UPS Hubs and Aircraft
 

What aircraft can you expect to fly when based out of a certain hub at UPS? I know Anchorage has the 747, but what about Miami, Dallas, Louisville, etc.?

miami. 757/767
ontario ca. 757/767
sdf. all aircraft. 747, 757/767, A300 , MD11

There are several threads in the UPS sub-folder you might find helpful. Posted this in one of them a while back..

___
4 physical domiciles:

SDF
ANC
ONT
MIA

SDF domicile has 5 fleets:

SDF - 747 ([new] probably domestic and international)
SDF - MD11 (primarily domestic)
SDF - 757 (domestic)
SDFZ - 757Z (known as ‘Z’, domestic/Europe/Asia)
SDF - A300 (domestic)

The remaining 3 domiciles have only 1 fleet each:

ANC - 747 (primarily international)
ONT - 757 (domestic/Asia)
MIA - 757 (domestic/central & south America)

• Note - all 757 domiciles utilize 757 & 767
• Domestic’ means US, Canada and Mexico

MD is once more heavy into China. This change just happened, no announcements. Probably 5-6 trips a week. CGN still happens, but has not picked up the way China has.

Ok, thanks for the info. Are there any people on here that commute to SDF? More specifically ATL-SDF.

Lots of people commute ATL-SDF...lots.

Is it really bad/busy?

If you want to ride on Delta it’s gotten ugly.

ATL is an easy commute to SDF.

Id love to see a DFW domicile!!

How about a PHL base

I'll give a bump on DFW!!

UPS is adverse to opening or closing domiciles.
Wont open new locations IMO. Scheduling software is one reason, second is RFD, DFW, PHL do not have the density at its peak capacity to efficiently station crews at these locations in a domicile.

MIA was designed specifically to handle all South America flying. When that flying diminishes they use the crews to fly more than normal domestic keeping the domicile stable and efficient.
PHL is a on/off rumor for 25 years.... mostly off (Pilot fantasy)

This has been in the contract for many years:

"(7) Report times for the Miami, Anchorage and Ontario domiciles shall be 2:00. In the event the Company establishes a domicile in Philadelphia the report times shall be 1:30."

Correct, and UPS wanted, and IPA agreed, to leave all second officer details in the contract. It still remains. "just in case ups brings on a 3 crew bird". Just like the PHL reference. Don't see it happening myself.

UPS doesn't want to introduce more bids other than changing pilot numbers to match projected flying. SDF 747 is simply a return of a previous domicile now that enough 74s are on property. Ups could not get contractual relief on using ANC domicile to operate a domestic 74 system as they attempted to negotiate.

How junior is the MIA base?

Not very junior and not very commutable

For current new hires is nearly as junior as ONT. SDF is far more senior than MIA and ONT. Add SDFZ into the mix and you'll be sitting at the bottom as a new hire, as long as you can hold it with the next system bid.

It depends on where you live. A lot of the Miami flying is day flying. A lot have passenger airline deadheads that allow you to deviate from where you live to whatever city you begin your trip at.

Yeah, I know a lot of guys who live in central Florida that are not based in Miami due to it being non commutable . Unless you are really senior, you cannot even touch commercials in and out. Lots of morning turns to SA.

System bid award summer class drops?
 

Is the summer system bid posted or awarded? What’s the new hire drops for summer fall looking like? Will the sim in ANC change the 747 awards? With new planes coming will class size go up any or is it slow and steady?

It has (surprisingly, IMO) not yet been posted.

Can someone explain why they use the Z instead of making the 75 one unit with the international portion being senior?

I’ll let others answer your specific question but wanted to point out that “senior” isn’t always the same as international here at brown.

Case in point, back when we still flew 727s our most senior airplane and domicile was SDF 727 - which was all domestic. So lots of out & backs, many nights spent in your own bed and yet the very same pay rate as the folks who’re flying 747s flying around the globe.
With a single pay scale seniority is more about type of trips and QoL than pay rates. (we do have a small international pay override but it’s nothing I’d switch airplanes for)

I wouldn't say it's not commutable. MIA base has a lot of day-flying schedules. If you can bid the 10 to 13 day "deep south" trips, you are golden.

It has to do with keeping people current and qualified for the international flying. It was often difficult on the dc8 which did both.

Those trips are untouchable for junior guys, definitely wouldn’t count on it for years. It takes bidding inside 30% in seat to hold those trips consistently, other than the occasional VTO or open time trade/pick up.

Gotcha, how much domestic does the Z do? How long to hold it?

There’s plenty of Zomestic...

It’s interesting how they split the base but they both fly domestic.

You would be able to hold Z on the first system bid most likely...that being said you probably wouldn’t want to. You would go from having pretty decent seniority to having zero control of your schedule for probably at least two years. I’ve been a here a year and can’t hold anything, I just get whatever is not the flavor of the month. I have had pretty good luck with the trip board though.

The "zmestic" goes pretty junior

Does the Z do around the world trips or mostly Europe/Asia?

Yes.
Not too much around the world anymor , once our twice a week

Does that go senior?

I'm not sure how to answer that one. I can hold it, but I'm pretty senior. Not sure about the fo's.

We have a short version that does it in about a week that I enjoy. EWR or now JFK to ANC, then ICN or KIX, TPE, DXB, CGN, EWR. Some of the legs like icn or kix to tpe and sometimes dxb to cgn are dh on the airlines. After a few days you lose track of what day it is and stop figuring out what time it is back home, reverting to a sleep until your hungry, eat until you're tired primal mode.

There's a longer version sometimes that turns it into a two week trip by adding some intra Asia flying once you're over there.

Honestly, it's fun to check the box and say you've flown around the world , but if you can live without the very long day of tpe-bom-dxb and just pick one theater or the other to fly in, it's pretty much just as good.

Yes, typically For FOs it goes pretty senior, especially the eight day short trip. It’ll fall into open time once in awhile or you can find them in the VTOs. Lots of DH and commercial flights, a few operating legs. It’s a good trip.

I never thought around the world in 8 days was a good trip. Maybe different on the 76, but my jet operated every leg.

Give me back the 5 leg, 14 day trip. That’s where it’s at.

There’s different iterations, but mine have typically started with a DH, three commercials and four operating legs. It used to be pretty civilized, I’m guessing that’s probably turned pretty ugly now. Like everything else in the bid packs.

What are junior M1F schedules like these days?

Thank you!

All the China JA you can handle:D. Plus lots of domestic, both turns and trips that vary from 2 days to eight.

I’m on the M1F. SDF based about 3 years in now. Week on week off for me domestic avoiding west coast. I guess about as easy as it gets in terms of domestic hub turns. One leg in one leg out and a commuter. It works I suppose.