We can cherry pick Amerijet's contract and find some 'industry leading' stuff - the overall package is what's important. If you want RAH's contract, they're hiring. You won't find me applying, b/c their contract is toilet paper.

We don't have PBS. No mainline carrier that hasn't been through bankruptcy has it - there's a reason for that. We can trip trade and drop down to 0 hours (not pay protected), provided that there's reserve coverage for the trip you're looking to get rid of. Reserve coverage is published on the internet, and is updated to the moment, so, you always know where the coverage is at - its all automated, no talking to scheduling. Just drop or pick up or trade anything you want, as long as there's coverage.

Each week of 'vacation' is worth 28 hours. We start with two 1 week bids of vacation and 48 hours of credit in your vacation bank, then @ year 5 you get three 1 week bids (and 84 credit hours), @ year 10 you get 14 more hours of vacation (but can only bid for 3 week periods, so you get 3.5 weeks of equivalent credit to use as you wish - partial weeks, single days, etc), @ year 15 you get four 1 week bids, @ year 20 you get an additional 14 hours (see year 10), and year 25+ you get five 1 week bids (and 140 credit hours). Essentially, you can easily turn 1 week of vacation into 2 weeks free of work without any problems, b/c we don't have PBS. Touch a trip with vacation, its dropped entirely. The issue is how much pay you want to sacrifice for it. With only 28 hours, if you bid a schedule with 4 days of work, then 4 days off, then 4 days of work, then 4 off (pretty typical here), that 16 day sequence is worth 38 hours (two 4 day trips each worth 18 hours). So, yeah, you can get both of those 4 days dropped by touching them with your 7 days of vacation, no problem, and get 16 days off in a row, while using only 1 week of vacation. However, your line, which was crediting 80 hours, now is only worth 70, b/c you only had 28 hours of credit in your vacation bank, but dropped 38 hours of credit on your line. Most guys will like having 23 days off, flying 36 hours over 8 days, and getting paid 70 hours - call it good QOL. None the less, some will complain, and need more $ - so, you can work on your vacation too, if you want.

You'd be competitive for an offer (I hope). Having an internal would help grease the skids for sure, though. Best advice - go to a job fair, get your face in front of the folks who hire pilots here.

A new hire won't get based in DTW. You could get it after 6 months, probably. The movement of current DTW FO's to Captain is the major factor here (as discussed in this forum already). About 30% of current DTW FO's can hold CA elsewhere, but only will take DTW (our most senior base for CA's, by far). 50% of those guys won't ever upgrade - they'd rather be top 10 in base as an FO, keep that great QOL they have, bid reserve, and get paid to sit at home with the family, hopefully. Our #1 guy on the entire list is a DTW FO. There's also the rumor that DTW is on its way out - we closed our MX base there, and have a skeleton staff. DTW represents 8% of our passengers currently, and is our #4 market according to the DOT's latest data (anyone interested in Spirit better click on that link, there). We're not growing in DTW, and DTW, as a market, is not growing either. Even though that's current data, its still old. DFW is our #3 market now, if not our #2 market, behind FLL. We've gone from not serving it to 4-5 gates in the last year. We're not Delta, United, or Southwest (we're 1/10th their size) - 5 gates of growth at one airport is the equivalent of one of those goliaths adding 50 gates at one airport, in one year. Its HUGE growth.

You guys are all paranoid. Spirit isn't hiring guys based on what # you pulled at some job fair, ok? We're hiring guys who are qualified for the position (I hope!). If you go to a job fair, it shows you made the extra effort. HR likes that. So do the management pilots. These two groups hire pilots. You figure it out.

If you're qualified, you stand a fair chance of getting a call to fill out the long application, which will show you are indeed qualified. Then you get to run the gauntlet with the psych test, and, if you fit some silly doctor's version of 'sane', you roll into the interview in your only suit and power tie and there's a fair chance you'll get an offer. Go to a job fair and wow the recruiters in that suit and power tie - get noticed. Don't sweat your # in line. Just be there.

If you don't have 1000 hours turbine PIC (or any turbine PIC) or less than 4000 TT (or both) - I'm sure you're a great guy, and a great stick - probably better than me. Your resume doesn't show it, though. You need everything going for you. If it makes you feel more confident to be one of the first 70 guys to pull the # at the deli, then you need to do that. You might get lucky and get hired. If you want to think it was because of the # you pulled at the deli - more power to you.