Starting over
 

Would anyone who has actually started over please share your experience.

13 year Captain starting over looking for guidance an experienced hats ahead.

please be kind
looking for personal experiences from your preferred quality of life to staring from the bottom

pay loss
reserve
upgrade
family time
bases/commuting not commuting
any information is helpful

I was at the regionals for 10+ years, so similar experience but not as severe.

pay loss: planned ahead, and it wasn't that bad anyway. First year should be north of $100K these days anyway, second year pushing $200k. I had planned ahead because it was a premeditated career move. Hopefully last Saturday didn't come as a complete surprise and you have some socked away. And hopefully your lifestyle is structured so you can do triage (I'm not afraid to enjoy my income, but I ensure that I can afford the house and basics if push comes to shove).

reserve: you adapt pretty quickly to the new reality. Worst part would be sitting reserve in base as commuter.

upgrade: Might still be able to snag one in a year or three if needed. Otherwise FO pay will quickly get in the ballpark of NK CA pay.

family time: Everybody adapts. We have facetime now. Might be able to bid overnights at home, I've done that on and off as available.


bases/commuting not commuting: If you're fortunate enough to have multiple CJO's in short order, you can prioritize domiciles in your decision. Otherwise it depends on your family circumstances... is moving in cards? I'd avoid long commutes, or commutes with limited flights, or routes with a lot of commuters. Avoid multi-leg commutes like the plague if possible.

Bottom line, you'll adapt and be fine and likely be better off at some point in the future (if you're not too old). A little seniority will open up many new options.

its actually not similar at all lol

Leaving a regional to go upwards to a major is not even remotely in the same world as being tenured and senior and having the company go bust.

some of the ex-regional guys i fly with now were making crazy money and super senior, and many delayed their flows or applications. They took massive paycuts, QOL hits, etc.

obviously this is not the same as spirit guys thinking they had a career seat, but this liquidation wasnt exactly a rug pull either. Literally hundreds of senior Spirit guys have left over the past 2 years.

Hi OP,

You will get more useful answers if we know where you live and your level of aversion to the guppy. Seniority progression is still quick to get off the bottom save for CLT and DFW.

senior lca at a regional living in base to Great Recession era first year pay commute to reserve could absolutely be a teeth kick

back to OP… are you an AA new hire or just posting here for general advice?

OP is posting on behalf of an F9 CA. This isn’t a jobless person looking for a life raft but someone that’s lost faith in the F9 gig. Just for context.

Well to whomever is asking, be it the OP or their 'friend' starting over at this point likely isn't as bad as it sounds. The reality of the situation is that the large hiring wave at AA is coming to a close soon, but that doesn't mean there isn't any more good progression either. AA is hiring, and buying planes.

Looking at the list and retirements, if things stay the same someone hired today could reasonably expect to hold 737 left seat in 2031, likely in LGA. Assuming for reference they would be 65 in 2040, they would retire at approximately 50% on the seniority list overall, so 9 - 10 years as a Captain if they wanted.

But more importantly, the QoL can increase dramatically after year 1. And Those who stick it out for a while, 4 or 5 years in the NB FO seat get whatever they want basically, with good pay and benefits. Reserve is awful, but depending on which base you go to you can get off reserve very quickly, Miami for example.

Commuting is great, can reserve the JS on a first come first served basis, coupled with the commuter clause in the contract makes it a non-issue.

Good luck!

Thanks!! This is some great information and what a lot of us are looking for. A true kick in the teeth, but all we can do now is pick ourselves up, dust off, stay humble and remember NO ONE owes us a thing. As heartbreaking as this has been, it is also pretty exciting... new challenges, new experiences, new friends.

I was tenured and senior and leaving very secure employment and good QOL to do a do-or-die training event and start over at the bottom of the list. Yes of course I prepared but it's still a big leap and big change. In this case presumably everybody at NK under the age of about 62 had in fact made preparations.

Anyway just trying to help, if you're looking only for senior CA's who have had a major liquidate out from under them, well the Pan Am and Eastern guys probably all retired around the turn of the century.