The food poisoning stories are 100% true. The food poisoning out of Asia has been so bad that I tell new guys to show up fed. Out of Chicago we've found pubic hair in our food multiple times this year. Atlas simply buys the cheapest garbage they can find everywhere.

On first year pay you'll receive $1600 a month plus $1500 a month per diem for the first two months while you're in training. Then you'll get $1600 a month sitting at home waiting on OE which will be very backed up next year. So months 3 and 4 you'll get $1600 a month. Then you'll get 50 hours a month times $79 an hour until you finish OE. Once off OE you'll probably be able to average 72 hours a month of pay credits plus per diem. That's first year.

Going forward I'd count on rates that are published online times 72 hours a month. That's what I average. Sometimes it's more or less but that's the average. Looking at Atlas going forward, I think if you're hired in the first 6 months of 2017 you'll be a 767 Captain in 5 years (maybe less if it's at the very beginning) and a 747 Captain in 10 (maybe longer...). If you're hired in the 2nd half of 2017 I think you can count on more like 8 years on the 767 and 15 years on the 747. Atlas is likely going to need an additional 500 pilots on our list next year to accommodate Amazon. That may mean 700 total spots for any new flying, Amazon, retirements, and attrition (which is supposed to hit a new record next year). Getting hired in the 2nd half of the year will mean that you missed the boat in my humble opinion.

Atlas has 12 bid periods. Our contract is that bad - there's nothing you don't know about that makes it good.