My last trip to Spain (May), I bought a one-way to get there (I was on days off), and then had the Malaga-AMS biz class to start in AMS.
The trip before that (Nov), I bought a round trip to Spain (I was on days off).
The trip before that (Sep), I ended a pattern in JFK. They bought me a ticket JFK-Malaga. The next pattern started in ORD. They bought me a ticket Malaga-ORD.
I have had them buy me a ticket before out of MAD, and I took the train to MAD the night before...

 

I’m assuming that was alternate travel and the cost of those flights were similar to the flights back to your gateway airport?

 

Most were. I live in the US. If you live overseas, your Gateway is XXX, so that changes the travel possibilities. We are planning to move, and I may change my gateway to BRD and/or BJI, which may make it easier to get overseas flights vs XXX, as the costs to those two Gateways are typically high.

One of those flights, Spain back to ORD, was too expensive, BUT, the company flew me to Spain, so then they were willing to pay more to fly me back. I had another like that, where they airlined me from the US-KUL to end my pattern. Going back to work it was SIN-ORD...at first they said too expensive, but when I told them they flew me out there, then they bought me the ticket back. Another end of pattern I asked for Kileen-BKK, via AA. They said too expensive. I found a ticket that was less, and they said I could buy it with my company credit card. I was worried about schedule changes, though, and asked for Kileen-SIN...they bought me that ticket.

It is hit and miss with Travel, however. For example, I called in to ask for Spain to ORD, with a couple of departure airport options. The lady told me it was too expensive vs my Gateway cost. She asked her Manager, they said no. She said she could lose her job or get fired if she bought me a ticket. I called back next shift, and got a very experienced Travel guy. He put me on hold for 5 minutes, and then came back with my trip booked to ORD, from my preferred Spanish airport. No problem for him to book it...STRANGE.

That is how Atlas is: A lot of stuff is odd, or unusual. You get a strange schedule, such as airline on TAP to Cape Verde, operate to Croatia/airline out of Zagreb, operate to Kyrgyzstan/airline out of Bishkek, operate to Iwakuni/airline from Iwakuni-HKG, money out of Colombo/Malta, cows from Fargo-Reykjavik, pigs from ORD-Chelyabinsk (I was in the sun for 55 hours straight on that trip), UN relief flight to Djerba, Tunisia/Cebu, voting materials MAD-Kabul, passenger trip IAH-MAN-DMK-MEL/Tbilisi-Nuremburg, and going to odd places, such as, Sofia, Xian, Paraguay, Gothenburg, Venice, Bucharest, Liege, Luxemburg, Almaty, Taranto, airline home (biz/first class-always if intntl) from-Riga/Milan/London/Melbourne/Jakarta, airline to work-ORD-FRA, GRB-Jakarta, GRB-DXB, ORD-HNL, Alternate Travel at the end of a pattern, biz class ICN-PVR/HSV-CUN/MEX-ABQ, Alternate Travel biz class to start a pattern, BKK-ICN, BKK-FRA. Most of the above are unusual for Atlas, but the unusual is pretty common.

 

This is pretty much untrue, one must have a right to work in the US to get a job offer. Green card, US spouse, E-3s. A few have pursued other visas EB-2s?, but it is lengthy and expensive process, with the cost on the candidate.

The E-3 needs to be renewed after 2 years, not sure if there is any 5 year window,

 

You obviously don’t know as much as Cliff does. He knows all, he corrects all, and he does it all while wearing his tin foil hat to prevent another alien abduction.

 

Quick hiring question: I scored an interview in the next month. 2500 TT, 1850 Jet, 300 Jet PIC and a handful of NAT crossings. Zero 121, about 75% is 135, the rest 91.

Do I have a shot at something wide?

 

Yes you do

 

Nice. What about the 74?

 

Depends how you interview. I know Q400 captains with no jet that snagged the 74 so is definitely possible.

 

Needs of the company outweigh the needs of the few or the one kind of deal, give it your best! Business environment has a heavy impact on placement as well as what’s coming thru the door. Timing is everything for the most part reigns true. It’s like being devoured by a goose, eventually you will get thru the system and exit somewhere and hopefully it’s your preferred location based on your priorities. Either way, just run out your seat lock time and move on if you’re not where you want to be. (Once again, environment dependent which correlates to upgrades as well) Keep that 74 in your sight picture if that’s what you want - and know why if asked!