WesternSkies

Wow! If they weren't running an airline they would be down by the river snuffing puppies.

beech1980

Can I help you find a new job in the states? Craziest post I have ever read! Bravo!

middies10

I've never been so engaged in an APC post...EVER! Beers on me, sir!

akfr8r

Sweet Jesus! I thought my company was a mess, but that's a full-blown dumpster fire!

AU MD FLYER

Actually, in my opinion, this "nightmare" trip description is quite typical for most Supplemental Carriers flying International operations... just not all of these disasters on the same trip sequence! Geeezzz....

However, I would have to ask the question - If you are on rest, then why are you checking your schedule so often? It would be scheduling's responsibility to notify you of any recent changes to your schedule, and you really wouldn't have to be so readily available to take any calls whatsoever during your rest period. I understand being a new-hire and all that, but it appears that you were just new to Southern, but not a newbie to the industry...

And, you were lucky to have your luggage catch up to you! Sounds like you'll be encountering more of these horrible trips in the future... so good luck, you're going to need it.

PotatoChip

100% accurate!!!
Maybe from 10 years ago, but that had me laughing at the truth of it. I can't count how many times I had no hotel, uninformed schedule changes, and other nonsense. Ha!

robthree

Hahahhahahahahahahahahahahah!

That's adorable.


Oh wait are you serious? Yeah, that's not quite how it worked at Southern. You were required to check your schedule for changes. That's how they communicated with you. Almost exclusively. The Red Button (of Death) was
everyone's worst enemy.

hvydvr

This post had me howling. At Atlas, the DHL flying was "relatively" stable but if you weren't flying that you better watch out. "Just take a cab" is the most frequently heard thing on the phone from the Purchase think tank. Love it.

captjns

Glhmoore, your post is fantastic. If it were a short story, it certainly be titled, "Diary of a Botttom Feeder". I hope you are able to find employment with a reputable operator.

gringo

I miss the early morning phone calls, "Captain, we need to get you to Addis. Can you take the train?"

From Liege.

In Belgium.

Or take a cab to Mumbai. From Chennai.

Sure, no problem!

My personal favorite? Scheduler calls me up, frustrated to no end. "I'm trying to find you a direct flight from Miami to Ft. Lauderdale, but for the life of me I can't find any! I can get you a connecting flight; which do you prefer? Mexico City or Atlanta?"

In the interest of fairness, while GLHmoore's post is pretty much 100% spot on accurate for typical life on the line at Suddern (at least on the Whale), this was back seven or eight years ago; Suddern lost the Malaysia contract in oh, about 2011 I believe. When Suddern was still headquarterd in Norwalk, they had Work Release convicts working scheduling over there; "what be the Zulu time where you be at?" was a fairly common question...

Oh I'm sure Suddern can still screw up a wet dream with ease, but I'd bet money that things aren't as jacked up on the DHL side of the house as they ever were on the 747 side...

But man, thanks for the long read. Sure brought back some fond memories!