outdated then. Now there's glass but still the same tired old systems. It's a fun little plane, but I don't blame people for moving up/out as soon as possible.

HA! just finished the CBTs and was thinking the same thing. Oh well, the pay is nice.

That is sort of true but the 737 growth will still likely outpace the Airbus growth. The only reason I say that is if you look at the press release for the A319's, IF we get all 25 they will be delivered from 2016-2021. So five A319's a year for five years. Not exactly the speedy growth we were all hoping for.

737 growth in the near future is tough to pin down. We have already taken delivery of the 50 L-UAL 900ER's and they just keep coming, no press release about exercising options. I keep reading about 6 incremental aircraft before next summer. So the deliveries have definitely slowed down. Keep in mind that in 2018 the 737 MAX9 starts showing up and we have 100 firm orders.

I dont forsee much growth on the Airbus or 737 in IAH. As someone else mentioned, guys all always bidding up and out so there will always be a need for vacancies in Houston.

The latest 320 newsletter say 21 will be acquired between mid 2016 and the end of 2017. With the first one starting service in summer 2016, and last 4 on an undefined timeline. The statement is pretty kryptic but I'll bet they show up faster than a rate of 5/year, only because the 50 seater cut has happened pretty fast and the company needs to replace them.

Dude, don't get me wrong I hate the pos; however, the same reason makes it perfect plane for movement. We still taking deliveries, and people move away from it to larger AC because they hate it so much. I tried, but can give up seniority and variety of trips.
I would take A320 in the heart beat; I flew it before and I loved it, but the type of flying we do on A320 is not my favorite, I like the mix of trips and choices on guppy. In the current environment, all we have to do is wait, and your favorite AC with seniority, and trips will become available.

Dragon,

Thought that was true here at UA, but many have been junior multiple times and called "new hires" at this company more than once… :(

SP

Hear you. Have been amazed at real life stories I have heard from both LUal and LCal folks of their careers. No guarantee that won't happen again, but at least for now I believe we will see a lot of movement. Lots of decisions ahead for many about trading seniority and QOL for a bigger check. Which is good.

What exactly is a "tentative award" and what is the timeline for posting the final?

Check the UAL Pilot Forum, Crew Room, New Vacancy Results, for the answer. :D It's a good one.

Lather, rinse, repeat.