Just another former ACMI guy giving some perspective. I am now in my fourth year at Atlas on the 767 and also showed only $78k and change on my W2 for last year working 2 days more a month than my last carrier, Ryan International. Our old pre-2004 cargo schedule was 6 on 9 off and beat the way they schedule this DHL stuff hands down. Our AMC and charter flying was all done with blocks of 6-10 days on with equal time off. Our soft pay gave routine credits over 80 hrs a month for only 14/15 days of work and was making more due to that. We are a salaried pilot here with 17 days at their whim. I routinely bid 60 day lines just so I don't have to be gone 17 days in a row. I figured a few extra days per pairing wouldn't matter as much but for the way we are paid and treated here with little QOL it is way too long to be away from home and family, especially with lack of other forms of compensation. I even had a 100% 401k prior and only 50% match here for a listed company with soaring profits. I used to love this type of flying and still get glimpses of that now and again but they are making it harder and harder here to justify it and no way going forward do the current conditions justify continuing this status quo into the future going forward. I never bought into any hope and change 8 years ago and don't buy it around here either. Would love to be proven wrong but actions speak louder than words. ALL IN.

 

Both San Fran and Oakland are on the list of approved gateways but not SJC. The company will add the cost of a ticket to your pay, compute tax withholding on the grossed up amount (since it is a benefit to you) and then deduct the cost of the ticket from your pay.

ANC is the most junior for 400 F/Os. The bottom PAE, HSV and CVG F/Os are currently 7 month people. MIA is 10 months, ORD right at a year, LAX 13, JFK 15 and IAH a year and a half. Folks were getting out of ANC before completing OE.

 

Very true. This thread is probably one of the most valuable sources of information for an airline out there. For the most part folks do strive to stick to task and not veer off track. Occasionally it does morph into something like Flightinfo.com for a day or two but that usually fixes itself in short order. Truly, the answer to just about anything one could ask is contained within. To everyone checking on for the first time: Please do pay attention to the descriptions of life in this ACMI business and be honest in answering the question if it's a fit for you and equally as important, for your family. Many have brushed over that spot and are shocked when the 17 day patterns, daily schedule changes and Crew Scheduling shenanigans actually do materialize. If you're the kind that can roll with changes and have a sense of adventure then this will be a good fit. If those things get under your skin then something with at least the pretense of structure would be a better choice. That's not meant to be at all discouraging to anyone but to point out that a bit of introspection early on will save a lot of heartache later.

 

Sometimes.

I just finished my first year and told the wife to unpack my opinions

During that time I flew to ANC almost every pattern and flew to HSV twice when I moved there. I never flew back from ANC (always deadheaded somewhere on Atlas) and have flown back from HSV twice. In that year I haven't been imputed for a single hotel stay, and got only one imputed ticket to ANC. I've heard various theories on what causes you to get "on the radar" for imputed income, but they are only educated guesses. The CA I flew with today said he gets hit every time. YMWV. Not "may vary," but certainly "will vary."

 

Mia would take 6 months maybe. Mas y menos

 

6 months from hire, or six months from hitting the line?

 

Probably about 9 months from DOH

 

[QUOTE=DoomedTX;2065829]Sometimes.[QUOTE]

Yeah, that's the theory. The joy of JFK was never going there. Chased the kangaroos to ORD so we'll see how bad that move was.

Also you can do alternate travel to anyplace cheaper than a ticket to your gateway with no tax issues. In the prior life the company issued a letter from their accountants which said they provided hotels for the company's convenience so they knew where to find you. No tax issues.

 

Wow.. Ok, that's not bad at all..

 

I would LOVE to hear about the ORD schedules. I live closest to ORD, so have put that as my second choice, after JFK. I liked the JFK schedules the best of any base...but now ORD is new...

Any info/advice on ORD is GREATLY appreciated!!!

Namaste