andrewtac

The problem is I think you can still get a 1300 start. So you miss the front side of one day off and come in on the first duty day. Where had you not flown tell noon you'd likely be home the day prior and could still have a late start.

Cheddar

The fact is, both PRS, Upsddown and many others are all correct. On the 'macro' view, Upsddown nailed it. The hiring wave has yet to hit us yet, and if you are hired in the next few years (age dependent of course) your career "should be" epic. Not speaking for anyone else, but maybe tapping into some of the frustration is the 'micro,' or day to day realities of the LAA/LUS merger. I wouldn't tell anyone not to come here, because 95% of the time my biggest frustration is driving to the airport for a turn (Living in base is, IMHO, the easiest way to have a good career)!

There are a million little paper cuts along the way, especially being junior. But as an old friend of mine told me recently - "you don't do this job for the first five years, you do it for the last 20."

DarinFred

If we make it through the next 6 months as a union and an airline, I think we'll be okay. In the last 3 months, on literally every single trip I've gotten on reserve, I've had to fill out a debrief with the union due to a contract violation or fatigue event. I don't know what contract I'm flying under and it seems the company is going to new lengths to violate our contract(s) in order to resolve their manning shortages.

This isn't a terrible place to work by any means. But these last few months have been rough...

PRS Guitars

Wow, didn't realize I'd strike such a nerve. To be honest, I debated even posting the comment as it was sort of a half joke and a way to vent. Should of just let it pass...

Anyway, on a daily basis, I actually love this job. I'm happier here than I ever was at the Air Force (in terms of day to day working life). I am optimistic, which is why I chose to stay here rather than jump ship when I had the opportunity at after my first year.

Cheddar

Couldn't agree more with the last two posts. The last two months have been a mess, but here's hoping!


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Upsddown

Perfect post.

It used to be ten, ten and ten. 10 years on the panel (some of you may have "read" about what that was like &#128512, ten years as FO and ten years as CA. Now it's all over the map.

It's generally the last ten that are the best. More pay, less days worked. Kids off the payroll.

Sliceback

TAC - bingo. But, but, but bases close! Yes. But does anyone think a major hub base will close? Low odds. The major bases, in the major cities, have been there for decades.

And guys say the contract is worse than their old regional contract. I fly with new hires who hotly dispute that. They've lived under a regional contract, often for decades, and it ****es them off having people spout that being at AA is like being at a regional - "there is no comparison. None. It is night and day different." Certain items? Sure. It's bound to happen. Delta makes new hires pay for their hotels! What major airline abuses their employees like that? Especially the ones earning the least? What union accepts that, contract after contract after contract? My regional airline paid for ours so maybe guys shouldn't go to Delta? Line item veto, for applying, for lack of new hire hotel room? Mensa candidate.

There's no doubt the first couple of years will be tougher than the last 20 years. Unfortunately the junior guys at AA lived the first two years for about a decade. So new hires experience, due to the retirement bubble, will be different than their experience.

Upsddown

Guitars,

Don't mean to be overly verbose it's just you must remember there are people trying to make decisions on where to go based on our feedback and posts. Do we really want to drive the best to the other airlines? That wouldn't make it better for our daily lives being left with those willing to accept working for a dismal airline.

I get it's frustrating. Management has screwed the pooch. They are so focused on finally achieving their dream of single FOS that they let Rome burn in the mean time. They appear to be like my dog focused on a squirrel. Nothing else matters while they focus on what's in front of them.

It will be a tough 12 months (SLI and JCBA adjustments). But eventually as everyone starts to understand the JCBA and the SLI becomes a fading discussion and as we all move up the list (9,000 retirements in 10 years. Start hiring 1,000 pilots next year.) the trauma of daily airline life will subside, but it will never be perfect.

Next time you fly with a seasoned CA ask him how many different management teams he/she has worked for. Then look at the length of your own career. Unless this management team begins to understand they need labor to succeed they too will one day be replaced by another team. It's the vicious cycle of airline leadership.

When you begin to think how bad it is ask yourself would one of the 14,000 pilots who have an application on file trade with you in a heartbeat.

I've yet to hear of anyone that as told me of the perfect job (never met Hugh Hefner).

It's a good gig, and I can assure you as Chedder posted, it's only going to get better for you. A 35 year old new hire today will make about $8,000,000 or more over their career and have the Company dump another $1,300,000 in their 401K (under the current contract).
Not exactly qualifying for food stamps.

The first years are always the toughest. Just ask that ER Doctor who spent 10 years in college, med school and residency and his first years are spent sleeping on a cot in the break room working the all night shift or walking around on a pager duty with no work rules.

Saabs

I feel like 75% of the complaining would go away if we worked the same amount of days as our peers. Calendar day would fix a bunch of that.

But good post upsddown

Upsddown

There is a lot of truth to that. Biggest thing missing in our contract for domestic pilots is a 5:15 "minimum day". It's a life changer.

But if you go look at the number of days worked at AA and at the other carriers it's not much different. SWA has the best minimum day of all. The more junior you are the worse it is. Slash trips for example.

Next round of negotiations when management throws big dollars our way don't take the bait like was done with this contract. Fix the problems and forget about the money. The money will take care of itself.