Everyone I know that I’m friends with at FedEx came here being told it was the best job in the industry etc. Quotes like “guys are leaving legacy x that have been there for 10 years to come to FedEx.” “You’re gonna make so much money here.” We all start to believe the hype and say we’ve gotta come to FedEx there’s no other option.

We go to indoc and they bring our spouses in and they hit us with the same bs. “You’ve come to the right place.” “Ladies your husbands have reached the pinnacle of flying jobs.” We’re all excited and know we’ve made the right choice.

Months go by in training etc. we’re all still excited but the drone of FX’s 4 month long training cycle is getting to some of us but we’re anxious to get on the line and see how great the job is.

Finally we’re out of training and on the line and the looks start to change. No one says anything yet but we’re confused and I can see it on my friends faces. We hear about a few guys from our new hire class leave to legacy x and all think hmm they must have just left cause they lived in a legacy base and want to drive to work.

8 months down the road on the line a few more guys leave. The looks on guys faces are no longer confusion but frustration mixed with some tired. One of my buddies finally comes up to me in the jumpseat room with bright fluorescent lights at 3am waiting to get home at 7am after a week of hubturns and says “this place f ing sucks.” I’m almost relieved at that point that someone finally said it and I respond “yeah it absolutely does.” At this point we’re now ****ed off wondering how all the hype before we came here could have been so blatantly wrong.

Fast forward to today. Over half of my new hire class has gone elsewhere. Bravo to you guys I’m sure you’ve never looked bad as it still sucks here. There is nothing special about this place whatsoever that justifies coming here to fly the ridiculous hours that we fly. There is zero movement while they attempt to unf. uck the system and shrinking of the airline and retiring of airplanes. This goofy place would be like 5th or 6th on my list if I was a regional or military pilot looking to start somewhere right now. Everything they do their own special way that makes zero f ing sense if you have worked anywhere else in your life that flies airplanes. The lies and purple kool aid have gone on for too long. Stay far far far away if they ever hire again.

 

Over sold on the Covid hype? How come your friends at the big three pax were not telling you how great they had it and you should go there vise FedEx? Oh that's right they were sweating getting furloughed and no wide body future? Things swing fast now you have envy​​​​​.

How about working with the whole crew force so we get a contract that passes them instead of crying and bashing half the crew force.

 

*yawn* typical, tired “wide body and no furloughs!” argument to justify everything else being awful.

 

Came here during COVID, yes? I understand your frustration no doubt. We have many things to un**** here, absolutely. However, did you do any research before coming here on what normal times are like? I am in no way saying we don't have things we need to work on, I'm just hearing a lot of the same things from guys hired in the COVID era complaining they were lied to, when in reality the business cycle has happened and we are back to how things usually are.

 

I consider myself lucky as this was my first airline job out of the Air Force, so I don't have another point of reference. That being said, I have flown with a bunch of guys from other airlines that almost to a man have said this is so much better than their previous other major for multiple reasons. I am wondering with everyone else hiring and we could realistically be a couple years from a new contract, Why doesn't the group of guys that think it sucks so bad here leave?

Do you think that our system form is going to change? Do you think that we are going to quit flying nights? Do you think that when you are senior enough to fly days that our day turns won't sit for 6 hrs between flights? Do you think that Memphis is ever going to get safer or better?

If it is so crappy here why stay? We are over manned and shrinking, if you hate it here now, you will always hate it here.

 

May I ask what those reasons were? I only ask to specifically contrast it with the posts here that show areas where other airlines excel.

 

Yet, we’re the most recent group threatened with furloughs. Pretty sure our own union presentation said “staffing correction by furlough” and a leaked recorded conversation said 4.a.2.b by Spring.

 

Not dealing with pax trying to open the door in flight or being drunk in 1st class. No flight attendant bull. Not dealing with TSA every day.

 

You’ve probably never worked in the pax industry. Nowadays pilots don’t deal with passenger issues, there’s another airline employee that deals with that.

FA bull? Ok. Half the time you don’t even meet the FAs in the back. Usually you speak to the lead and it’s when you want your meal and to set up a lav break.

TSA… sure, I’ll give you that. There are more random’s at KCM than previously. However, with pax flying, you’re in your uniform and it’s much easier getting thru pre-check or TSA randomed lined. More difficult for us flying in our DH biz attire and having to dump all our liquids, etc.

But keep rationalizing it. It’s so on point with a FedEx pilot who’s ever flown in the pax world.

 

ya def is much better slowly killing yourself on the back side of the clock to not have to deal with all that!