Industry Strnd

It doesn't take a smart person to see how prime air could fail! Has anyone looked at all of the studies on how many pilots are being hired in the next 5 years at carriers that have far superior pilot contracts than ATI (new cba) ABX and Atlas?

Google any reputable study, it's more pilots than there are regional pilots.

It's like management has the investment community and Amazon BSed into thinking it will be just fine, yet pilots at these carriers are leaving in droves and it's getting harder and harder to fill classes. The overtime and required working on days off is getting out of hand again like it did when ABC struck!

Twice now I've been in a van where FedEx and UPS pilots have stated their management said to hire as many Amazon pilots as possible.

Fed ex is hiring 500 this year. Maybe ATI MEC and ABX teamsters can finally work together and get a direct flow to Fedex. Year 2 fo is higher pay the 12 yr cpt at either airline!

I bet in some war room in Seattle they have big hopes and dreams but they have not done the research of what it is going to take to staff and airline the size they may want. The regional pilot feed is drying up and most regional have or are establish flows to their major partner so they will stay till their number is called. Jet Blue started their own fight school. DELTA and United are starting programs to capture students at college. What does Amazon do?

They contract with Atlas and sue the pilots, drag out negotiations.

They make bs offers to ABX.

They sell an aweful TA to scared beat down ATI pilots.

I suspect if Amazon told ATSG and Atlas give them fed ex agreement -10% it would pass and pilots would flock here. They would remain ahead of paying for shipping through ups and fedex, but no they want to treat the pilots like dirt and not see the industry going ahead of them. Once the reputation is established it's going to take much more to buy their way out of it and by then most of the good smart pilots will have a seniority number at a legacy!

Then if amazon wants cheaper shipping they will have to pony up a lot more to buy fedex or ups!

badflaps

I don't think they are above hiring Ivan, Juan and Lo Pak.

Boris Badenov

Well, that's it, it's time to retire Bezos and install some dude from the internet as CEO.

JackStraw

Doesn’t everyone but the Airliners.net crowd and ATI pilots secretly hope it fails?

F224

The problem there is that those guys all make me look like I'm a kid, and I'm 59!

BlueSkies88

I doubt any ATI would be interested, they’re beyond happy showing off that prime pilot bag tag...ooooohhhh and don’t forget that precious HOME BASING...

CallmeJB

The first rule of Jet Blue fight school is don't talk about Jet Blue fight school.

iHateAMR

I have to call BS on this one. 1. FedEx pilots rarely take a hotel shuttle, they are usually private limos. 2. A private limo isn’t going to pick up a UPS crew in the same van. 3. The odds that all three miraculously have a departure at the exact same time from the exact same ramp or the flights are staggered perfectly enough for the hotel van to hit each ramp exactly on time and companies are willing to burn their crew duty is nearly impossible. Not to mention the respective companies allowing the possibility of a delayed departure resting on the shoulders of a rival carrier.

The rest of your story, I have no idea, but if you’re making up this portion, it’s hard to believe the rest.

nitefr8dog

Really.....came up with that all by yourself? Most likely will fail is more accurate. It would take 20+ yrs to actually be successful if they knew what they were doing, had the infrastructure, and pilots and aircraft. They have none of these. Also they pattern themselves after DHL using a bunch of ACMI carriers Bezos can play off each other. It's a train wreck.

Industry Strnd

Look how many have already left for UPS and Fedex and how many got invited to FedEx expo! But your right it could be fake news, we wouldnt want people coming to an ACMI thinking it's a career path to a real airline UPS or Fedex.

Also the whole Amazon cargo could just be a ploy by Amazon to get FedEx to lower their asking price for Amazon to buy them. If Amaxon just buys FedEx out right the ATI ABX Atlas deals just get scrapped and furloughs happen.

Any ACMI is a risky move for a career choice until the contracts get better or there is a more clear path to a future. It's intresting how many passenger carriers advertise their growth plans and number of planes and pilots expected to hire. At ACMI they just say come here, trust us, it will all be fine. I suspect they don't advertise because they can't, it's all contract work that can be lost at anytime!

Amazon never has exercised its stock options at Atlas or ABX.