Originally Posted by Casualinterest

"Airline QOL is the world's largest pyramid scheme. In order for your life to get better, someone has to come in behind you to take your place."

Originally Posted by Casualinterest

I think the reality of this depends GREATLY on a lot of factors.

Reddy Reserve - you will have it early on a few times but if we're hiring and back fill behind you you'll never see it again. It's Junior assigned unless you request it. Some do. Even as a captain with Zero back fill behind me last year I have only sat it twice. New hire FO's will probably get our6 of the RR danger zone very quickly and then never do it again. For perspective, I have literally NEVER sat RR as an FO here, because when I was hired they filled it behind me so fast I was not the most Junior person very long. If/when our hiring picks back up this is what I would expect. Now if you're in MSP or something who knows.

Food - I was based on NYC for 3 years and can tell you that food costs more in some areas. Cereal, canned goods... More expensive. Deli meat, fruit, vegetables... Same price or cheaper in NYC than other major cities because of the port. I could get groceries and feed myself for an entire reserve stretch on $30. Not to mention you can still get pizza for $2 a slice, cheap Chinese food, bagels, bodegas, etc. LGA hot bar or salad bar is $7 /lb with our discount. Shop smart, plan, an you can eat cheap. I actually saved money and lost weight on reserve up there because I was too cheap/lazy to walk to fast food and stuff. Walked everywhere.

Transportation- you're absolutely right. This sucks. If you don't mind the bus it's actually crazy cheap to get to work. But I hate the bus. I hate crowds. So maybe someone else can chime in on that. I agree that we need a better solution for us and the flight attendants. The $50 a month is inadequate. I'll just play devil's advocate here and point out that if you commute to any base you'll need to pay for transportation to the airport. And is likely not much cheaper if you're in some other airline bases. Having lived in several states that also have airline bases I can say that anywhere you would want a crash pad/house will not be within a $6 Uber distance of the airport. $12 is not terrible.

Medical - I haven't worked at another regional, but my past two companies (small flight school, large Fortune 500 company) all had WORSE insurance than we do. That being said, ours is pretty expensive, but the out of pocket Max is fairly low and the company contributes to the HSA. He's right though, we don't have the best health plans. There are better. There are worse.

FLICA to drop or add trips - this is a common complaint, and he's mostly correct on this. Though this a great time for someone to break out the favorite APC disclaimer (YMMV). When I held a line I would estimate 2/3 of my requests were approved, but I knew the system and what would be approved and what wouldn't be. As a reserve almost none of my requests get approved, except when I add things. I've had great luck adding lately. And don't forget tradeboard.

And finally

Commuting- don't know where you're commuting from, but this experience varies GREATLY by where you commute from. In 3 years I've failed to get home at the end of a trip once. I've probably missed getting on a commute 5-10 times total, and in all those cases made it on the next flight. To me, it's just one more flight at the beginning of the trip and one at the end. If you think commuting here is hard, try getting based in Norfolk or Columbia, or Dayton. Those are two legs for most people. Maybe 3 on a bad day.


I think the point of this thread should be this. There are a LOT of people who work here that love it and have had an amazing experience. And there are lot of pilots here who have been miserable with completely different experiences because of when they were hired. My time here hasn't been all sunshine and puppies. I've been ****ed and had regrets, but they pass when I get my paycheck after a huge credit month, and after I get home to my kids.

Someone hired today is going to have a vastly better experience than someone hired a year ago. It's a shame that it's like that, but airline QOL is the world's largest pyramid scheme. In order for your life to get better, someone has to come in behind you to take your place. Hopefully that happens quickly for new hires now and they have the same experience I did.

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Originally Posted by VoiceOfReason

Never have there been truer words spoken to sum up the life of a pilot. Great take, Casual. This should be printed and framed in every flight academy across the country.

Originally Posted by preflight

I wonder how many RECIRC fans will get replaced before they figure out a way to notify the Flight Deck that "Air is on"..."APU OFF AVAILABLE"!

Originally Posted by jetgirl1313

Thanks for the honesty. Much appreciated from an incoming new hire. Most of us know, we won’t actually know how it’s gonna be until we get on site and how hiring behind us is going be. Thanks for the tips and tricks for nyc.

Originally Posted by Casualinterest

Can't remember where they have it, but a couple stations have that sign that lights up when the air is on. I love that thing. Dsm maybe? Clt? Can't remember. But those are great. They are the ones with the retractable hoses.

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Originally Posted by preflight

I wonder how many RECIRC fans will get replaced before they figure out a way to notify the Flight Deck that "Air is on"..."APU OFF AVAILABLE"!

Originally Posted by preflight

I wonder how many RECIRC fans will get replaced before they figure out a way to notify the Flight Deck that "Air is on"..."APU OFF AVAILABLE"!

Originally Posted by avoca

Exactly three.

Originally Posted by IAFDOF

Five is right out.