Atlas: The good...
#31
As pointed out the new contract is just coming into play so hard to predict the future. Historically on the 74 one or two months a year block time would beat the rig. And there’d be a month or two at guarantee due training or vacation. Rig would work out to 72-75 hours a month. Finally figured out that bidding two month lines paid less because there would be 3 days a month that weren’t fully days v only two days on the 30 day lines. With some lines being guaranteed will be interesting to see how everything works out now.
#32
12 Yr FO, +4 DOS
747 $226
767 $215
#33
In a land of unicorns
Joined APC: Apr 2014
Position: Whale FO
Posts: 6,458
So a 3 year guy makes 161/hr now. And in 4 years, a 3 year guy(who is getting hired next year) makes 181/hr.
A 3 year guy today making 161/hr will make 200/hr as an FO in 4 years, or if he wants to upgrade, 295/hr and will top out at 333/hr.
#34
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Thread Starter
Joined APC: Sep 2021
Posts: 30
Well I chose to stay here over going to AA so I must like it. That said, I’ve been here 11 years and am in my early 40s. Younger and/or guys with less longevity here will probably have a different perspective. When I hired on in 2011 I was afraid I would hate it here having flown for two ACMI outfits prior. Turns out I loved it from day 1. My first trip off OE was a week layover in HNL followed by a week in SYD. Of course a month later I was in Bagram and Dubai. My five years on the 747 was a two week adventure every month. From going on Safari in Kenya to eating dinner in a tent in Casablanca with belly dancers providing the entertainment. The whale is where you want to be if you’re an adventurer.
I’ve been in the left seat on the 767 for the last six years and have equally enjoyed it, but for different reasons. I now am fairly senior and can hold basically week on/week off schedules with layovers in base (I live in base) so I’m rarely gone from home more than 2 or 3 days. the flying is the easiest I’ve ever done. Usually one leg and then 24-30 hours off. Kinda routine boring stuff but great if you have a family life. Atlas puts us in decent hotels. Lots of Hilton’s, Hyatts and the like. This side of the operation has made me very lazy and comfortable. Eventually I’d like to move to Alaska and bid Anchorage turns on the Queen again but that’s a matter of convincing the other half.
Back, to AA. Most people would think I’m crazy for not leaving in a heartbeat but after doing my research my overall QOL would suffer. I currently live in base and would end up commuting. I’ve done the crash pad game before and it’s a miserable existence for the most part. At 42, I calculated the min guarantee salary of both companies and I am past the break even point. I’d make roughly $5.1 mil at at Atlas vs. $5.0 mil at AA if I went to the bottom there and worked my way up (assuming a 7 year upgrade and 50/50 narrow body/wide body). That said, AA has a significantly better retirement contribution than Giant (although ours did improve somewhat with this new CBA). I’d be at the bottom of a 15,000 seniority list vs. being in the top 1/5th at Atlas. I made my choice (with slight hesitation) and stick by it.
Atlas pro’s:
-Gateway travel is a major selling point.
-Long haul (747/777) & short trips (767/737)
-Awesome vacation and slide policy.
-No PTO but fairly liberal sick call policy.
-Greatest group of pilots I’ve flown with.
-You can be Indiana Jones with a pilots license if you want.
-You’re sort of on your own here. They hand you the keys and let you do your job. No babysitting.
-You accumulate elite hotel/airline status quickly.
-World’s largest fleet of 747s
-Open time pay policy can be lucrative.
Atlas cons:
-Retirement plan is there but lackluster
-17 days on the 747 can get old after a few years.
-For a large aircraft operator the pay is more in line with a LCC (Spirit/Frontier). But if you can live comfortably on 250k a year instead of 350k you’ll be fine.
-Schedule changes on the 747 fleet could be a blessing or a curse. One minute you’re scheduled to fly to Fiji and the next minute it’s blown up and you’re headed to Accra. But the opposite holds true as well.
I’ve been in the left seat on the 767 for the last six years and have equally enjoyed it, but for different reasons. I now am fairly senior and can hold basically week on/week off schedules with layovers in base (I live in base) so I’m rarely gone from home more than 2 or 3 days. the flying is the easiest I’ve ever done. Usually one leg and then 24-30 hours off. Kinda routine boring stuff but great if you have a family life. Atlas puts us in decent hotels. Lots of Hilton’s, Hyatts and the like. This side of the operation has made me very lazy and comfortable. Eventually I’d like to move to Alaska and bid Anchorage turns on the Queen again but that’s a matter of convincing the other half.
Back, to AA. Most people would think I’m crazy for not leaving in a heartbeat but after doing my research my overall QOL would suffer. I currently live in base and would end up commuting. I’ve done the crash pad game before and it’s a miserable existence for the most part. At 42, I calculated the min guarantee salary of both companies and I am past the break even point. I’d make roughly $5.1 mil at at Atlas vs. $5.0 mil at AA if I went to the bottom there and worked my way up (assuming a 7 year upgrade and 50/50 narrow body/wide body). That said, AA has a significantly better retirement contribution than Giant (although ours did improve somewhat with this new CBA). I’d be at the bottom of a 15,000 seniority list vs. being in the top 1/5th at Atlas. I made my choice (with slight hesitation) and stick by it.
Atlas pro’s:
-Gateway travel is a major selling point.
-Long haul (747/777) & short trips (767/737)
-Awesome vacation and slide policy.
-No PTO but fairly liberal sick call policy.
-Greatest group of pilots I’ve flown with.
-You can be Indiana Jones with a pilots license if you want.
-You’re sort of on your own here. They hand you the keys and let you do your job. No babysitting.
-You accumulate elite hotel/airline status quickly.
-World’s largest fleet of 747s
-Open time pay policy can be lucrative.
Atlas cons:
-Retirement plan is there but lackluster
-17 days on the 747 can get old after a few years.
-For a large aircraft operator the pay is more in line with a LCC (Spirit/Frontier). But if you can live comfortably on 250k a year instead of 350k you’ll be fine.
-Schedule changes on the 747 fleet could be a blessing or a curse. One minute you’re scheduled to fly to Fiji and the next minute it’s blown up and you’re headed to Accra. But the opposite holds true as well.
#35
Excellent post, thank you. This is the kind of stuff I was looking for. Gives someone a lot to consider. I have to say, I like the idea of being Indiana Jones with a pilot's license lol. Can you elaborate on the gateway program a little bit? How is it different than being home based?
Most of us really hoped for a 16 day work month with home basing so that you travel on day one, work 14 days, and then go home on day 16. Oh well, this is the last contract I will ever see so, it's up to the rest of you to fight the good fight.
#36
Line Holder
Joined APC: Nov 2012
Position: B-777 Captain
Posts: 99
Excellent post, thank you. This is the kind of stuff I was looking for. Gives someone a lot to consider. I have to say, I like the idea of being Indiana Jones with a pilot's license lol. Can you elaborate on the gateway program a little bit? How is it different than being home based?
Home basing usually implies that you travel on day one of your pairing on the company’s dime and travel home on the last day.
That said, 95% of my trips end on the last day early in the morning with a flight back to base so very rarely did I lose a day off traveling on the back end of a trip. I now live in base so I don’t use gateway travel at all anymore. When I was on the 747 most of my trips were 15-16 day trips so I rarely lost more than one day a month getting to work. Just the thought of non-revving to/from ATL, ORD, or DFW three times a month for a legacy makes me tired. But to each their own. Also, most majors have a 3-5 day pattern with 4-5 days off in between. That’s a lot of back and forth every month. I do like having 14 days off straight and traveling to base only once a month.
#37
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Nov 2010
Posts: 548
Excellent post, thank you. This is the kind of stuff I was looking for. Gives someone a lot to consider. I have to say, I like the idea of being Indiana Jones with a pilot's license lol. Can you elaborate on the gateway program a little bit? How is it different than being home based?
#38
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Joined APC: Sep 2021
Posts: 30
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