YUL pairings 787

[Raphael]

Hi everyone,

I wondered what the pairings are like on the 787 (out of YUL especially)

How long are they?

Are they always from and out of base (YUL-Delhi-YUL) or a combination such as (YUL-TelAviv-YYZ-Seoul-YVR-Brisbane-YVR-dh YUL) for example.

How long are the layovers in average?

And on a more subjective note, would you recommend choosing the 787 (FO/RP) as a first type when getting hired?

Thank you so much in advance!

[NotDirty!]

YUL B787 FO pairings range from 1-5 days, with 70% in the 3-4 day range. RP pairings are 3-5 days in length, with slightly more than half being 4 days.
The vast majority are 2 legs per pairing. There is some off-base flying (especially on reserve), but there seem to be a lot more cases of YYZ pilots doing YUL flying than the other way around.

Layovers on overseas pairings tend to be in multiples of 24 hours, with 24 being more common than 48, and 72 being quite rare.

The best type for a new hire depends a lot on the individual. Do you want to see the world, deal with remote and oceanic operations and weather, fly with the most senior pilots, take part in the decision-making process in a 3-4 pilot crew, experience long-haul flying, deal with the world's major airports, and the sometimes challenging language barriers, and get a chance to decide if that is the lifestyle for you? Then bid RP.
Do you want more hands-on flying, many more take-offs and landings, in and out of some of the busiest airports around, mainly with English speaking (or shouting in the case of LGA) controllers, etc? Then bid NB FO.

NB pilots may get more nights at "home" (although there are plenty of multi-day pairings on the NB too). NB FOs are also going to have an easier time upgrading to NB Captain, than someone whose entire AC experience has been in the WB world. If you prioritize income over lifestyle, NB CA pays better than WB FO or RP, but NB FOs often take home less than their contemporary RPs and WB FOs. Overseas per diems are usually better than domestic, and there is a better chance of your captain buying you dinner on a WB crew (spend less of that per diem!).

WB FO is the least ideal of the new hire positions... you will be relatively junior for longer, as more senior pilots bid into WB FO positions from RP or NB FO positions once they reach 4 years of service (and the pay is suddenly a lot more for the WB FO position). But it is still viable and is probably the right choice for certain people.

What is best for you is something you really have to ask yourself. And depending on what is offered to your class, and where you end up within your class, options may be limited. I don't think there are any BAD jobs here, but some are definitely better than others, depending on your situation.

[jpilot77]

Hi everyone,

I wondered what the pairings are like on the 787 (out of YUL especially)

How long are they?

Are they always from and out of base (YUL-Delhi-YUL) or a combination such as (YUL-TelAviv-YYZ-Seoul-YVR-Brisbane-YVR-dh YUL) for example.

How long are the layovers in average?

And on a more subjective note, would you recommend choosing the 787 (FO/RP) as a first type when getting hired?

Thank you so much in advance!

The other thing that’ll force your hand is what base and what positions are offered on your course. The other thing to be aware is that they’re not awarding wide body FOs spots to new hires that don’t have jet experience (I can’t remember if it’s jet 705 or just jet).

[Raphael]

YUL B787 FO pairings range from 1-5 days, with 70% in the 3-4 day range. RP pairings are 3-5 days in length, with slightly more than half being 4 days.
The vast majority are 2 legs per pairing. There is some off-base flying (especially on reserve), but there seem to be a lot more cases of YYZ pilots doing YUL flying than the other way around.

Layovers on overseas pairings tend to be in multiples of 24 hours, with 24 being more common than 48, and 72 being quite rare.

The best type for a new hire depends a lot on the individual. Do you want to see the world, deal with remote and oceanic operations and weather, fly with the most senior pilots, take part in the decision-making process in a 3-4 pilot crew, experience long-haul flying, deal with the world's major airports, and the sometimes challenging language barriers, and get a chance to decide if that is the lifestyle for you? Then bid RP.
Do you want more hands-on flying, many more take-offs and landings, in and out of some of the busiest airports around, mainly with English speaking (or shouting in the case of LGA) controllers, etc? Then bid NB FO.

NB pilots may get more nights at "home" (although there are plenty of multi-day pairings on the NB too). NB FOs are also going to have an easier time upgrading to NB Captain, than someone whose entire AC experience has been in the WB world. If you prioritize income over lifestyle, NB CA pays better than WB FO or RP, but NB FOs often take home less than their contemporary RPs and WB FOs. Overseas per diems are usually better than domestic, and there is a better chance of your captain buying you dinner on a WB crew (spend less of that per diem!).

WB FO is the least ideal of the new hire positions... you will be relatively junior for longer, as more senior pilots bid into WB FO positions from RP or NB FO positions once they reach 4 years of service (and the pay is suddenly a lot more for the WB FO position). But it is still viable and is probably the right choice for certain people.

What is best for you is something you really have to ask yourself. And depending on what is offered to your class, and where you end up within your class, options may be limited. I don't think there are any BAD jobs here, but some are definitely better than others, depending on your situation.

First I’d like to thank you for this very insightful answer!

Does it occur that a YUL based 787 fo/rp flies out of YVR?

If one doesn’t value lifestyle and seeing the world through work is the priority, is it possible to bid for out of base pairings? Let’s say I’m YUL based and I wish to do some YVR-Brisbane and some YYZ-Seoul?

Not trying to be picky, operational needs come way before my desires but still, I’m trying to get an idea of the pairings and biding structures.

[Raphael]

Hi everyone,

I wondered what the pairings are like on the 787 (out of YUL especially)

How long are they?

Are they always from and out of base (YUL-Delhi-YUL) or a combination such as (YUL-TelAviv-YYZ-Seoul-YVR-Brisbane-YVR-dh YUL) for example.

How long are the layovers in average?

And on a more subjective note, would you recommend choosing the 787 (FO/RP) as a first type when getting hired?

Thank you so much in advance!

The other thing that’ll force your hand is what base and what positions are offered on your course. The other thing to be aware is that they’re not awarding wide body FOs spots to new hires that don’t have jet experience (I can’t remember if it’s jet 705 or just jet).

Does it mean that if I do indeed have 705 jet time, I would have a rather high chance of getting a WB position straight out of initial training? Is it a high percentage of each class that have a jet background?

Thank you so much!

[PostmasterGeneral]

YUL B787 FO pairings range from 1-5 days, with 70% in the 3-4 day range. RP pairings are 3-5 days in length, with slightly more than half being 4 days.
The vast majority are 2 legs per pairing. There is some off-base flying (especially on reserve), but there seem to be a lot more cases of YYZ pilots doing YUL flying than the other way around.

Layovers on overseas pairings tend to be in multiples of 24 hours, with 24 being more common than 48, and 72 being quite rare.

The best type for a new hire depends a lot on the individual. Do you want to see the world, deal with remote and oceanic operations and weather, fly with the most senior pilots, take part in the decision-making process in a 3-4 pilot crew, experience long-haul flying, deal with the world's major airports, and the sometimes challenging language barriers, and get a chance to decide if that is the lifestyle for you? Then bid RP.
Do you want more hands-on flying, many more take-offs and landings, in and out of some of the busiest airports around, mainly with English speaking (or shouting in the case of LGA) controllers, etc? Then bid NB FO.

NB pilots may get more nights at "home" (although there are plenty of multi-day pairings on the NB too). NB FOs are also going to have an easier time upgrading to NB Captain, than someone whose entire AC experience has been in the WB world. If you prioritize income over lifestyle, NB CA pays better than WB FO or RP, but NB FOs often take home less than their contemporary RPs and WB FOs. Overseas per diems are usually better than domestic, and there is a better chance of your captain buying you dinner on a WB crew (spend less of that per diem!).

WB FO is the least ideal of the new hire positions... you will be relatively junior for longer, as more senior pilots bid into WB FO positions from RP or NB FO positions once they reach 4 years of service (and the pay is suddenly a lot more for the WB FO position). But it is still viable and is probably the right choice for certain people.

What is best for you is something you really have to ask yourself. And depending on what is offered to your class, and where you end up within your class, options may be limited. I don't think there are any BAD jobs here, but some are definitely better than others, depending on your situation.

First I’d like to thank you for this very insightful answer!

Does it occur that a YUL based 787 fo/rp flies out of YVR?

If one doesn’t value lifestyle and seeing the world through work is the priority, is it possible to bid for out of base pairings? Let’s say I’m YUL based and I wish to do some YVR-Brisbane and some YYZ-Seoul?

Not trying to be picky, operational needs come way before my desires but still, I’m trying to get an idea of the pairings and biding structures.

You can only bid for pairings that are built out of your base. Generally speaking, the YVR flying is done by YVR pilots, and vice versa. There are of course a limited number of pairings in each base that travel through the other bases, but as a YUL pilot, you can not bid a YVR-SYD pairing for example. If there happens to be one built out of Montreal, you could bid it, however this also causes issues with duty regs, as you’re now 3 time zones out of your base before even starting the flight, so generally the company doesn’t build pairings this way.

Reserve is a whole other story. The company can (and often will) send you all over the place to cover flying if a certain base is short. Remember, deadheading sucks though.

[jpilot77]

Hi everyone,

I wondered what the pairings are like on the 787 (out of YUL especially)

How long are they?

Are they always from and out of base (YUL-Delhi-YUL) or a combination such as (YUL-TelAviv-YYZ-Seoul-YVR-Brisbane-YVR-dh YUL) for example.

How long are the layovers in average?

And on a more subjective note, would you recommend choosing the 787 (FO/RP) as a first type when getting hired?

Thank you so much in advance!

The other thing that’ll force your hand is what base and what positions are offered on your course. The other thing to be aware is that they’re not awarding wide body FOs spots to new hires that don’t have jet experience (I can’t remember if it’s jet 705 or just jet).

Does it mean that if I do indeed have 705 jet time, I would have a rather high chance of getting a WB position straight out of initial training? Is it a high percentage of each class that have a jet background?

Thank you so much!

It can, it varies greatly between classes. Depends on what seniority number you draw, what is available and what type of experience the other new hires have.