Originally Posted by
Formerbuspilot
For the DECs hired within the past year, how's life? Schedule, trips, reserve? Is a crash pad necessary? Also, any idea how long this program will last? Will the sign-on bonus continue, or possibly increase? I was offered the December 14th orientation class but can't make it so it looks like early 2024 if they'll still take me.
Thanks.
It's all about your expectations! Money is great, and reserve will be for at least 1-2 years, depending on base. Maybe a bit less now that all 145 guys have transitioned to 175. If you know that going in, it's a breeze. I chose to live in base, commuting on reserve is misery, even if you get 4 commuter hotels.
We're still losing about 35 CA/mo on average, so I suspect 2024 will see similar hiring practices.
Training is chaos, but relatively easy, all things considered. Scheduling has high turnover rate, so you can expect consistent madness when on reserve. Otherwise flying is ok, airport standby is painful. But overall, I'm getting paid good $ to sit reserve in base, and I have no complaints.
I was hired in Feb, several classmates have moved on to AA, UA, SW...