Good career airline now?
 

Hello all,

I was wondering what you think of the new American as a career airline now with the merger taking place? I was talking with some Airways pilots and they were showing me some of the payrates on the new MOU. Seems pretty decent. I believe I heard somewhere that they would eventually be based on the average of DAL and UAL. When does the new payscale take effect?

I have apps with with DAL, UAL, and Airways but one never knows when a phone call will come. I was just wondering if you see the potential for a great career with the new American.

What would be some pros? Cons?

Thanks!

They need to start hiring off the street first. Then they need to call you for interview. AA potentially will have a lot of retirements and in theory, a quick track to Captain, if hired.

Isn't American "technically" hiring since US Airways is currently hiring? If one gets hired at Airways, they will be flying for American.

Your thought process is correct. Applying at US Airways is technically applying at AA. The first airline to call you is the best one...then get selective. Cheers. DMF

I think the first guys to get hired will have a good career. But, hell, what do I know? I thought it was a good idea to leave the military after 11 years for the majors in 2000.

US/AA has 9000 pilots that hit 65 in the next 13 years. The first couple thousand hired should have great careers. No one can ever predict the future, however, if new AA can even stay the same size, anyone hired in the next few years should be sitting pretty.

^^^ good number.

Approx. 12,000 combined.

Thru 2025 -

East - 2792
West - 816 (source - list posted on apc)
AA - 5190 (source - aapilots, current as of 3/13)

8798 total. Add in early outs, medicals, etc, and it will be more than 9000. Captain upgrade estimated in 8-10 yrs, w/b CA in 10-12 yrs(junior bases)

I thought I would be smart and go fly boxes, after ten years my company shuts down. A friend of mine went to work for the mighty UPS and is still furloughed. Best of luck to you, its ALL a crapshoot.

AA will be the highest paid in a few years and has the highest attrition of any airline.

First one must look at history and if you do you will run as fast as you can from AA. How many pilots did AA have after the TWA purchase? How many do they have today? Look back at Reno and the other AA acquisitions and you will see a rather consistent pattern. You do not want to be hired at AA just after an acquisition or merger.

While I understand the satisfaction of being one of the relative few in our society to be able to operate these great machines, this satisfaction does not put food on your table or send your kids to college. The personal sacrifice and costs, emotional, financial and physical it takes to get into and maintain our careers far exceeds almost any other career. With the level of compensation now down to plumber, electrician and in some cases city bus driver levels, you must consider if it is really worth it. Again when you look at history you will see that since deregulation pilots have consistently been guilty of taking one step forward then taking two steps back, then patting themselves on the back for preserving their individual job, at least for the time being. As long as pilots are not willing to stand together and demand the respect and compensation the profession deserves airline management will continue to make their bonuses off the pilots backs.