Reactivity

Oh, sorry - I didn't know it was a contest. If I had known that, I would have tried harder.

Av8r75

Thanks NightSky! Put my app in on the 22nd when the window opened. Hoping to get a call for an interview soon.

<Begin Rant>
Don't mind the haters out there, some people are never happy, no matter what they have. It has always amazed me when people go to work for a company, knowing prior to doing so what the pay rates are, the schedules etc., and then complain after the fact. Thats like buying a car that you know has engine problems and then taking it back to the dealer a week later, demanding they fix the problems!

It all comes back to coveting what others have. I just read an article sent out in APC's email updates. It was discussing Amazon and how they are to blame for low pilot pay and working conditions in the ACMI industry. While Amazon may drive what individual contracts pay, it is the individual operators (and Unions) that determine pay rates and working conditions, not Amazon. Now I am not saying that I am an Amazon kool aid drinker, but people need to realize that, if you want UPS or Fedex money, then do everything you can to go work for those companies. Comparing ACMI flying to Fedex and UPS is comparing apples to oranges.

If safety is an issue, then by all means, pilots should always speak up about those issues, but comparing pay rates and claiming "my company pays 33% less that company x" is just silly. We all know pay rates before we take any of these jobs. If we network beforehand we can also learn about the schedules and other working conditions as well, before we even interview.
<Rant Over>

Sorry for the rant, just get tired of the complaining, unless its constructive and for good reason (such as safety). I am sure this post will incite more hating.

CardboardCutout

I will simply observe that posting about how totally ok a place is (in spite of the "haters") when you don't work there is about as useful as posting about how much a place sucks when you don't work there.

Av8r75

You are correct and that was not my point. You are right that I can't possibly know exactly what it's like to work for ATI, but I can reach out to those that do and get an idea. My point is that none of us go into a new position completely blind. We may accept certain things because the good outweighs the bad for us personally. If not, we should never take the job in the first place. If one starts a new job and a few years later absolutely hates what they do, maybe they should move on to a better opportunity for them. We all have different desires and views on what's best for us and our situation.

The truth is that the perfect job does not and will never exist. Not saying we should not try to improve things, but we also need to keep our expectations in check in this imperfect world. When I speak of haters, I am referring to individuals who have nothing but negative to say, not those who have constructive things to bring to the table.

woog315

What you need to understand is not how good/bad of a job ATI is, but what function ATI is serving in the ATSG "family". Its a whipsaw airline with union leadership that is wholly aligned with management. Anything good at ATI is a result of undermining something better at ABX, and if the ALPA leadership had any stones at all we would be working together to get what the group as a whole (ABX and ATI, and now Omni) deserves instead of having one group undermine everything. The contract at ATI is the worst new contract in ACMI. Its not the worst contract in the world, but its designed to perfectly undercut ABX and the ATI group jumped all over it instead of being patient and forcing ATSG's hand. Its a race to the bottom contract, period.

ATI was a bottom of the barrel airline that was essentially bankrupt and was scooped up by ATSG to create a whipsaw. Maybe that will change one day, maybe not, but for now when you go work at ATI you are working to make sure ACMI doesn't improve but instead continues to scrape the bottom. If that's how you like things, fine.

Its a fast growing airline and the ATSG/Amazon contracts represent one of the greatest opportunities theres ever been in the ACMI world. I don't begrudge anyone for going there, but you should understand why people turn their nose at ATI. It's not just anger for the sake of anger- it's disappointment that we don't hold ourselves to a higher standard.

dogo

You never mentioned that scabs work at ATI. VP&CP.

Av8r75

Finally...a reasoned response, instead of just bitterness and anger. I completely understand what you have communicated and I also understand that there are always two sides to every situation.

What appears to be treason to one group doesn't to the other. I have spoken with pilots who see both sides of this issue with ABX/ATI. Where I currently work, there was some contention over the last TA/LOA, as there most inevitably always will be. As I said in my last post, no job is perfect, thereby...no company, no contract, no union and no person is perfect either. We all have different motivations and you will never get everyone to swing in the exact same direction.

This is why I do not like all the bitter bickering and non-constructive comments. This will always be an issue in this industry. It is this way even at the legacy carriers, just different issues. Where I currently work, I have flown with guys who gripe about the company not putting us downtown on a long overnight, even though the company gives us a rental car when on such overnights, and then once we get a downtown hotel, this same guy will complain it is not a good hotel! I use this superficial example because this is the world we live in and it will not change anytime soon.

The fact that I have breath every day is a blessing from God, so I will be content with what He chooses to bless me with. Sometimes I may have to eat crow and that's ok. As long as I can provide for my family, enjoy what I do and most importantly contribute in some way to making things better, I feel that makes life worth living. Bottom line is a lot of people live under the delusion that we can fix every problem in this industry, if we just all band together and scream it from the rooftops...the problem is...we are all human and you will never get everyone to agree with each other completely. Yes it does stink, but its kind of a catch 22 in this business.

With pilots being in demand right now, our choices are much more varied that they were just 5 years ago. If someone is not happy with their current employer, then opportunities abound to find a better place...but alas...you may find that place comes with a whole new set of problems as well.

Migz74

Are there trips that start and end on the west coast? If so what’s the seniority to hold those trips? Also what is a typical pairing and schedule a new hire will likely get and what’s the average reserve time?

I apologize if these questions have been answered, I did a forum search but couldn’t find much info.

Cheers!

FlyAstarJets

Yes we do.

SEA, ONT and SMF supporting Amazon. For DHL we operate SEA-LAX. We also operate a 757combi off the west coast for Pacific ops.
BUT, as with anything in aviation, things (stations and routes) can change in a heartbeat.

But here at ATI, being Home Based, we don’t have to worry about that. Company is 100% responsible for your travel and lodging getting you into position to start your trip and to get you home at the end of your trip.

Hope this helps,
FAJ

Kingairguy08

Hello everyone,

I've read this thread from start to finish and wasn't able to find an answer. Can anyone please shed some light on maybe what to expect in an interview or possibly what training is like? I have an interview on the 16th. My background is all corporate with 6100TT, with 5500 as PIC.

Thanks!