Hi!

I was wondering if anyone in here has recently left Atlas in order to join Delta. I would like to hear from the horse's mouth which you think was better and which was worse. Feel free to pm me if you prefer that option, rather than writing in here.

Thanks!
/shark

I did it. However it’s been a few years. Left just before Covid. I don’t regret it. I loved the Atlas job and I still do think about it when I see an Atlas tail. Best job I ever quit. Really miss the bar in HHN, SYD layover etc. But in the end the disability insurance, retirement, better trips for the family life, etc make Delta far superior.

As I tell everyone that asks about it, if I were single and no kids, and wanted to keep it that way, I would absolutely have stayed at Atlas. However, with Delta, if I lose my medical I still keep a roof over my family’s head through retirement. Also it’s nice with kids at home to be close to home and not stuck in NKW again. Body feels a lot better too. Those Atlas lifers age in dog years. It also depends on where you want to live and commuting. I live a 4 hr drive from a Delta base so I don’t miss gateway. But your situation may be different.

Watching contracts come and go is what pushed me over the edge. Same crap as the regional whipsaw albeit Atlas has always been great about finding work for every tail. I still have many buddies there. And with 76s getting shifted, CVG closing, its still the same overall long term stability view.

Sorry. Not so recent. I left in 2016. The poster above pretty much nailed it. Single and want to have an adventure, Atlas flying is insanely varied. Money and QoL head to a legacy. The way I put it for outsiders is this: Delta has problems just like everywhere else. But those are usually first world problems. Atlas has some third world sh!t going on. Enjoy the ride there but if you need dough or would like to see your kids, a legacy is the way to go.

Current atlas fo, it’s been hard on the family. Is delta even possible without any pic time? I’m trying to make the jump but I know I will miss the atlas flying.

people interviewing right now are being told to expect a class date Q3 2026

Source?

filler

Thanks for the input, guys! That is excellent information, and exactly the stuff that I was wondering about.

Not many surprises there. I knew that the money was better at Delta, even though last year the top three guys at Atlas made over $1m, which is indeed a lot of money. I love my current job, and as Tacos described it, it'll be "the best job I ever quit" if it comes to it. The contract, pay and many other things have improved drastically since you guys left in 2016, and I'll hate saying goodbye to the mighty 747, the awesome layovers, and two weeks off in a row every month, but everything has pros and cons, and that's why I'm trying to connect with people who have made the jump, to hear it from first-hand experiences.

Thanks again. Much appreciated.
/shark

loved the 74. love being at delta way more. 17 days gone in a row was hard on the family.

I flew ACMI for four years, all 747, loved it. Flew to some crazy places I’ll never see again. Embraced the lifestyle, loved not being like every other airline pilot. I think in a lot of ways I fit the ACMI mold quite nicely.
Now a Delta 75/76 Captain.
No regrets.
I think I would have always wondered should I have gone. More importantly for me is the family aspect. I have three kids and my first wife. Trying to keep it that way.
Great thing about a large legacy is that you can find your niche in different airplanes/bases. NYC 7ER is perfect for me. Further, I can fly very little and still make a very reasonable amount of money. Last year I blocked 275 hours and made something like $330,000. Obviously YMMV.
But get some seniority, even a little, especially in NYC, and bid reserve. Or just pick up everything you can and cash in.

I guess I'll add my experience, too. I flew passenger charter for ACMI carrier before Delta. I miss (In no particular order): Home basing, International business class travel (and all the perks that come with it), being off half the month in one big block, seeing the world and never knowing where I was going to go when I went to work. At times it was like being a mercenary pilot and it was quite an adventure. With that all in mind...

Money: This is better. Retirement contributions are such a huge part of the picture, and even base reserve pay here is 12-15 more hours a month of credit. Not to mention profit sharing.
Time: This is a wash probably. I have to manage my time at home more carefully now and I don't get to do as much personal travel or fun stuff as I used to. That will improve as time goes on.
Stability: I once flew with a guy who was on his 21st 121 carrier. The road is littered with the carcasses of dead ACMI operators, even some big ones. I believe that Delta is my final career stop. I was never *really* certain of that at the other place.
Health: This is better for my body. Hitting three or four (or more) theaters in one rotation, and in random order, is taxing. The older I get the more I like being within 2 time zones of home.

My ACMI, for all of its faults, was the girlfriend that was just too crazy to marry but had a great personality and was a helluva lot of fun. But you just never knew when she was going to key your car. I miss that flying daily. And those magnificent bastards I flew with there knew how to get a heavy jet in and out of some odd places with minimal support from back home. The depth of knowledge on international flying there was amazing. I wouldn't trade that experience for anything. Overall, I am happy to be here.... and it was definitely the right career move.