I don't really think that discussing the terms of the contract during the interview is a good strategy. I heard of one candidate who during the interview, incorrectly, state the terms of the contract. When corrected by the Assistant Chief the candidate told her she was wrong! Obviously this person was not hired.

Another pit fall you don't want to fall into is to tell the panel that you want to work at K4 because of the contract. All that says to them is that you will leave for Atlas when they get their new contract, or someplace else that pays more. This may be true but not something you would want to say.

What's the schedule now? 17 days on including travel from home?

Almost always travel on day 0 then work and almost alway home on day 16. So yes, really 17 days

How often do people fly a split schedule or 8/6/8/7?

Been here well over a year, never done that on the 74 side of things. I have had 3 to 4 weeks off straight at times. For people that want to work 4 day trips and be home for 3 to 4 days, go to Spirit, not here.

I'm glad the know it all candidate was not offered a position. Unfortunately, several of his kind were. They make flying the line interesting. I liked the people we hired pre contract. Yes, it was extremely difficult to recruite anyone then but at least they fit in, for the most part. Beginning half way through '16 and all of '17, the classes are mostly full of people who are here only because of the new contract. You are correct about when and why they will be leaving.

This in interesting becuase what I have been told from several Captains is that the quality of hire is so much better with the new contract.

I can only speak for myself, but I can tell you that if not for the new contract I would not have applied. Now, that being said, it’s not the only reason.

I liked the schedule, the going places and the fact that It was wide-body flying all over the world and all without having to jumpseat to go sit Reserve in a crash pad somewhere.

I had been eyeing the company for a while but could not justify to my wife why I was leaving an job working half the year making very good money for one where I would be gone slightly more but making extremely less money.

The new contract allowed me to make that jump and not change my family’s standard of living in the process. Since then I have turned down two interviews at passenger airlines that I previously thought I wanted to work at and have stopped updating my apps at others.

This kind of flying may not be for everyone and some may use it as a stepping stone to other places, but I for one have found a home I plan to be at it for quite some time.

Having been at K4 nearly 7 years... cant say they are better or worse... different is a given. However, we still get some of the "old crop" of guys. The biggest difference is guys who dont quite understand that ONE.. this is still an "outfit".. not really an airline.. and TWO... that our management isnt probably like any they have worked for before especially if the majority of their experience is regional or part 91/135. That dont take Kindly to having things demanded of them amongst other things.

Not sure what you mean by management differences. My own experience has been that K4 is a few magnitudes better in terms of fairness, working with you, and staying true to their word. If anything, it’s been a very pleasant surprise, having came from a regional.
As for the comments about new guys only using this place as a stepping stone, I would like to add that I’ve heard from a few more senior pilots wanting to give South West or another pax carrier a try. It seams everyone’s wants and needs change over time, and the one constant being our schedule no longer works for them. And for anyone with 30 years left to fly, I don’t blame them for wanting to go to a Delta or a Fed Ex. I personally love it here and do not want to go anywhere else, but at the same time, I worry about long term longevity.

Yes!
New pay rates, 401K DC, QOL Improvements, and anything that really sets you guys apart from the Atlas, ATI's etc.

Thank you!