Hello again pilots and mentors. I passed my private check ride on October 8th and I’m currently preparing for my instrument check ride which will hopefully be mid November. I’m trying to get an idea with my wife on what airline we want to eventually work for and our most important factor is bases. I do not want to commute long term and I’m willing to give up pay and aircraft to ensure that. We’d like to get an Atlanta base if possible, but we’d be happy living in Texas as well. I wanted to know if any of you had any insight into this? I know United and AA has a base in Texas, but I don’t know how senior it is on the FO or the Captain side. Delta, Southwest, and Frontier have Atlanta bases, and Southwest has two in Texas as well, but again I’m not sure how long it would be before I could hold any of those. I spoke to my roommate who’s father is a FO for Southwest, and he said Atlanta is very senior for FOs and Captains. Other than that I’m in the dark here.
Honestly I have no clue but suggest you visit Airline Pilot Central. If you check each carrier you can see the most junior pilot at each base and there are airline specific threads that address these type of questions.
That said, if you’re just starting your Instrument training that means you’re a few years away from having to make the decision of which Major to target (and hope hires you). In that time many things can change, seniority shifts, bases close etc etc etc. I recommend you focus on your instrument flight training (arguably the most difficult phase). Failure to do so could make this conversation moot.
Your best bet is to interview for every airline that has a base in the areas that you want to live. You first need to see which airlines offer you a job and then pick one.
Narrowing down a short list at this stage should be the least of your concerns. You will have plenty of time as a CFI to compare your options. Between now and then a lot can and will change so keep an open mind and stay focused on the bigger picture.
Congrats on becoming a pilot, btw! Let’s not forget to celebrate your well earned success!
As the others said, it can be exciting to dream and plan but the reality is so much can change between now and then. Two years until you’re making your choice of a regional. There’s endeavor and Skywest out of Atlanta and multiple out of Dallas: Skywest, Envoy and Mesa. There’s also spirit that has both an Atlanta and Dallas. Once you’re situated there you can keep dreaming and planning for the major jump.
Atlanta has always been historically senior for delta and I suspect for spirit as well. It’s a temperate place to live with a decent cost of living which makes for a senior base.
Dallas has a similar story, been pretty senior on the American side. Houston is middle of the road for United. I’m not familiar with Southwest base seniority.
Again, so much is changing with the current hiring landscape. In four years it could be totally different. For reference though, we have a great tool you can check out:
Sorry for the late response Chris. No she is not. She is currently a nurse. Life permitting, we have plans to drop down to one income after I get through the flight instructing phase of my career.
The thing I’ve learned from asking this question at my airline even in the weeks of ground school is that there are so many factors that can shift this answer, especially if you’re at the private stage. You still have to go through all ratings and then hour building and at that time, what base is junior, senior for FO / CA most likely will shift some. Also, airlines open and close bases too, especially in 2 years time you’ll see new ones come and old ones disappear. I know it’s not the answer you’d want, but just in case someone hasn’t told you this ( I didn’t know it as clearly ) so I’m just sharing with you, what I didn’t know in your shoes.
Thank you for the response. Yes I am still learning about the industry. I enjoy trying to plan my life out as best as I can after all the time I wasted as a young adult. I incorrectly assumed bases and seniority would be more “set in stone” and stagnant, but now I know that’s not always the case.
Absolutely, that’s what we’re here for, to help answer any questions you have along the way. One thing you’ll learn pretty early on, most things in the aviation industry are temporary. Whether it’s a few weeks, months or years, little has stayed the same over decades of commercial air travel. A running joke among pilots, the industry is “Consistently inconsistent”
