Hi all! I was thinking about Delta and their new CSeries fleet due to arrive soon. How are crews selected for a completely new fleet type? Are current crews permitted to bid for positions on the new aircraft? Are senior crew members selected by management to fly the first of the new type? Some searching around did not answer my question so I am looking forward to the replies! Thanks!

They bid and awarded per seniority. Something like C-series at DL however, will go pretty junior due to its pay and choice of bases.

LAXintl wrote:

They bid and awarded per seniority. Something like C-series at DL however, will go pretty junior due to its pay and choice of bases.

I am sure there are a lot of FO's on the right seat for years and years, that are jumping at the chance to upgrade to the command left seat.

Airlines work on the seniority system. If you put a bid in, and your seniority (hire date) holds it - you will be awarded the spot.

b747400erf wrote:

LAXintl wrote:

They bid and awarded per seniority. Something like C-series at DL however, will go pretty junior due to its pay and choice of bases.

I am sure there are a lot of FO's on the right seat for years and years, that are jumping at the chance to upgrade to the command left seat.

Not at Delta. FO's that have been with the company as little as 6 months have been awarded captain spots.

b747400erf wrote:

I am sure there are a lot of FO's on the right seat for years and years, that are jumping at the chance to upgrade to the command left seat.

FO's that have been in the right seat for years and years are widebody int'l FO's that can make more money than junior narrowbody Captains. If they really felt the need to be in the "Command left seat" they could have done so on the MD-80 in New York with very little overall seniority.

kabq737 wrote:

How are crews selected for a completely new fleet type? Are current crews permitted to bid for positions on the new aircraft? Are senior crew members selected by management to fly the first of the new type?

The very format of the question reflects total unfamiliarity with the bidding process. Crews aren't selected: persons show their willingness to fly from a certain base on a certain aircraft, and on a specific line, by bid, with seniority preferences ruling.

Count the number of times the words bid or bidding appear in the Pilot Working Agreement.

https://sitecoredev6.alpa.org/~/media/D ... ntract.pdf

Thanks for the answers guys and gals! I'm actually fairly familiar with the crew bidding process however, reading back over my question I realize that I phrased it quite poorly so I apologize for that. So in theory if they wanted to a very young FO could bid to fly the brand new CSeries? Not saying they would get the position but they could bid for it?

It varies from airline to airline, but in the vast majority of cases seniority has at least something to do with it. North America tends to be more seniority biased than other regions.

At my airline a new fleet type would be offered in seniority order. However if the airline can't man a fleet due to people not wanting transfers to it, "forced" transfers may be implemented.

kabq737 wrote:

Thanks for the answers guys and gals! I'm actually fairly familiar with the crew bidding process however, reading back over my question I realize that I phrased it quite poorly so I apologize for that. So in theory if they wanted to a very young FO could bid to fly the brand new CSeries? Not saying they would get the position but they could bid for it?

Sure. However the fact that a plane is brand new has little consequence. By and large, professional pilots don't care that much about which plane they fly. They care about salary, benefits and lifestyle. If the CSeries has crap rosters and an undesirable base, it will end up being flown by more junior people.

Starlionblue wrote:

It varies from airline to airline, but in the vast majority of cases seniority has at least something to do with it. North America tends to be more seniority biased than other regions.

At my airline a new fleet type would be offered in seniority order. However if the airline can't man a fleet due to people not wanting transfers to it, "forced" transfers may be implemented.

kabq737 wrote:

Thanks for the answers guys and gals! I'm actually fairly familiar with the crew bidding process however, reading back over my question I realize that I phrased it quite poorly so I apologize for that. So in theory if they wanted to a very young FO could bid to fly the brand new CSeries? Not saying they would get the position but they could bid for it?

Sure. However the fact that a plane is brand new has little consequence. By and large, professional pilots don't care that much about which plane they fly. They care about salary, benefits and lifestyle. If the CSeries has crap rosters and an undesirable base, it will end up being flown by more junior people.

Thank you so much for the information! That answered my questions!

I'll add that a new fleet type needs an initial cadre of trainers, so a certain number of training captains would convert earlier than line captains who are more senior.