American Airlines Chicago base in year four: holding a line, the O'Hare operation, the winter and the contract after the 2024 agreement

American, Chicago, four years, off reserve for two, and the American Airlines threads on this forum are the Miami base and the hiring. Here is Chicago O'Hare, the base most new hires end up at, from someone who has done the reserve years and now holds a line.

The base

Chicago is one of American's biggest bases, a hub with domestic to everywhere, a strong Europe component (London, Paris, Dublin, Madrid, Rome, Barcelona and more in summer), some Asia (Tokyo), and Latin America. Thousands of crew, a base list that moves faster than Miami or New York and slower than the smaller bases.

Reserve at Chicago

I was on reserve for about 22 months, which is the Chicago average in my era. The reserve system under the contract gives a guarantee, a set of days off, and a callout window. Chicago reserves fly a lot in winter because of the weather cancellations and the reassignments, and less in the shoulder seasons. The crash pad culture exists but is smaller than New York because the suburbs are affordable.

Holding a line

At around two years I held a line of domestic and Caribbean international, and by year three some Europe. Now I bid a mix: a London or a Dublin a month, some Latin America, some domestic turns. The bidding system under the contract is preferential bidding and it rewards people who learn it.

The O'Hare operation

The airport is enormous, the walk from the crew room to some gates is a workout, and the winter is the thing. Snow, de-icing queues, cancellations, reassignments, the 14 hour duty day that started as a nine hour one. Chicago crew are the best in the system at irregular operations because we do them for four months a year. The summer is thunderstorms and the same skills.

The 2024 agreement

The APFA negotiated a new contract that changed the pay scales significantly upward, added boarding pay (pay during boarding, which was not paid before), improved the reserve rules and the per diem, and reset the profession's expectations at American. The pay tables are public through APFA and anyone comparing US carriers should read them rather than any estimate. The contract is the primary source and this forum is the commentary.

Living in Chicago

Affordable compared to the coasts, a real city with a real winter, a base where the crew live in the city or the western suburbs and take the train or drive. The crew room is big and friendly and the union is active.

For new hires

If you are assigned Chicago: it is a good base. Learn the winter, learn the bidding, budget for the reserve years, and read the APFA contract in month one because the answers to every pay question are in it.