Originally Posted by
fecav8r
Let me take these one at a time...
1. I agree and the LCA's and Captains do have more bearing on the process. Problem is by the time you're a Captain, most of the guys you know are already hired at other airlines, or are dead. We get very few recs from Captains any more. Most come from the new hires who are coming from the Airline pilot farms, ie the military, the regionals, or corporate.
2. We don't really have mass sponsors. We have mass recs. Only can sponsor one guy at a time. When your guy gets hired/rejected, you can have another one. Problem again is most guys who came here are from places where there are large numbers of guys who want to get hired here so they have many "number 1" candidates.
3. I can see your point about hiring current airline pilots, but I just have a basic disagreement with giving a guy a second chance at a major airline career before we give the guys who have been working their asses off in the puppy mills out there their first opportunity. And why is a guy who flew right seat in the 75/76 more qualified than a guy who has been flying Captain on an RJ for the past 6 or 7 years in and out of ORD, ATL, DFW, or the guy who has been flying a C-17/C-5/ C130 in and out of the desert for the past 6 or 7 years. Because we aren't really getting the Captains at these other airlines. We're getting the FO's.
4. I think if you look at the diversity of the classes we've had, you'd be amazed at how widespread the new classes are. Don't know why they stopped putting the info on the website. I think one thing the military has going for it is the network they have set up. And I really like talking to the guys face to face. There have been a few I knew right off I didn't feel comfortable with. I do agree with you that you can tell a lot about a guy if you've lived with him, drank with him, been bailed out of jail with him( time for another post). But this is a flying job and I want to know how the guy is in an airplane. Can I fly a 7 day domestic trip with him without wanting to hide every time I see him in the lobby. Can I fly a 12 day Int'l trip with him and not want to kill him when I'm done. And I don't think you really know that until you've spent some time on the road with him.
I agree with you but can I throw in my 2 cents on item 3 above. A lot of these guys at the majors deserve a second chance. It wasn't their fault that the airline industry is in it's current state of affairs. I have an example. I have a friend that is an 11 year F/O at United. It's not his fault that he's still an F/O, it's his company imploding around him. He wanted to come to FedEx over two years ago. He saw what was happening at United and wanted to make a move that would salvage his career and provide for his family. In my opinion he is a forward thinking highly intelligent individual. Most groups of large people have a "herd" mentality. They follow the herd. It's a documented psych thing. It happens with any large group including pilots. It happens with people chasing winning stocks in the market or bailing out of losers. When you have an individual who recognizes early, sees the writing on the wall and wants to break from the herd, you have a forward thinking leader. These types of individuals are opportunities lost for FedEx to gain some really talented people. Having a blanket policy of not hiring pilots who are active on a seniority list at a major is a discredit to us and our peers at other airlines.
I also know of at least one individual who recently took mil leave from a major airline and then interviewed here and got hired. I am very happy he was hired at FedEx because he is a definite asset to FedEx. However mil leave is technically not removal from a seniority list. When the mil leave ended he would have went back to work. My United friend above is no longer in the military so he can't use that loophole. But he is talented, an outstanding pilot and if I had half his intelligence I would be a smarter person. His only chance for employment here at FedEx under current policy is to resign from United and then pray for an interview. How can anyone in their right mind be expected to do that?
We need a level playing field with opportunities for all talented pilots to be given a fair crack at a career with FedEx. This is an opportunity for FedEx to hire the "cream of the crop" so to speak. It's simply an issue of supply and demand. We are hiring and nobody (majors) else is. We can afford to pick and choose the best. Is that wrong?