New Hire Class Drops
11-17-2023, 05:08 AM
#4803
Runs with scissors
Joined APC: Dec 2009
Position: Going to hell in a bucket, but enjoying the ride .
Posts: 7,728
New hires were all trained as 727 FE and depending on which base they went to they could move to other fleets, as DC8 engineers, 10-11 engineers or if you were really lucky you might score a right seat in a DC9 or 737. I went to MIA for my first year, had wayyyy too much fun, and had to bid up to BOS due to too many no-shows at the NHANG when I couldn't get on a flight to BOS. Oh, our 'probation' was a full 12 months and probation pay was a fixed $1800/month regardless of what you flew or how many hours you flew. Thankfully I had that Guard job!
We only got 1 S3 pass our first year, 2 in our second year, not until you had completed 5 years did you get unlimited S3 passes and Delta didn't allow us to jumpseat so there were almost no commuters. It wasn't until 1996 when they closed all the smaller bases that Delta let us use the jumpseat to commute, and they only did that to save Delta millions in paid moves they would have been liable for if everyone moved to ATL.
Last edited by Timbo; 11-17-2023 at 05:52 AM.
11-17-2023, 05:34 AM
#4804
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Aug 2020
Posts: 669
Close, I was based there 1986-1996, it closed October 1, 1996, and yes, it was a "senior" base, as were most of the other smaller bases that were closed in that time frame. When I was hired in 1985 we had 7 bases; MIA, IAH, MSY, ORD, DFW, ATL and BOS and we only had 3880 pilots! The fleets were DC9, 737-200, 727, 75/76 (no ERs) DC8, L10-11 domestic and L15 international.
New hires were all trained as 727 FE and depending on which base they went to they could move to other fleets, with as DC8 engineers, 10-11 engineers or if you were really lucky you might score a right seat in a DC9 or 737. I went to MIA for my first year, had wayyyy too much fun, and had to bid up to BOS due to too many no-shows at the NHANG when I couldn't get on a flight to BOS. Oh, our 'probation' was a full 12 months and probation pay was a fixed $1800/month regardless of what you flew or how many hours you flew. Thankfully I had that Guard job!
We only got 1 S3 pass our first year, 2 in our second year, not until you had completed 5 years did you get unlimited S3 passes and Delta didn't allow us to jumpseat so there were almost no commuters. It wasn't until 1996 when they closed all the smaller bases that Delta let us use the jumpseat to commute, and they only did that to save Delta millions in paid moves they would have been liable for if everyone moved to ATL.
New hires were all trained as 727 FE and depending on which base they went to they could move to other fleets, with as DC8 engineers, 10-11 engineers or if you were really lucky you might score a right seat in a DC9 or 737. I went to MIA for my first year, had wayyyy too much fun, and had to bid up to BOS due to too many no-shows at the NHANG when I couldn't get on a flight to BOS. Oh, our 'probation' was a full 12 months and probation pay was a fixed $1800/month regardless of what you flew or how many hours you flew. Thankfully I had that Guard job!
We only got 1 S3 pass our first year, 2 in our second year, not until you had completed 5 years did you get unlimited S3 passes and Delta didn't allow us to jumpseat so there were almost no commuters. It wasn't until 1996 when they closed all the smaller bases that Delta let us use the jumpseat to commute, and they only did that to save Delta millions in paid moves they would have been liable for if everyone moved to ATL.
I wonder what recruiting was like back then, compared to other airlines. I guess UAL and PanAm were on strike in 1985, and Pan Am never really recovered. Seems Delta wasn't such a good deal back then though. Lots more airines flying back then too.
11-17-2023, 05:46 AM
#4805
Runs with scissors
Joined APC: Dec 2009
Position: Going to hell in a bucket, but enjoying the ride .
Posts: 7,728
That's a great story. It's worth pointing out though that $1800 in 1985 would be $5146 today. Hard to believe that you guys were assigned a base, but not given non rev passes or the jumpseat to get there.
I wonder what recruiting was like back then, compared to other airlines. I guess UAL and PanAm were on strike in 1985, and Pan Am never really recovered. Seems Delta wasn't such a good deal back then though. Lots more airines flying back then too.
I wonder what recruiting was like back then, compared to other airlines. I guess UAL and PanAm were on strike in 1985, and Pan Am never really recovered. Seems Delta wasn't such a good deal back then though. Lots more airines flying back then too.
In later years after I was displaced to the MD11 in ATL (when BOS closed in 1996) after talking with senior Captains I found out the "real reason" they didn't want us to have the jumpseat was because the (junior) ATL L15 international pilots didn't want the Senior pilots from all the other bases commuting into ATL to fly the highest paying jet (L15) for their last 3 years to bump up their FAE. There was still some animosity between the North East pilots, Western pilots and the RDs, so the RDs made it as difficult as possible for the Western and North East pilots to get to ATL for those high paying International jobs.
11-17-2023, 05:56 AM
#4806
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Aug 2020
Posts: 669
Yes, much like today "everybody" was hiring and there were twice as many airlines! Most new guys picked an airline based on their living preferences, if you were a west coast guy you didn't consider Delta but looked at Western instead. When the VP of Flt Ops came to speak to our new hire class someone asked him, "Why no jumpseat?" He said that would be a perk only the pilots would enjoy and that wouldn't be fair to all the other employees. He went on to say, "At Delta we try to treat everyone the same, you guys already make a lot more money than the flight attendants and mechanics so giving you something they can't have just wouldn't be right."
In later years after I was displaced to the MD11 in ATL (when BOS closed in 1996) after talking with senior Captains I found out the "real reason" they didn't want us to have the jumpseat was because the (junior) ATL L15 international pilots didn't want the Senior pilots from all the other bases commuting into ATL to fly the highest paying jet (L15) for their last 3 years to bump up their FAE. There was still some animosity between the North East pilots, Western pilots and the RDs, so the RDs made it as difficult as possible for the Western and North East pilots to get to ATL for those high paying International jobs.
In later years after I was displaced to the MD11 in ATL (when BOS closed in 1996) after talking with senior Captains I found out the "real reason" they didn't want us to have the jumpseat was because the (junior) ATL L15 international pilots didn't want the Senior pilots from all the other bases commuting into ATL to fly the highest paying jet (L15) for their last 3 years to bump up their FAE. There was still some animosity between the North East pilots, Western pilots and the RDs, so the RDs made it as difficult as possible for the Western and North East pilots to get to ATL for those high paying International jobs.
In 1985, I was a 19 year old college kid thinking about taking flying lessons. It's good to hear history like this from people who were actually there.
11-17-2023, 07:38 AM
#4807
Moderator
Joined APC: Jul 2006
Posts: 5,621
Lol right...but they never change anywhere. I can't count how many things we couldn't do in the AF because "it wouldn't be fair to others." My favorite reply to that saying is that we all picked our jobs on career day... Beatings will continue until morale improves.
11-21-2023, 04:21 PM
#4808
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jul 2010
Position: window seat
Posts: 12,534
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