Questions About Airline Seniority

[gay_pilot18]

In a previous thread someone asked Doug when he was gonna make the move up to the left seat. He responded that he wanted to do some international flying first and then maybe bid for Capt. He also said that he really wasn't keen on losing his senority and being low man on the totem pole again and having to fly reserve.

I know that when you move to another plane or when you change from f/o to captain or captain to f/o you lose your seniority for that airplane or for that title F/O or Captain. And that you have to build your way back up to the top again.

My question for Doug and all other airline pilots and all perspective pilots is. Lets say that I was hired to hmmmmm lets say Delta Airlines (lol yeah I know big suprise) and I came in with say 12,000 hours under my belt.

But some other f/o with only maybe only 3,000 hrs. was hired well before me. But later on in our careers we both bidded for captain of a 757-200 but I got it before he did cause I have more hours is he or she still more senior then me?

Doug always says hire date,hire date is what matters. But what if you come in with a good amount of hours allowing you to move up faster then other people who got hired before you with maybe only the minimums.

Doesn't moving up to captain from F/O or changing equipment depend more on hours/experience possibly more then seniority?

 

[DanTheMan]

I'm not 100% sure, but I think seniority is the only thing that matters. Once you have the minumum number of hours and are hired, all of your bidding depends only on your senority number.

 

[A300Capt]

Total time does not matter nor does past experience level. Date of hire (your senority #)is all that matters...period.

 

[Kristie]

I agree that it's the seniority that is top priority... from what i've seen/heard - nobody even talks about how much total time another pilot has, but they do talk about what seniority the bases are at in order to "hold a line" vs sitting reserve...

 

[aloft]

[ QUOTE ]
Doug always says hire date,hire date is what matters. But what if you come in with a good amount of hours allowing you to move up faster then other people who got hired before you with maybe only the minimums.

[/ QUOTE ]Listen to Doug.

 

[RedBelly]

Yep, date of hire is the only thing that matters.

The only exception I have heard is that United had some problems in the late 90's with a few pilots with less than 1500 hours who were able to get F/O on the 767/777/747. But, since UAL types the F/O's for longhaul flying, those people couldn't be placed into those positions because of no ATP. That is the reason I heard why UAL bumped up their minimum flight time requirements. Can anyone here confirm this, or was someone yanking my chain?