MOAB at Azul

ClearedForOption said:
Even with the added cost of the transcon commute the pay cut is too substantial. Theoretically, you have to credit 108 hrs to match the RSV guarantee - and that's before holiday, vacation, anything... if you use a typical transcon as an example, that still equates to 19 "days" of being on the road a month. There is also a big retirement hit with the DC and I'll be playing catchup till I'm 65.

That's before me even saying, "I like the view from the left" and the stuff that comes with the 4th stripe. And knowing (roughly) how many people are going to take the QOL downgrade - my seniority from the right wouldn't be super at all. To be perfectly honest, I don't want to work that hard and live on trip trading software while at home. Schedule improvement becomes it's own full time job.
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I mean … commuting across the country is a part time job as well.
 
Baronman said:
I mean … commuting across the country is a part time job as well.
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Yeah, it is. I have just about every inch of that commute memorized in my bones from all of the commuting and DHing. The timing is so ingrained that I don't even have to think... if I'm headed to the airport it's "I'll see you in 9 hours." followed (usually) by "So, when are you going to be home?" "9 hours from right now plus or minus 15 minutes because of the bus. Whatever time that is, because I don't know... I just know it's 9 hours from right now."

Autothrust Blue said:
Liked for accuracy, not content, though some longer commutes are surprisingly 'easier' than shorter ones.
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Weirdly enough that's why after hours of spinning in circles I just pen to paper and said... JFK. Because it's all about the frequency. In the years and years of doing that stupid commute I very rarely... like fingers on one hand... got bumped or whatever. Who knows what it's gonna be like now that instead of like 4 of us on the route, there are now about 100 going back and forth if everyone ends up in NYC.
 
Soul Brotha' said:
Feel for you hombre. Hopefully you can get back sooner than you think. When they closed the 190 in MCO, I got displaced to FLL and was expecting to be there at least 3-4 years. To my surprise I was able to get back in 8 months. I have SJU as my involuntary bid because no one knows how this will shake up. Best of luck to all of us.
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The math says (with retirements) 5-7 years if everything remains static - and we've seen how "static" the last few years and bids have been. I'm planning (at least mentally) that it's gonna be very full US AIR for the foreseeable future. I think that we are close enough on the list that statically you'll still be able to hold MCO, FLL for sure, and SJU without a problem. What will destroy me is if there is a partial cancellation that pushes me to within a few people of either being able to hold on to my base/seat, or be just on the other side of the line. Because, my bid strategy would have been completely different if I was say 5 away from holding the west coast vs. 30-something.

killbilly said:
I’ve been a bit worried that I’m going to get displaced to SJU but I’m starting to come around to the idea some if it happens. I think I’ve got *just enough* seniority to avoid it. My main concern would be finding a pad there.
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I think that you'll be ok. I do forsee a future where we are the "New American Eagle" when it comes to the most junior base for new hires. There should be enough movement and etc. where you are able to hold on to your base/seat - just not the seniority that you currently have. It doesn't take a genius to predict there will be attrition in the junior most quartile of the list for those pilots that have enough experience to meet the ever changing hiring minimums elsewhere. If @jtrain609 holds on to the left seat we can all sit around together on reserve and complain. Start a new Algonquin Round Table of airline bitterness in Queens.
 
ClearedForOption said:
Weirdly enough that's why after hours of spinning in circles I just pen to paper and said... JFK. Because it's all about the frequency. In the years and years of doing that stupid commute I very rarely... like fingers on one hand... got bumped or whatever. Who knows what it's gonna be like now that instead of like 4 of us on the route, there are now about 100 going back and forth if everyone ends up in NYC.
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I was going to say there’s usually not a lot of competition (I know exactly one guy at the Air Line who does that schlep, and I did it often during my new hire year here too) for such extreme things.

From where you live / I grew up you basically do have to go out the night before, which can be a blessing and a curse.
 
I’m very sorry to hear about this. I don’t wish the nightmare that is commuting on anyone that doesn’t choose to. I’m still wondering why your shop couldn’t keep fighting for a foothold in LAX, but I guess it’s one of those things we can’t control as much as we wish we could.
 
Autothrust Blue said:
How are you all set up for crew rest on that thing? Mint seat with a curtain? Curious.
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Constellation said:
Mint seat with a curtain. 2O takes the first break, followed by the PM, then PF.

If you can handle the sleep management/fatigue, SQ is amazing.
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Yup. When I was doing SQ it was a Class 3 rest facility, though I think now they've got a better curtain to make it a Class 2.

Honestly it's a pretty comfortable ride back there.
 
Welp. All this stuff is preliminary so it could get better….or worse….

Good news is I keep my seat.

Bad news is my current seat - JFK220FO and SJU320 FO are the only things I CAN hold.

EDIT - can hold JFK320 FO but do not want that. Would be on reserve the rest of my life, possibly.

I thought maybe I’d have an option on BOS220FO but nope.

At least I should be able to keep a line until the fall.
 
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