Really?? The super senior schedule? Definitely not indicative of the general pilot population, and the schedules are getting worse.

Im junior to him and can hold the described schedule. The MD is great, right up until short final when it bites you in the butt.:cool:

That's because you domestic guys fly it light. Never could land worth a darn in the 300s.

Base trips have consistently gone to the bottom feeders on most fleets. (Note, 3 yrs seniority on MD is close to 50% up the list so not exactly a junior guys perspective). Search schedules here, I’ve done a bunch of posts detailing what junior guys hold with pairing examples. Search night flying, there’s a ton of info on exactly what the trips are like to fly.

To answer your question, a quick scan of MD base trips shows the usual mixed bag: lots of pairings which vary in type, not very commutable. Basically all the leftovers grouped together. Used to be some great day flying in those, not sure if that’s still the case.

If reserve is junior, it sure looks like they aren’t sitting around the house much...

Are there often base displacements for the junior guys each system bid? If so which base would be the most stable for a non commuter?

No, there are not. I don’t even think that shutting down the MD base in ANC ultimately resulted in someone being involuntarily displaced. Obviously SDF is the most stable due to numbers, but I don’t think a non commuter in ANC, ONT, or MIA would really have anything to be worried about as far as displacement goes.

geographically, I’d agree. Equipment wise, not so much. At least as far as ANC is concerned

Thanks guys, so I assume the 757 SDF would be the most stable bet, is it pretty attainable right out of training?

Normally I’d say yes....but, if you get designated as someone they want in their 747/MD class then those are your choices (MD is still SDF). Additionally, if you happen to be in a class that is primarily Airbus (seems more rare lately) it may not be a guarantee, but in this case you’ll still be SDF based. If you land in a 75/76 at any domicile you’ll be able to move to SDF relatively quick if current conditions persist. If you end up in the 74 to ANC, you may be able to switch to SDF, but it’s more senior so it might take a couple system bids.

In conclusion, SDF is the safest bet in my opinion because the absolute worst case scenario is you get a 74 to ANC. Chances are you’ll realize you like it, but if you don’t you can bid to SDF. If you don’t get it on the next couple system bids you’ll almost be to your 18 month seat lock (equipment not base) and you can switch to anything you would like at that point. Commuting to ANC from SDF is probably easier than commuting to ANC from anywhere else, and the trips will be more commutable than trying to commute to SDF to fly a junior domestic line.

Great advice here. Obviously, the second you introduce commuting from anywhere that isn’t a domicile life gets MUCH more complicated. All of our fleets have pros/cons just like any other airline. The nice thing is, they all pay the same min guarantee. Bidding for QOL doesn’t mean a big pay cut.