Transfer
Moving to another crew base, fleet or company role — by seniority bid at US carriers, by vacancy and approval almost everywhere else.
Definition
A transfer is a formal move within the airline: to a different base, to a different fleet or aircraft division, to a premium cabin or training role, or into the wider group's ground business. Base transfers at US carriers are awarded strictly by seniority when a vacancy opens; at most other airlines they depend on a vacancy at the receiving base, management approval and your record. Group transfers into office roles are a common exit route from flying.
What it means for you
Transfer rules are worth reading before you join, because the base you start at is often not the one you want. At seniority airlines a transfer to a popular base can take years; at single-base Gulf carriers there is nothing to transfer to except a different fleet or a ground job. Transfers can also reset your probation, change your pay scale or affect housing, so ask what carries over.
In practice
Emirates crew who stay beyond the usual 2-3 years often do so for the promotion track into Business and First or the transfer routes into the wider Emirates Group; at a US major a junior New York-based crew member may wait years for a transfer to a home-town base.
Go deeper
Related terms
4 terms- BaseCrew lifeThe airport where your duties start and end and where you must live within reach — the single fact that most shapes a cabin crew life.
- SeniorityRoster & schedulingYour rank on the airline's crew list by date of hire, which at many carriers decides bidding, base, vacation and reserve.
- BiddingRoster & schedulingRequesting the trips, days off or patterns you want for the coming month, with awards decided by seniority or a points system.
- HubCrew lifeAn airline's central connecting airport, where most of its flights and usually its largest crew base are — not always your base.