Originally Posted by Bengalsfan
Just trying to get into the mindset, but what did guys like you do for 7-8 years before your recall? I'm amazed that so many people accepted the recall... I don't know what the mindset was back then, but I'd say the majority of my buds at Northwest have basically said f*ck the industry and have started getting other jobs or opening their own businesses. Most of those guys preach to us younger guys to stay away from the industry... to simply find another line of work.
Thanks for your replies.
Most, like myself pretty much started over again from the gorund up. Many were unemployed for a year or more before finding their first job. I flew CAP Search and Rescue missions while living with my parents and collecting unemployment the first year. Then I happened on a Bandeirante job in Sacramento and a non-sched DC-9 job in Reno. Ended up working overseas for three years and then at Boeing for a year before going back.
The main reason that people went back to USAir, even from good jobs, was the pension. USAirways pension was unbeatable. We had kept acrruing longevity for the pension while on furlough. Nobody could match that pension so it was the biggest single reason to go back. At the time USAirways had just ordered 400 Airbus 320s and 30 Airbus 330s. They were hiring 100 pilots per month and had made $ 1 Billion in profit. It was really a no-brainer to go back. If we could just have had a crystal ball
TP