What are the chances of this really? (at a major passenger airline, not cargo.) I recently saw an American Eagle captain go from that to being an FO on the 787 Dreamliner at United. I’ve also seen a few videos where it seems like regional captains doing the flow from Endeavor to Delta are assigned to the 767 with a Delta pilot telling me once on Quora that some guys are being assigned to the A330 as a new hire @ Delta as well as Hawaiian.
I’m not saying this is what happens normally all the time, but what are the chances nowadays with the current pilot shortage?
Tamesh,
This is not unusual at all these days. There’s alot of movement and you’ll be placed where you’re needed. Despite what many aspiring pilots think, not everyone wants to fly widebody airplanes (I’m a perfect example. I flew the A330 for 2yrs and hated it). Many pilots prioritize quality of life over the size of the airplane they fly or even the pay that goes with it. That leaves slots for new guys who still haven’t figured out a plane is a plane is a plane.
Adam
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Tamesh,
This is not at all unusual at United. The reason is that being a wide body FO that is super junior is not really the best position at the airline. In fact, you could argue that it is one of the least desirable. Pilots that get the 737 or A320 will hold lines much sooner, those that go to the widebodies spend years on reserve, or end up changing to the 737/320.
There is much more to being an airline pilot than just flying the largest airplane out there. Quality of life is a huge factor, which is why most new hires go to the airplane where they will hold a line the soonest.
Chris
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