Originally Posted by
Asiabound
Problem with ACMI is stability; contracts bounce around and sometimes dry up, just like regionals. It is easy to do a look back and say if you were hired at Polar, Atlas, K4, or Omni in the early 2000s this career has been a decent success, but they are the exceptions, not the rule in ACMI. Meanwhile, guys who were hired at World (which definitely had a leading CBA in it's heyday), Gemini, RyanAir, ChampionAir, KittyHawk, Centurion, ATA, Airborne, Yellow Air Cargo, etc. have probably had to start over 2-3 times. It's like if you were lucky enough to buy 5,000 shares of AAPL in 2003 and have held since then, its easy to love and brag about the stock market to someone that has broken even.
Also to be fair Omni only got a good contract in the last year or so, and K4 two years before them, it has hardly been smooth sailing for them. It wasn't long ago, I bumped into an Omni FO considering quitting the industry because he was making 65k as 777 FO and was just "tired of it." Atlas is a mess now, but may turn out to be the beez-knees when they get a new CBA over there. This isn't a diss either, its just the facts as they stand. Everyone is high on the hog because the industry is booming, but it won't last forever, the retirements peak in a few more years and at some point there will be a recession again. It may it actually be a rocky road to be at the highest paid ACMI when that happens. I agree 100% that home-basing is awesome, but I'd pick up and move my family for a certain airline based in ATL for an extra 1-2 million in career earnings. Legacy all the way.
Good luck.
Don’t disagree. Just said they’ve become a viable career path instead of a stepping stone. That doesn’t mean there aren’t better jobs out there. There are also those who’ll never be able to move into base; Everybody’s situations are different. For many, the QOL of never needing a crashpad and never having to jumpseat to/from work, and having huge blocks of days off all together outweigh the other choices. The new 767 pay scales at K4 & Omni are $20 an hour above UAL on the same equipment at 12 year longevity. (Using APC data) Throw some of that extra cash in the 401(k) and you’re about even, right? Point being there are trade offs with any job. Pick what works for you.
I do agree about ACMI being somewhat less stable contract wise. However, recessions hit mainlines also, so do bankruptcy contracts. Ask the thousands of guys AA furloughed, some of whom were lucky enough (cursed enough) to flow back to Captain jobs at Eagle for over a decade.
Even with the deceased contract stability, the real industry driver for the next 14 years will be pilot staffing. It’s nit going to be lowest bidder... it’s going to be who can actually fly the contracted flights. That takes pilots. Pilots are the new currency, not service contracts. The companies with the pilots to do the flying will get the contracts. We aren’t there yet, but 2019 is when the retirements really start to kick into high gear.