flyjetz

I've read a few places that you should list your first day of Terminal Leave as your Date of Availability for the airlines. I've also heard that some people "game" this date of availability to be up to a couple months earlier than that. I have a pending retirement with nearly four months of terminal to burn through. If my goal is to double-dip as long as possible, what's the best date to use? Considering after you get the interview invite, you will have several weeks before the actual interview, and possibly a few more weeks before the job offer, and then several more weeks/months before your class starts...wouldn't it make sense to "lead-turn" your date of availability? In the odd chance that you are offered a class date before your terminal date, don't most airlines allow you to defer your class date for a certain amount of time? For those out there who have already made the jump and were able to maximize their double-dipping, what date did you use?

Albief15

We had guys turned away from FedEx for indicating they had "completed" an FEX written when in fact they meant they "…was fixin' to have it…." That didn't work out so good for some.

I've had clients offered pop up classes when others fell out. You'd hate to say "uh…sorry…I can't REALLY be there on that date, because I gamed my availability an extra 60 days to get the phone call sooner…"

You might just expedite your interview into a being terminated before you ever hit the property. My professional recommendation is take your separation date, add the terminal leave, the permissive TDY, and any comp days your command might allow. Lean forward, but do not lie. Integrity issues will keep you off the property faster than any other single issue.

FlyBoyd

Don't forget you will need leave to use to get to an interview, interview prep, sim practice, etc. so your terminal leave date could change if you burn some getting the job.

Don't put a date you can't really make.

DarinFred

With all the pools pretty much empty, class will start soon after the interview. Be realistic. My class at Airways was 3 weeks after the good news call.

e6bpilot

Agree...put the absolute first date you can really make. I got called for an interview in April with a July avail date. They then called me and asked if I could make a June class. Had I tried to game it and put a June date instead of a July avail date, I may have had an uncomfortable conversation with someone. Just look at Delta right now...they were hiring into a 4 month pool, now the pool is empty. You never know.
Talk to your command and sit down and figure out when the first absolute day you can stop working there and start working full time somewhere else. That is your availability date.

flyjetz

Thanks for all the insightful replies. I understand the integrity issue that could arise, and I want no part of that. I'll leave my date of availability where it is...first day of terminal leave.

Jetnfast

I will say that sometimes things are out of your control with the military, especially with all the force shaping initiatives happening right now. AFPC is backed up. To just separate, AFPC/MPF is saying 2 months. That seems excessive to me and hopefully it's just a gross estimate that could be accomplished sooner but you never know.

Packrat

I told my airline I could be there August 1. I had 30 days vacation on the books. They called and asked if I could be there July 11 on short notice. When I asked the Skipper if I could go (using my vacation) he said, "You told me you'd stay until the end of July," and disapproved my leave request.

So, I stayed. Missed the July class and got assigned a class date in September. The silver lining was I used the 5 weeks off to move from coast to coast, driving two cars. Lost about 13 seniority numbers, but in the end it really didn't matter all that much.

Albief15

Can't wait to see the letter of recommendation you'll write for him when he asks in a couple years.

"Remember now, 7 years, 10 years, 20 years…it ain't enough. If I need you another two weeks to get me through this Inspection/Exercise etc, why should I let you go? What did you ever do for your country, quitter?"

ron kent

Funny, also very true.