Newer Hires will probably have the most insight, but anyone in the know is more than welcome to chime in.

1 - What happens on the first two days with the guests?
2 - The first day I hear is 'business attire' for the new hire, what is the dress for the guest...specifically a female guest? Is it really business casual for the guest or can they get away with nicer business casual?

Thanks in advance!

S.F.

 

In the first two days you will get Winged, meet with senior flight ops management, and have some briefings on different things (insurance, ALPA, ETC). You also get to tour Air ops, the training center and go to the line and see an airplane. Day one is business attire for BOTH new hire and guest and then if I remember correctly it is business casual on day 2. (Check your letter) Overall a great experience and strongly recommend bringing a spouse. Congrats!! Thanks for moving me up a number

 

The spouse welcome is a nice addition. I think that was Tim Leonard's input. Aviation can be tough on families...nice to see the other side of the family getting recognized and able to participate in a pretty exciting period in a pilot's career.

 

Minor (but important) point. You should be thanking the guys retiring if you're moving up a number. Guys hired behind you don't increase your seniority - #100 out of 500 looks better than #100 out of 150 but you still have 99 guys ahead of you getting the lines you want in either situation.

 

So you'd rather be #99 out of 100 than #100 out of 500?

 

So you would be happy if no one retired for a couple years as long as the company kept hiring?

 

Even if you aren't moving up, if the list is growing below you, then your bidding % is improving and you will be getting better schedules.

100/150=66%

100/500=20%

at my company in my base 66% is barely holding a line, 20% is most weekends off. I'm not saying this best case or what anyone really wants to see but in a way you are still improving.

 

Unless the company is adding more lines or trips, then it doesn't matter if guys are being hired behind you. If the top 40 guys are getting the flying you want, then if you are number 60, it doesn't matter if they hire another 40 guys behind you. There are still 20 guys between you and the flying you want.

The number 2 guy on the seniority list doesn't move up because someone is hired behind him. He is still number 2.

 

Really guys???
This WAS about the first 2 days of Indoc....
Now we are arguing about people in front...people behind...
We have a lot of retirements and a lot of hiring....life is good...

Stay on target.....

 

Nope. I didn't say that. The gentleman I responded to seemed to indicate his lot in life was improving by virtue of someone being hired junior to him. While other factors which cause/require the hiring may result in an improved QOL, the simple act of hiring someone behind him does not.

I get being 20% is better than 99%, obviously. If we're hiring, that means fleets are growing or simply undermanned. Either way, that's a good position to be in, but has very little to do with the guys being hired behind you. The hiring is just a symptom/solution of a more complex dynamic.

I've had about 1000 guys hired behind me since I got here. That didn't do jack squat for me over my first 10 years here. I languished in the 60-70% range on the -11 and 777 for the last decade regardless of who was hired. It wasn't until we started retiring big numbers that I started to see any improvement.

As someone said, if the lines you want are in the top 20 and you're #21, the fact that they hire a 1000 guys behind you isn't going to change that.