Originally Posted by
Loop
I'm extremely grateful for all the positive posts on here. Every time I talk to another pilot and tell them I want to work at Atlas they say they have a friend there and they love it. I'm In a crashpad now and there a bunch of guys in their 50's working for one of the big three who are still commuting and sleeping on a bunk bed in a roach infested house. My goal several years ago was to be at one of those airlines. If one of them would've called, I would've went for sure. The money is great, no doubt. Sure the work rules are great too in some instances. I jumpseated on AA with a senior 737 captain not too long ago. He said in 1997 he made $211K. Last year he made $169K and was doing nothing but complaining about pay, union stuff, work rules, and the company. Everyone has complaints about their job. I've worked construction, mowed lawns, served tables, did the cubicle thing, dug post holes, fueled aircraft, cleaned out animal cages, and even worked as a back up cook for red lobster. (That's the worst one) My point is being a pilot is a pretty cush job most of the time. As we all know, it can also be extremely difficult as well. The rewards make it worth it though. For some of us it's not all about the money. Personally, I'm in it for adventure and world travel. There are obviously problems here and hopefully all the pilots will ban together and make it better. I've done my research on Atlas and for me the positives outweigh the negatives. Congrats to those who just got on, I know you're just as excited as I am.
I know there's a fair amount of negative talk in this thread, and I know I've complained about things we need to have fixed, as well.
But, you're right: This is actually a pretty dang good job. I still get annoyed at those who call this a bottomfeeder airline (yes, they're out there), simply because I can tell immediately that they lack perspective. I made more my second year at Atlas as a 767 FO than I would have if I were a 5th year 767 CA at my previous ACMI carrier. Yes, we lag behind the legacies, but we're still on a 2011 contract; give us time. As far as other ACMI carriers are concerned, we are lightyears better, and I would know; I used to work for an actual scumbag, bottomfeeder ACMI outfit. I used to want to quit after every single trip, but it's not like that at Atlas at all.
The company is indeed lobbing grenades at us over certain areas of our CBA. The December vacancy award was a big one, but it was remedied quickly. Our loss of the breakfast grievance is another example of how the company is "pressing to test" certain sections of our CBA, and we can expect that type of thing to happen more as negotiations begin. But, if anyone thinks this sort of thing doesn't happen at Delta, I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you.
My real rambling, totally jetlagged point of this post is to point out that if someone is a complete miserable bastard at Atlas, there's a good chance he'll be a complete miserable bastard at Delta, too. People expecting happiness to come from a job will always be disappointed.
Me? I feel I make decent money here. $91k my second year on the 767, actually ($101k if you count per diem). It's not Delta 767 money, but patience is key; we'll get 'em in 2016. I spend my big chunks of days off surfing, growing a beard, and forgetting how to fly. I go to work and don't hate it. The annoyances on the road are generally minor. We're not getting suspended for 30 days for missing an R1 callout, either (yes, that happened at my previous ACMI). I live where I want. Life is generally not bad. As with anything else, it is what you make it.