ABX Interview - Is it worth it?
 

You must. But I don’t think you know what i’m talking about. Sry


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You know, with 21Air taking over the Aeromex routes out of LAX from ABX, I was wondering how long it would be before the first service failure. So, after two weeks, N881YV has been sitting at LAX since Wednesday. Six segments missed so far, and counting. N999YV, their other aircraft, is still sitting at Stambaugh Aviation, and I don't see where anybody provided subservice. "Cargo South" has gone south, and we'll see how long it takes to get back up.

Pilot list ABX
 

In 2009 the ABX seniority list consisted of 585 pilots. Today, that’s 10 years later ABX pays less than in 2009 and has less than half the 585 pilots. See what management has done the past 10 years??
Where would you like to be in 10 years??

Remember the name David Soaper. Total failure. Don’t waste your time. ABX is hiring only the desperate!

Actually...the latest new hires are not desperate at all. Good bunch of guys tired of regional flying. Most have plenty of jet experience and wanted to add a wide body type and see where it leads them. They are very realistic about what is going on at ABX . They also understand without a contract, ABX is probably not a career airline. In the mean time it helps improve their resume with at least the same money after 1 yr. At least the ones I have worked with anyway. They also were not been told they be upgrading in 2 yrs like the 2016 new hires.

Conversely, the junior captain at ATI upgraded in 6 months. I know where I would go. More money, contract, and no Soapy.....just Scabby. Oh yes ATI is growing ABX isn’t.

My response was about new hires being desperate....

Update -- as of almost-midnight Saturday in LAX, 21 Air's N881YV seems still to be on the ground. Down for more than three days, 10 segments missed. Although pride and inertia at Aeromex will probably keep them from calling ABX back anytime soon, having their El-Cheapo ACMI carrier go down for three days after just two weeks of service is not an auspicious start.

I imagine that the call to ABX has been made. The only difference is that ABX does not have any spare airplanes available. Plus, I am sure the rates at ABX went up.

Ask Joe or Rich to give you one. Last count....they owe you one.

Seven days of no service and counting for the 21 Air plane, it seems. (Unless I'm missing something.) 11 days on. 7 days off. Oy. Someone at Aeromex ought to have a red face for replacing ABX with these guys.

On the other hand you might pick up some flying from NAC after they landed in the lights at TJSJ. During the daytime. Amazing!

Easier to see them to land on in the daytime!

You kill me! Helps you keep that centerline. Side note: you get what you pay for, ask Hete how much that’s gonna cost him! Great business plan.

Joe Patroni said all it needed was a little speed tape.

Avherald report: https://avherald.com/h?article=4cdbe3c7

That 10-mile visibility and 4-knot wind straight on the nose probably made the landing challenging. (But I shouldn't be snarky; there but for the grace of God goes anybody.)

No YouTube video yet. I wonder before someone releases one. That is if there is one.

This is very downlow. I think there are some ramifications with the feds. Hiring and training comes to mind.

ATSG is going to shut down ABX Air. Change my mind.

It really does present itself that way. That or a merger.

From the whispers, negotiation have been rough again. Rumors of we are giving them the World but its not good enough. It feels like another concessionary contract, but we’ll give you higher rates and maybe a bump in retirement. So people are supposed to get worked to death on non-stop min rest layovers while trying to sleep during the day...and with a small raise. Gtfo!

Even when we were getting planes and work, guys still thought the job was tough. Why make the environment worse for guys looking to come here. Do you want to see more than one guy show up to class? Because it doesn’t only waste the Unions time, but all the managements time too. Having one guy who can teach 10+ in a class now gets to teach one.

Why should the future of ABX rest solely on our shoulders? Understand that current market requires a change.

Maybe if you do first class or best class travel, hotel points, free breakfast, 16%DC, Omni/K4 or better rates with a 75 hr guarantee...then we can talk about gutting all the work rules you want. Hey! We can even throw in that homebasing you want too.


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If Soaper has convinced you that he's willing to do that, he has won.

For a variety of reasons, ATSG is not willing to do that, IMHO.

As they say... ABX made their bed, now they gotta lay in it!

Are we talking strike? Oh man! More strike talk. If not, fair enough.

But can’t we just get past this and move on. Some people are just like that family member that holds a grudge for decades.

But ABX did make their own bed and man will they not let anyone change those dirty sheets. Not the Union, not the company. When one is willing to compromise and the other one wont play ball, how is that good faith negotiations? Put it this way, our Union communicates with us regardless. I can’t even remember the company sending anything out on their stance. They don’t even negotiate with the pilots anymore!


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ATSG is a public company. What reason are you going to give the shareholders for shuttering your "best in class" airline?

I feel like all you guys who come on here and rant about ABX would be so much happier and live 10 years longer if you'd just go work somewhere else. There is a lot to choose from out there.....

It's so easy, isn't it? Just pick up and change jobs, just like that! There is absolutely nothing else to think about - no other considerations whatsoever. Just throw out a few applications, and in a few days you're in a place where you're working less for more money and everything is gumdrops and rainbows - instant happy!

Might take a few months of effort....

You mean have balls to force the company to honor the contract they agreed to? I am sure that is a strange concept to you guys. We just aren't as comfortable as you are with our pants around our ankles...

Never happen.....hell the lease payments are 80M a year. Shut down the cheapest labor they have with the highest on time dispatch rate. There is not much of a board but even they are not that stupid. As far as changing your mind....why in the world would anyone care what you think?

Pretty astounding that affiliate A staunchly holds their ground on being able to claim the dubious high ground as the "cheapest labor they have with the highest on time dispatch rate", yet, somehow, affiliate B is the one who manages to enjoy their low hanging pants more. :rolleyes:

How much will they enjoy their retirement...

Fact is that ati screwed abx. If ati had some balls then it would have worked out. Fact!

No. First there is no evidence that had ATI participated “it” would have worked out. That’s just wild guessing.

Don't be so naive.....Hete just threw the bait out and waited to see who who bite. Take a pay raise from poverty wages without decent work rules, retirement, scheduling, disability...we will give you planes. Until I take them back that is...until the next group gets suckered. Look around Astar was the favorite with DHL, then ABX, then Atlas, now Kalita. There is a reason when a new company starts flying a different city every other carrier was there before. Amazon will be no different..ABX starts a city...Atlas would get it..now ATI. If you are foolish enough to think you are the last...good luck.

At affiliate “A” a 12 year captain take-home annual base pay is $178,385

At affiliate “B” an 8 year captain take-home annual base pay is $181,740.

From my point of view, that’s more money four years earlier. And BTW, affiliate’s “B” pay scale keeps going every year until year 12. Plus at affiliate “A” the pilots commute to work on their last day off (before a block of work days) on their own “dime.” Affiliate A pilots commute back home on their first day off, again on their own dime. At affiliate “B” the pilots commute to work and back home on work days, at the company expense. Plus as part of the Home Basing provisions, pilots at affiliate “B” are on per diem and provided hotel rooms everywhere, including at the Hub. At affiliate “A” the pilots are crew based at the Hub. Meaning they are on their own for room & board. These are just a few examples.

Now tell me how affiliate “A” is not cheaper to operate than affiliate “B.”

Ati could have backed up the abx pilots during the strike but choose not to. Whipsaw forever at that ramp

Well, did the ABX pilot group give adequate notice to the ATI group?

Of course, not that I have the right answer, but I wonder how well Teamsters and ALPA would have been able to work together especially given that Teamsters didn’t follow all proper channels before the strike.

FWIW I do understand that the ABX pilot group has/ had some very legit gripes. However they did no go about it in the right way.

I've been working on it for several years now. It really isn't as easy as people like to think it is if you have standards or an interest in not moving backward.

There was a reason the ATI group wasn't notified, namely, as it was told to me, their tendency toward backstabbing and treachery.

I am glad that it is now on record from an ABX pilot that the ATI pilot group was not notified.

Because there is no more authoritative source than J Random Dude spouting third hand information in an APC forum.