Globemaster2827

What would you propose we do as Atlas Pilots to be "part of the solution"? Just wondering...

5Ypilot

Atlas is an accident waiting to happen. Coming to work is miserable in this climate, running not walking is sound advice.

jackcarls0n

Anyone care to share some quick info about some basic stuff; things that no one cares about initially, but end up complaining about later. Questions are for the 747 drivers and their lifestyle.

i) Does Atlas buy you uniform and Luggage?
ii) Do you get descent meals on the plane? Beverages, snacks etc? (Food out of Anchorage is the worst, even on my airline. McD would get a 5 star compared to what we get served, but anyway!)
iii)What kind of hotels do you get when you are Outside US?
iv) Does the company issue you EFB's? A cellphone to contact you, since you are all over the world?
v) Does the hotel provide breakfast at layovers? (previous regional airline, breakfast not included at nicer hotels)
vi) Do you get over-ride pay, if you fly to places deemed dangerous? (Like Afghanistan, Iraq etc)
vii) How long are the layovers? Longest and the shortest ones? Are the 17 day pattern quite tiring? Or fairly relaxed with some 24-48 hours stay?

Any other basic things to add?

Thank you all in advance.

Twin Wasp

Uniform yes, luggage no.

Depends on the station. Some are not bad, some are inedible.

Mainly decent, a few layovers need work.

Company provides an iPad. Crew members get a phone however the phone function is disabled on F/Os phone so all they can do is text the the company.

Some do, some don't. Company is required by the contract to make "best effort" to provide breakfast. Best effort appears to be, "Is it cheaper without breakfast? Then that's the rate we want." In my opinion it's a distraction because many times you're not at the hotel for breakfast.

Yes. Time and a half flight time in and out. Nothing for the time you stay there.

12 hours-5 days. Seventeen days with your body clock set to Asia means you lose about 20 days of the month by the time you readjust to US time. I worked overnight hub turns 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off in the prior job. Seventeen days of Atlas is much more tiring. A 24 hour layover in many people's opinion is the worst you can have. A couple hours to get to sleep, 8-10 hours of sleeping, up for a while and just when you want to go back to sleep it's time to go fly.

742Dash

i) Yes/no. Uniforms are from a low quality vendor.
ii) Varies. Sandwiches, fruit and one meal <8 hours, 2 meals >8 hours.
iii) Usually fairly good. They can not get too cheap, as they need a 24 hour English speaking front desk.
iv) An iPad and a crippled Samsung phone. Don't do personal stuff on company equipment. Lots of guys carry T-Mobile.
v) Usually no. The union lost a big grievance on this. [And I wonder if management has a clue about how much that victory continues to cost them? Everyday, all over the world, pilots are reminded of what the company's word is worth. Every...single...day.]
vi) 50%. One guy's "dangerous" is another guy's "interesting and fun". Do not come here if you are fearful of sh*tholes.
vii) Varies. THERE IS NO STANDARD TRIP AT ATLAS -- people outside the company can not seem to grasp this. Odds of flying your published schedule are low. Odds of almost daily changes are high.

not asked 1) Budget on min guarantee, consider yourself to be paid by CRT. Do not look at a schedule that you have not yet flown and calculate the pay. Guys who do the latter end up frustrated and angry. At Atlas the future is just pretend.

not asked 2) Understand that this is a very, very large charter operation -- and all that goes with that. It is not a scheduled airline in the traditional sense.

jackcarls0n

Twin Wasp and 742 Dash. Thanks for the insight. Good info. I understand the schedule changes. I fly freighter right now, and the schedule changes are a common thing. Budgeting is very important and planning expenses with min-guarantee is the best thing to do. Living-off min guarantee though can be challenging, especially after deducting taxes, medicare etc.

Layovers of 12 hours to 5 days? Wow, that is quite big! Good to know.

BTW, for 17 days, how do you guys manage the luggage? I fly 7-8 day patterns max and carry a huge suitcase and a handbag! I see Atlas guys using Luggage Work suitcases? Is that feasible for 17 days? Free laundry at hotels?

kme9418

1. I don't bid 17 day trips. I have a 60 day line right now that is 3 trips (10/10/12).
2. I carry a 26" bag and a carry on, pack for about 12 days, pay for laundry when I get a chance...usually about once a week depending on location and length of layover.

Some guys do laundry in the hotel sink which I think is unsanitary.

742Dash

Pack for 6 or 7 days. Do laundry when/where you can -- ask your fellow pilots for suggestions at the start of your first few trips.

"Travel" or "hiking" clothing also helps. Not a lot of it, but a change or two of such clothing can really stretch things. (ExOfficio is one brand, but there are a number of options.)

And I have to disagree about sink laundry. I do that with the travel/hiking stuff (which is what it is designed for), and believe that it is more sanitary than the HKG bulk laundries. But to each his own.

Globemaster2827

1. Uniforms - You get a yearly allowance. Luggage - No.
2. Most of the food throughout the system is bad. I bring hot sauce to doctor it up and try to show up fed when it's time to fly. I usually get food poisoning once a year.
3. The hotels outside the US are usually pretty nice.
4. We get an iPad for use to read our regs and Jepps. A company PCD is used to wake us up and check our schedules. The phone function is activated only for Captains.
5. Some hotels provide breakfast for free. We have in our contract that the company isn't allowed to negotiate for a lower rate to eliminate our free breakfast but it's hard to prove if they do that. We've had a grievance that we lost over it. It's best to say that sometimes you get a free breakfast and sometimes it's good.
6. We have countries designated as "Hostile". When you fly into those places you get 50% of the block hours over guarantee. So if you fly 20 hours in one month you'll get 10 hours of hostile pay at the end of the next month.
7. I've had 72 hour layovers in SYD before but those are going away with us being short on pilots. We also have 12 hour block to block layovers for minimum rest. It all depends on the situation.

Basic things to add?.... Don't come here unless this is the last thing you need to jump to a forever airline. Things are bad and we've hired a ton of people the last two years who are senior to you. If a Boeing type is the last thing you need to compete at the airlines you're targeting then this is a worth while stop but be prepared to be on Food Stamp pay the first 5 months you're here. Your upgrade will probably take far longer than the times you're looking at due to the mass hiring that's taken place recently and 767 Captain pay is far less than the right seat at a legacy.

Globemaster2827

With respect to the luggage... I get ridiculed for bringing the extremely large suitcase, BUT I never do laundry on the road. Never. I think it's the way to go...