Originally Posted by
XCRunner
Hey guys, never thought I be here and admittedly should have been a while ago, but anyways I’m here now.
Obviously with everything going on, I along with everyone else at Nk, are looking at the very real possibility of having to start over. Im seriously struggling with the decision and am looking for some guidance from former Nk pilots that are at United or Delta. Im only really interested in those two because of proximity, Im in NE Ohio so its only a 3hr drive to DTW, 1hr to CLE or a quick 1.3 flight to EWR or ORD. I’ve got friends at both and have talked to numerous crews at both.
Delta has already hired most of their pilots and the best id do there over the next 25yrs is probably 45-60%? (Thats a rough swag based on their hiring and retirements and my age)
Rumors of 10+yr upgrade if hired in the 2nd half of ‘26.
Deltas contracts are usually industry leading and the company is currently on quite solid financial ground.
United, much more hiring and aircraft orders than Delta.
Not super familiar with their current contract.
All of the former Nk guys I’ve talked to really enjoy United.
As for their financial footing its probably not as solid as Delta given their debt load.
Over the 9+ yrs I’ve been at Nk I’ve determined that one of the most important things to me is quality of life, and that is most significantly impacted by my ability to change my schedule post bid award. I want/need to be able to change my schedule more or less at will as far as trip trade and trip drops with zero to very little required minimum monthly credit hrs.
Im getting conflicting info about how that works at UAL and DAL. Some say trip trades are pretty easy at both but apparently UAL is no trip drops? Is that accurate?
How does dropping work at DAL, or does it at all?
I understand that I won’t ever get 100% of what i want but i need to be able to change my schedule around after the bid cuz I very likely won’t be getting off what i need during the initial bid. Im also ok with carrying less credit in some months in exchange for the time off with family.
Health care is also extremely important, I’ve got a son with special needs who is currently battling leukemia.
Any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!
Runner
Fellow (former NK’r here). I left exactly one year ago and just got off probation. I feel for ya because I know exactly what you’re going through and it’s absolutely brutal. I was there for 11+ years, and the year between the merger being blocked and the day I left was a constant mind F---K on whether I should stay or leave.
The bad news first, because there’s no point sugarcoating anything. IT ABSOLUTELY SUCKS being junior again, and it’s even more painful when your Captain got their PPL in 2018 and are line-holding Captains at the ripe old age of 25/26, lol. It’s no fault of their own—and good for them—but mannnnnn, it’s a kick in the stomach starting over and realizing just how unfair this industry is. I say this not to hate on them, because they’re all great and aware of their good timing, but it’s just a constant reminder of how brutal and messed up this industry can be.
The pay cut first year is also incredibly painful, but honestly not terrible considering it’s higher than what a 3rd-year NK CA was in 2017. That’s pretty much it for the bad news. I remember dreading starting over, but I can tell you from experience the transition was wayyyyy easier and more enjoyable than I expected.
Training was phenomenal—an absolute walk in the park compared to NK. They have an ENORMOUS support system that I don’t think can get any better. You can positive-space yourself home, and there are plenty of breaks during training to do that. I’ve been through four airline initials and this was by far the best. (The training pay is fantastic, too.)
Now, as far as QOL goes—it’s just better here. Everything is better here (well, maybe not the 737 or the PBS software, lol), but everything else is superior. Crew scheduling is professional, helpful, and answers immediately. Crew pay is more accurate and transparent. We don’t wait for gates. MX is excellent. F/As are incredibly professional, as are gate agents.
Trip trading and dropping is very doable, though the issue will be your seniority—not the contractual language. You can drop to zero, but it takes seniority, which you won’t have for the first 6–12 months. With the hiring they have planned, though, you’ll be fine. I had 21 days off in September and dropped quite a few trips in the spring, but come summer, you’ll need to get creative since they dump a lot of flying on junior guys.
Reserve here is LIGHT-YEARS better than anything at NK. I could go into detail, but just shoot me a DM—just know it’s superior here. And since this is such a large airline, there’s flying for whatever you want: commutable 4-days, 3-days, two-leg 2-days, day trips, etc. There’s something for everyone. Give it 6 months and go try the 756, or hopefully in a year or two you can try 777/787.
I know starting over sucks, but believe me, the only regret you’ll have is not doing it sooner. I have 4 small kids and really stressed about always being gone, but that absolutely was not the case at all. If you have something going on—family issue or anything else—REACH OUT to CPO. They will absolutely take care of you. Everyone here (at least in EWR CPO) has been fantastic.
I loved NK and miss the crews, but you will love it here. Great crews, great layovers, food (actually really nice options), electronic trip trading while you sleep via Criteria Trading, etc. Anyway, I know what you’re going through and how tough it is. Shoot me a message and I’ll give you my phone number if you want to chat about anything I didn’t cover here.
Sorry for rambling and weird format, lol