130K after 14 years ? Is this "typical" across the pilot force at UAL ? Similar pay etc ? (I assume yes)

 

Just wondering when the next world event leaves a multitude back on the street.............

 

I'm brand new on here. Navy pilot with over 11 years and 2300TT, 2000 ME Turbine, 900 PIC. I am considering getting out for airlines in 1-2 years and was very interested in UAL. UAL SUX, can you give me more info on why you only earned what you earned each year? I'm discouraged by your post because everything I have heard about the pilot shortage and mandatory retirements told me that new hires in the next couple of years could upgrade in 4-6 years. Your pay is nothing like what the pay scales propose someone should make. Is your experience an extreme case? What should an average new hire expect over the first 10 years?

 

I've read this whole post and have to jump in here. I was hired at UAL in 1997. And while my total pay isn't as poor as UALSUX it definitely has been a ride. I am a 76T F/O (757-200&767-300) F/O. I am hard on reserve 3 from the bottom if the list in DEN.

In my 17 plus years at UAL I've been, in order a 737 F/O, 777F/O, 777PI, 737F/O, 777PI, 320F/O, 777PI, 320CA, and currently 76T F/O on reserve.

My wages have gone up and down in those years from as high as 180k back to 48k in a 24 hour period. Currently I am making about the exact same that UALSUX is making.

ANYBODY who makes statements like "you'll be a senior F/O in 8 years" or "in 25 years you'll be making 300k and doing it in 9 days a month" or any other comment like that about a legacy career is an ignorant fool.

Maybe you will, maybe you won't. This career is simply to volatile and variable to make those kind of predictions.

 

His pay and his circumstances are exactly the pay and circumstances of thousands of other pilots who were victim to a major economic downturn. Roll the dice and take your chances.

There is no predicting the future with the airlines. All of this future career progress being predicted can turn into a huge bag of stinking feces within one or two bad financial quarters. That is the truth of the matter.

 

If you are a legacy UAL guy yes but stretch that out to about 18 years. If you are a Legacy CAL guy no. We got HOSED on the ISL. And "they" are suing because they didn't get more.

I sat next to an LCAL guy the other day at the hotel bar in LAX. He was hired about one month before me and is over 3,000 number senior to me and solid line holding 756 Captain. As I said above roll the dice and take your chances.

 

Remember, these guys have experienced two furloughs and a huge merger with a seniority list integration.

Read and heed Airhoss...he's been there.

 

And just put things into perspective.

UAL pre 9-11 was the number one airline to work for in America.

Lesson? Yes there is, the airline you go to work for today because it's the best, work rules, pay, whatever WILL not be that same best airline in 10 years. Almost guaranteed.

Does history repeat itself?

Pan AM
TWA
Braniff
Eastern

That's not including the multiple carriers that were merged into the above entities before they turned turtle.

lets take a quick look at what happened to CAL under Lorenzo and of course UAL post 9-11. If stability is your quest I'd highly recommend another career path.

 

I'm on year 8 pay on the 757/767 at big D and will gross about $175K not including per diem, a 15% DC plan and profit sharing. But I drive to work in a junior base and pick up as much as I can. I haven't made less than $100K since year 1.

Check out the payrates on this site and multiply by 1,000 (1,150 if you want to work and live in base) to arrive at a rough estimate of your earnings and how long it will take to "catch up." YMMV -- and it will. There will always be "unkowns" (black swans as they're fond of saying now.) But I can think of few worse regrets than reaching 65 and looking back thinking, "If only I'd ..."

I consider myself extremely fortunate because I've wanted to work at a legacy since I was a wee little lad. and really couldn't see myself doing much of anything else, inside or out of aviation. Having done 135 and 121 (regional and legacy) I can tell you hands down there is less stress involved in the latter -- you're job is to fly the airplane safely, nothing else. The catering, newspapers, spoiled trust-fund kid and lavs are someone else's problem.

 

Dave,

UALSUX numbers I'm sure are accurate. There is a lot of variance in the pay at United since the merger. I was a 2007 hire at United and took a job on the CAL side in 2012. LOA 25 affects our PAYRATES and when we get our raises. Basically, you find the LCAL guy that is one senior to you...and that became your longevity for pay purposes. UALSUX was a 2000 hire but for pay he got screwed by LOA 25...I'm guessing he is on 9 or 10 year pay even though he was hired 14 years ago. LOA 25 didn't hit me quite as bad. I advance to the next pay level in Feb as opposed to Sept. (8 year pay).

My w2 was higher than UALSUX by quite a bit. I'm not sure where he is based but I'm guessing he was only getting guarantee. On the 737 in EWR, I never saw less than 80 hours and many months it was closer to 90 hours of credit. I finished 2013 at about 135k. For 2014, I'm on track to do a little bit better than that.

UALSUX numbers were based on the bankruptcy rates prior to the new contract up until 2012. As a new hire...I would expect your realistic salary projections would be 60k first year, 95k second year, 110k third year. You can't make a straight comparison to the numbers UALSUX posted because he contract rates have changed so much.