Originally Posted by KC10 FATboy

It was not my intention to post half truths or be misleading, nor divide civilian and military pilots. When it comes to quality of life issues, except for vacation, line bidding for the senior and our travel bank system (which is being attacked as I type), we lag behind other airlines and in some cases regional airlines. I don't mean to bring any disrespect to military folks, as I was one. Another posted stated, we don't know what we don't know. Also, pilots take pride in where they work so they are likely not going to tell you the bad. The problem with FedEx is that the bad is very bad.



I didn't do any math. I thought this was the statement from our negotiating committee folks describing the pension for someone getting hired today. For those retiring today, if you max the pension, the purchasing power of that money today is approximately 27% of when the A-fund was created.



1. Today, no way. I now understand what night flying has done to me physically. After a few years at a legacy I had never made over $100k. A bigger pay check and retirement is what lured me in.

2. The A-plan.

3. Things are different since I made the jump. The commuter situation at previous company was much more forgiving than FedEx's. Now that Delta is getting long callouts of 18-hours (unlike FedEx's joke of 24 hour callout which only apply to a few unlucky souls each month), that is a game changer. If I were a retired military pilot with a government pension in hand, I'd go to Delta, sit reserve in the comfort of my home working as little as possible. Pilots living on the west coast can sit long calls for east coast/NY airports while on reserve. One thing FedExers who commute don't talk about the commute is usually in the middle of the night or even a day before because of reserve rules. Yes you might catch some sleep on the airplane, but you're essentially up all night commuting. A good number of FedEx locations don't have electronic scanners. If jump seating, a security guard or FedEx ramper will rummage through your bags.

The elephant in the room for FedEx is Memphis. Most pilots are MEM based. On reserve, the reserve rules require you to be in Memphis. Memphis has fallen into lawlessness since the BLM riots. They lack hundreds of police officers. Vehicles in FedEx parking lots get broken into frequently. My second crash pad was burglarized twice before I moved out. It is a way of life here that you get numb too. A FedEx pilot was shot driving to work and everyone I know carriers a gun with them. This is why FedEx's policy of getting caught with a weapon is so dangerous to your career. You have to be 100% sure you don't have a weapon or restricted item in your bags. TN law now allows gun owners to drive to work armed and to keep the weapon secured in your vehicle while you're at work. FedEx hates that. FedEx legally fought the law but lost. FedEx wants you to come to work without the ability to protect yourself.

If anyone has any questions they can PM me.