Your seniority number decides a lot about your work life. Here's what it means, how bidding usually works, and how to make the most of where you are on the list.
If you work for an airline, you'll hear the word "seniority" constantly. It decides who gets the best shifts, who gets holidays off, who gets their first-choice vacation week, and sometimes even who works in which area. For new employees, it can feel like a mysterious system that always seems to work against you. It's actually fairly simple once someone explains it. Here's a plain-English look at how seniority and bidding usually work.
Every airline, station and work group has its own rules, usually written in a union contract or company policy. This article explains the general idea. Always check your own contract or ask your union representative or supervisor for the details that apply to you.
Seniority is basically your place in line, usually based on your hire date. The person who has been in your work group the longest is at the top. The newest person is at the bottom. When there's something to hand out, like shifts, days off or vacation, people near the top usually get to choose first.
There may be more than one kind of seniority. For example, some places track company seniority (when you joined the airline) separately from seniority in a specific job or location. Which one counts for which decision depends on your rules.
A "bid" is how you tell the company what you want. Many airlines run bids for regular schedules (often called lines), for vacation, and sometimes for holidays. The general process tends to look like this:
This is why your ranking matters so much. If your top three choices get taken before your turn, the system moves down your list. If your list is short, you may end up with whatever is left.
Some airlines let two coworkers bid together so they end up on the same schedule. That's often called a buddy bid. It's popular with carpools, friends, and couples who work together. The usual catch is that the pair often bids at the level of the less senior person. Check whether your work group allows it and how it works before you plan around it.
Here's the part newer employees love: even after bids are awarded, many airlines let coworkers trade shifts within the rules. That means your seniority decides what you start with, but it doesn't have to decide everything. A senior coworker might want to give up a Saturday you'd happily take. Someone else might trade their Sunday for your Wednesday. Over time, a good network of trading partners can make a junior schedule feel a lot more livable.
Trades still have to go through your airline's official process and be approved if required. Our Trading 101 guide covers the different kinds of trades and how to make them official.
Seniority can be frustrating when you're new, but it moves. Every person who retires, transfers or leaves moves you up, and every new hire lands below you. Many people find that after a few years, they're holding schedules they couldn't touch on day one. In the meantime, bid carefully, trade smart, and build good relationships with your coworkers.
TakeMyShift puts every open shift from people in your same position at your same base in one feed. Whatever your seniority, you can see what's available, post what you need to give away, and get a text alert when something new shows up. It's free. See how it works.
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