Corporate to 121
 

I am considering making a move from corporate (part 91) to 121; specifically Kalitta.

My #1 attraction to 121 is a fixed schedule. I don’t mind working hard when I’m working, which I gather I’d do at Kalitta. But I’d also like time where I’m definitely off .. no risk of “I know you’re scheduled off tomorrow, but we need to fly to ABC,” or having something scheduled because we aren’t flying, only for a flight to come up at the last minute.

Other attractions to 121 would be additional stability, variety involved in the flying, and flying with different pilots. Flying the same places over and over, and with the same person.. well, it gets tedious, hence another reason for my attraction to Kalitta.

For those that have made the switch from 91 to 121, what do you perceive to be the pros and cons? Especially based on what I’ve said I’m looking for above? And if you have anything to share about what I’ve said, specifically as it relates to Kalitta, even better.

Pros: infinitely more support (dispatch, mx, logistics, flight attendants, scheduling, ASAP program, union)...a clear set of rules (SOP) that people just follow rather than make up as they go along...never having to explain to the boss why the airplane needed maintenance or why you can’t go there/can’t afford that plane/can’t do that leg nonstop/couln’t fit all his golf clubs/couldn’t find a seafood platter in Tulsa...never having to guess what/if/when your pay raise will be...travel benefits for you and your family rather than “you got to spend last week in Kalamazoo”...REAL time off...control of your schedule without having to take vacation...never caring how much it costs to de-ice or how much that part costs or will that MEL expire while we are away from base...and on and on and on...

Cons: buying your own beer

Everything depends on circumstance. If you are flying 135 or bottom-rung 91, yes I'd run. If you are flying a 650 or Global, I'd sing an entirely different tune.

Even that depends on who you're flying for and how long you think it will last. If it can happen to GE...

Airlines are of course cyclical but if you get on in the near future you should quickly move above the furlough high-water mark on the seniority list.

Well, in all fairness, the writing was on the wall at GE for 5+ years, which is the reason why many of their pilots had been moving on over the past 3-5 years.

My job is dependent on one high net worth individual who is 72 years old. He’ll have an airplane until he can no longer travel due to health or death. But the question is, how long is that?!

I can’t honestly say that flying for any of the majors really appeals to me. But flying for an ACMI outfit does. With Kalitta, I’d take a ~$100,000 pay hit the first year, and then probably $70,000, and then stabilize around $60,000 pay hit, until I upgraded to captain, at which point I’d probably be about where I’m at today. If that wasn’t at play, this thread wouldn’t exist. It’s a tough pill to swallow. But if I knew the job was going to last 6 more months or 6 more years, it would all be an easier decision.

Well I'd consider the legacies if you're competitive. You can do international there, and if you get tired of circadian abuse you have the domestic option.

In today’s market, and for the foreseeable future, pilots are golden. If your boss died this November or November 2023, there’ll be a good to excellent corporate job. The airline hiring curve affects everyone. If you truly want to stay corporate, you enjoy the varying routine, keep on keeping on.

GF

Careful. After 9/11 USAir initially furloughed 1149 Pilots - almost 20% of the seniority list. But by the time the music stopped every pilot who remained on property had been a Captain prior to 9/11.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

US was the worst case-example of the era. They also did things like buy a west-coast airline and then shut it down in order retreat back to the east (integrating the PSA pilots and then dragging them kicking and screaming to the east coast). They deserved their three (? I lost count) bankruptcies.

But yes it could happen today if management sucks badly enough. Probably not conceivable in the case of the big six, they're all at least fairly well managed and too big to fail anyway.

This is true, the rising tide will lift all boats (as long as you can find FO's to swing your gear).

But the rising tide will recede eventually... deep in a legacy seniority list might be a more stable fortress in which to ride it out when the time comes. That's one of several things which make airlines attractive at this moment... rapid seniority progression.