Not that I've heard of.

Like the fella above said, "Update, Update, Update"

Weekly or at least every other week.

Just saw the new hire pic with Mr. Bowtie...strong work! and congrats!

Why thank you, I feel very blessed to be a part of such a great company and airline.

I didn't specifically ask the guys in my class, but there was a lot of experience in the class! If they didn't all have at least 1,000hrs TPIC, they were very close to it. We had one guy in the class from DL :eek:

Thanks for the advice.

Delta, SWA, and UAL. We poach from a lot of places, and despite everyone's contract angst at times that probably lets you know where we really stand in the pecking order of good places to work.

At the same time, I know of two guys--hired by both SWA and FDX--that chose SWA. Not to get too deep into this, but they got "interviewed" at FedEx, maybe even interrogated. Our interview process, at least with a few of our interviewers, is rough. They got "rushed" at SWA...to include being shown a FDX bidpack and a discussion of the life of a junior SWA FO trading trips and massaging their schedules compared to being hub turned. It was obvious they were not being just interviewed, but recruited, and they took the bait.

We probably won't have any problem filling any classes, and what is right for some pilots may not be right for others. I get that...

But for management lurkers here, I'll offer this point. Recruiting doesn't stop at the interview. It is ALWAYS the right of the company to pass on an interviewee, and not everyone who interviews is probably a good fit. That said, if you get cavelier or abrasive with a pilot that you might really want, a LOT of impressions are formed during the interview process. You have the chance to create some goodwill (like we have done probably 90% of the time I've been here) with our newest potential employees. If a guy is on the fence between Delta or SWA and FedEx, and has a bad experience during his interview--even with a CJO at the end of the day--they may decide to go somewhere else. Yes--they may be leaving millions on the table. Then again--if the gut is telling them something, maybe it is best they listen. Airlines fortunes tend to run in cycles, and United, Delta, and SWA have all had their periods when they felt like top dog and tended to be a bit condescending and rough on some candidates. SWA has really softened their approach, and United uses a very different approach than the arrogant one they used in the late 1990s. I would hate to see us chase away good people, or launch them off with a sour taste in their mouth. My experience here at an interviewee was wonderful back in 01, and I hope our current guys get treated just as warmly. It does make a difference. That doesn't mean we hire everybody, especially if they don't fit. It does mean recruitment doesn't stop at the interview.

I'm in VIPS. If you don't believe me or want details--call or email me.

Class seniority
 

I understand that class seniority is determined by the last two of one's social. Is a low number or high number better?

Last four, and higher is better.

Is the MD still chosen for a select few? (Seem to recall reading that the company preferred Military and/or prior MD/DC-10 folks going into that aircraft as a newhire) And if one doesn't get it right away, can it be an airframe that you bid into after a few years on property?

Thanks!

They're still calling folks to offer them the MD. Lots of military, primarily C17, getting the call. However, the last MD new hire on the current training letter is in Sep. lots of A300 and 757 slots upcoming. Of course you can always try to bid over to it once your seat lock expires.

You can bid it whenever you can hold it. There is no seat lock in your initial seat. The only thing that may keep you from bidding out right away is if you took an FDA.

Incorrect. If your initial assignment is a WB then you are bound by the lateral move constraints. If your initial assignment is 757 then you can bid whatever you want and be awarded whatever you can hold.

I have noticed a few guys in each new hire class from either DL, AA, or UA. If you made the switch, or know their reasons, why?

Thanks, not good for me, but I'd be happy with any post/aircraft with FedEx.

Can anybody provide an idea of what an average MEM trip looks like on the 757, 767 & Airbus? I understand mostly hub turns, but are they built as day trips or 2-5 days with overnights? Also, about what % of flights are night vs day? Thanks!

With some kung fu using the search function you might be able to find some pretty extensive info because I know this kind of stuff has been covered before by me and others.

But, I'll try to give a broad overview. First, take any pre-conceived notions about airline trips you have from your pax flying experience and leave them out of this.

The most basic trip we have at FedEx is called a hub turn. For the sake of discussion, let's just say the night (or "AM") hub turns depart at 0300 and the day (or "PM") hub turns depart at 1500.

You depart, fly one or two legs to an out station and go to the hotel. 12-ish to 18-ish hours later, you fly one or two legs back to MEM. End of trip. Those trips pay 6 hours (unless flight time exceeds that, which does happen but it's rare). Total time away from base is ~18 to 22 hours.

The AM variety will arrive back in MEM around midnight, while the PM trips usually have a very early wakeup and will get you back to MEM around 0900-ish. The strange thing for a pax guy to get about the PM hub turns at first is that they only pay 6 hours. They look like a 2-day trip to a pax guy. Leave in the afternoon, fly to a layover and come back to the hub the next morning. However, it's all based on time away from base, not the days on the calendar.

Many lines just contain a series of these trips back to back over the course of 4-5 days. So, if you're flying a series of AM hub turns, a couple of hours after you arrive back in MEM (at midnight), you "show" for your next trip and depart at 0300 again. It's quite possible that the trip is a duplicate of the one you just flew and could be that way all week.

PM guys do the same thing, usually with a longer "turn" between trips. Arriving in MEM at ~0900 and departing again that afternoon in the ballpark of 1500.

There are other varieties of trips on all those aircraft you listed that may look like more traditional airline trips. Sometimes a Sunday PM departure will have a 24 hour layover allowing a return to MEM Monday night to begin the evening sort. Other trips are 4-5 days long and begin with a deadhead to the outstation. The pilot then spends the week flying from that station to MEM or IND (or a few other sort facilities) and "hub-turning" just like everyone else, returning to that out station every layover. At the end of the week, he deadheads back after a layover following his final duty period.

There are a few more schedule iterations on the domestic birds and the international schedules have even more variety. I don't know if that helps or not.

Adlerdriver. This does help quite a bit. Thanks for the explanation.

Where is that written? If your original seat is a WB, then if you bid to another WB right seat or to a NB right seat, then you are seat locked.

The 2016 seat bid fell under the 2011 CBA. Section 24E which did not allow new hires to switch unless 18 months in seat.

If there is a seat bid in November, or whenever the next one is rumored to be, I would assume (and you know what assume means) that it would fall under the 2015 CBA.

So how did we have a guy checked out and flying as a Captain with less than 18 months on property?

I read that section and there is no mention of a new hire being seat locked for 18 months. I do agree about the lateral seat move that UA stated, I guess I didn't read his post carefully enough.:o

Yeah, no limitation on moving up, just over.

Based on what we were told this too is incorrect . If the only seat remaining in the drop is a 757 then you have no choice and are not bound by the seat lock criteria.

For example: class of 12 new hires. The top 6 people pick a WB and number 7 picks a 757. Then numbers 8-11 pick a WB. If the only plane remaining is a 757 for the last person then they are not bound by the seat lock criteria because he had no choice. However, the person in seventh place who picked a 757 INSTEAD of a WB is bound by the seat lock since it was his decision to pick it.

Interesting. We were told this scenario you described involved the triggering of Passover pay but not bidding other jets. In fact two of the gentlemen in my class went 757 by choice and were on the 777 before 18 months.

UA

Again, what seat lock are you talking about. I can't find any mention of a new hire seat lock in either the 2011 contract or the 2015 contract. As UA stated, there are lateral/downbid restrictions, but no new hire seat lock restrictions that I can find. Can you point me to the place in the contract you are referring to?

Unfortunately I can't. It's just what we were told. I think it was either 18 or 24 months. You might just call training and ask for the answer and a reference. I'm sure they'll be happy to help you.

I apologize for any confusion in the initial question...I'm an outsider looking in. (have a cjo somewhere else and interview soon) just wondering what the options are for a new guy.

Thanks to everyone that posted!

Thanks for the explanation. How many days off is guaranteed for line holders and reserves?

Just curious. Anyone heard of anyone leaving Fedex for one of the legacies? Perhaps they didn't like the cargo lifestyle?

We have 8 months a year with a max of 15 work days out of 28 and 4 months with a max of 19 days on out of 35. Essentially the same for Regular, Secondary, and Reserve lines. Depending on manning I have seen as low as 12 work day lines.

Has anyone received an interview invite since going to obap?

Crickets Crickets

Hopefully this will be the case. If the company continues to offer "captain only" vacancy bids with relatively small numbers of F/O slots in the widebodies coming open due to secondaries (and filled by much more senior pilots), you may find yourself stuck on whatever airplane or base you are hired into for a long, long time.

Or you can bid 757 captain in a few years at 100% and be on reserve forever while others bid on top of you.

I hope that this is not the new normal. It seems like it would be much more advantageous from a safety and training success standpoint that the company allows us to experience a new airplane (or international flying for those who haven't done a lot of it) from the right seat for a few years before upgrading to captain in it, not to mention the QOL angle.

It would also be a tremendous mess if the economy got tight again and we had to do an excess bid.

Good morning, first yr guy looking for some advice/additional info on:
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Thanks

~S

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Got through interview process, waiting on paperwork. For planning purposes, I believe the hotel is my responsibility for part of training? If so how long and any recommendations?

Hotel is your responsibility through all of training. 10 days or so of basic indoc, probably a 1 - 2 week break, and then ITU for approx 6 weeks. Fedex doesn't pay for anything, you'll need a crash pad, lots of hotel points, or a relative that lives in the area unless you have really deep pockets to pay for a hotel the entire time.

Congrats! Try the Fedex Crashpads Facebook page. It is a good source.

Ouch. And thanks.

Nice. Any indication on next class dates?


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Thanks! Trying not to get too excited til all paperwork is done and CJO in hand. They said they're running 2 classes in Sept (11th and 25th I believe) with some talk of the 24th cause the MD program starts on a Sunday. And they think two in October.

There was a sweet conversion van for sale located in the democrat pilot parking lot. You will just need to find a place to park it or move it every few days to throw off security.