Corporate flying were you live is great, but will the company exsist with a flight department in the next 20-25 years? Doubtful. At 35, I would go to UPS. You'll be a senior FO or Captain by 45. And have another 15 to 20 years ahead of you. You will be paid good coin, and not have to worry about your pension. And there is also a good bit of day flying.

 

Even if you assume you'll never get the A plan, the defined contribution plan is awsome! 11% over 25 years is huge, the A plan is just a bonus. I myself hope the A plan will be there, but considering the climate today I am not planning on it. I hope I am wrong, because it will be a nice bump!

I agree come to UPS and dont look back, I flew pax for 10 years and dont miss it one bit! The first year hurts but we all made it through. Good luck, and remeber you should probably talk this over with your sponser. If you leave you will forever burn him on any future recs.

BWR

 

I have no doubt, and I agree.

Do you have kids at home? That would make me seriously consider GV with a possible recall to UAL at the last possible chance (assuming it's a job w/ few RONs of course, maybe not so in a GV....).

I doubt you will see a defined benefit pension from anywhere in 25-30 years. You might at least accrue some benefit from UPS before they freeze their plan eventually. Back side of the clock would be very tough I'd think, but don't they now do a pretty fair amount of day trips?

You definitely have a tough, but fortunate, decision to make. If it was me I'd probably choose GV and keep UAL in the back pocket. I'm over the airlines, and aircraft size and type mean very little to me, plus I have small kids at home so QOL is extremely important to me. I'm trying to find a good corporate gig now, in fact, and would bypass recall to USAirways if it looked fairly stable (don't wanna commute and moving not an option in the next decade).

Good luck, hope you make the best choice for you and your family.

Happy New Year!

 

<<<<Do you have kids at home?>>>

No I am single. I will work about 12 days a month on average with the corporate job. Money will be about a buck fifty including bonuses and maybe a few trips I can pick up on the side. I am trying to weigh the difference between coming to UPS and eventually selling my california home for a 600k profit and going to FL and buying a house outright and making bank at UPS or staying here in the house and making the money now and try to pay as much down on the mortg as possible.

I do not want to sound like a whiner but these are my choices.

 

<<<<Do you have kids at home?>>>

No I am single. I will work about 12 days a month on average with the corporate job. Money will be about a buck fifty including bonuses and maybe a few trips I can pick up on the side. I am trying to weigh the difference between coming to UPS and eventually selling my california home for a 600k profit and going to FL and buying a house outright and making bank at UPS or staying here in the house and making the money now and try to pay as much down on the mortg as possible.

I do not want to sound like a whiner but these are my choices.

 

I don't think you're whining at all. Lots of big choices to make.

If I were in your shoes (and someday I hope I'm lucky enough to have to choose between a G-V and UPS), I'd say go for long term. The home in Cali sounds nice, but I'd go between the G-V and UPS. The only scary thing about the part 91 gig is that the first thing to go when the company isn't doing hot is the flight department. I'd forget about UAL. If you ever get called back you'll likely be making much less than you were and still be subjected to the cyclical nature that is the airline industry. With UPS, you'll take a significant pay cut for a couple years, but soon you'd be making much more than possible on the G-V. A little short-term sacrifice may pay off when it's time to retire.

 

With what I have seen in the industry lately.....I am not even planning on what retirement package UPS may give me. I am planning my own retirement. If UPS still gives me one.....great! I consider that a bonus.

 

Were is the A-plan that UPS gives the pilots going? Why would the A-plan be gone? UPS makes 4 billion a year. And the interest rates are going back up. The pension crisis is over, but the pax airlines want everyone to think it's not. Listen to CNBC, the experts say the pension crisis is way overblowned. It's all about bonds and interest rates.

 

..........

 

The pension crisis may be over for some, but I'm telling you that corporate america is unimpressed and will be doing away with defined benefit pensions in the next decade. IMO you're crazy if you are counting on accruing future benefits at an airline. I hope I'm wrong but I doubt it.