July 2018 Big 6 10 yr retirement percentages
#31
Because it's a completely different sort of job. I don't care for pax/flight attendant contact, and I like being able to drop or swap my entire month. Those are my priorities, and pay is not that important. Other people might enjoy the social contact, hate night flying, and wouldn't fly freight unless they were desperate.
Hi, I'm contrails, nice to meet you. Sure, I'll take a bottle of water and may we get a trashbag please...thanks. No, we layover a bit longer than that, so we'll head downtown. Great, thanks again.
I think I'd enjoy freight but I will also say that I can drop/swap my entire month, not sure if you presumed that to be a thing unique to where you are but I don't think it is.
Both have their pros and cons.
#32
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Joined APC: Apr 2018
Posts: 2,987
Because it's a completely different sort of job. I don't care for pax/flight attendant contact, and I like being able to drop or swap my entire month. Those are my priorities, and pay is not that important. Other people might enjoy the social contact, hate night flying, and wouldn't fly freight unless they were desperate.
#33
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Joined APC: Jan 2018
Posts: 114
I think what’s more important is the percentage of the fleet that’s widebody. AA also has many more total airframes than UAL. United has a much higher percentage of widebody flying vs total flying. You have to be in the top 20% of the seniority list at AA to hold group 4 CA (777,787,330). That seems like it will change though as AA replaces 767s with 787s creating more group 4 jobs.
Yep didn’t think of that, I lost my thought process after a few variables
Squirrel!!
#34
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Joined APC: Jan 2018
Posts: 114
As a late 2016 hire at FedEx I can tell you we havent hired 30 percent of our list in the past few years. In the past 4 years we have hired about 900 and our seniority list is about 4800. That is less than 20%. The fleet is also growing the past 3 years and if you look at planned aircraft retirement and deliveries the growth continues for some time. Onviously this is due to freight demand around the globe. The last two bids the past two years have seen numerous pilots awarded 757 Capt. with less than 3 years on property. Just wanted to give a little more accurate data for the airline I know.
#35
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Joined APC: Jun 2018
Posts: 1,838
No back log. Our bids for equipment only happen about once a year and that training letter will take up the whole year. So lets say your awarded 757 capt on the bid in Febuary but you may not train out until next fall. All the training slots monthly are bid for in seniority order.
#36
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Posts: 492
BTW, I am a new hire at AA and I have been able to swap/drop my schedule completely around this summer and this is our "peak" season. Amazing the ability to change your schedule here. No weekends in July with only 6 days of flying and I turned around and picked up a 2.5 day trip ( wanted to visit a friend in a layover city) so now I am at 9 days. I am junior, imagine if I was senior (like say #1). They say AA has the worst contract, if this is bad then I cant imagine how good UAL and Delta are for trip trading and dropping. But hey, enjoy FedEx and I will enjoy AA.
#37
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When you get senior enough on a w/b you hold trips that guys want. Bam, everything is gone. I've dropped my entire award in months past and replaced it with other flying. If I wanted to I could have dropped to zero.
The top guys are flying about 2.5 trips per month.
The top guys are flying about 2.5 trips per month.
#38
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Joined APC: Nov 2013
Posts: 2,756
So for clarification: #1 at AA/DAL/UAL where you can fly when, what, and where you want for bottom of the list at Fedex flying night hub turns and flying out of Memphis? Just want to be clear thats what you are saying. Have you ever flown pax before? Very little contact. If you hate the terminal and TSA maybe I would get it but even then, #1 for the bottom? I stand by my statement.
BTW, I am a new hire at AA and I have been able to swap/drop my schedule completely around this summer and this is our "peak" season. Amazing the ability to change your schedule here. No weekends in July with only 6 days of flying and I turned around and picked up a 2.5 day trip ( wanted to visit a friend in a layover city) so now I am at 9 days. I am junior, imagine if I was senior (like say #1). They say AA has the worst contract, if this is bad then I cant imagine how good UAL and Delta are for trip trading and dropping. But hey, enjoy FedEx and I will enjoy AA.
BTW, I am a new hire at AA and I have been able to swap/drop my schedule completely around this summer and this is our "peak" season. Amazing the ability to change your schedule here. No weekends in July with only 6 days of flying and I turned around and picked up a 2.5 day trip ( wanted to visit a friend in a layover city) so now I am at 9 days. I am junior, imagine if I was senior (like say #1). They say AA has the worst contract, if this is bad then I cant imagine how good UAL and Delta are for trip trading and dropping. But hey, enjoy FedEx and I will enjoy AA.
I worked 1/2-2/3 a schedule for 18 years at FedEx when my kids were at home. Having the option to drop everything the months you want off, and pick up as much as you want the months you want to work extra is key. I'm glad AA has flexibility now, as back in the day what you were awarded was what you flew. Your hours increases were limited, and options to swap/drop were nil.
If I was a newhire, and I could be one of those Delta 900K+ captains on the first day for the next 30 years, yes, I'd choose that. But in my current situation where lifestyle is key and pay is not, I'd still be the bottom guy at FedEx, since people are moving up quickly, some are still hired into widebody slots. I'm flying widebody daytime deadhead trips with newhires, and it amazes me. However, at some point this is going to all come to an end, and no, I wouldn't want to be the last one hired into the right seat of the 757 for the rest of my career.
I apologize for the thread drift.
#39
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Joined APC: Jun 2018
Posts: 1,838
So for clarification: #1 at AA/DAL/UAL where you can fly when, what, and where you want for bottom of the list at Fedex flying night hub turns and flying out of Memphis? Just want to be clear thats what you are saying. Have you ever flown pax before? Very little contact. If you hate the terminal and TSA maybe I would get it but even then, #1 for the bottom? I stand by my statement.
BTW, I am a new hire at AA and I have been able to swap/drop my schedule completely around this summer and this is our "peak" season. Amazing the ability to change your schedule here. No weekends in July with only 6 days of flying and I turned around and picked up a 2.5 day trip ( wanted to visit a friend in a layover city) so now I am at 9 days. I am junior, imagine if I was senior (like say #1). They say AA has the worst contract, if this is bad then I cant imagine how good UAL and Delta are for trip trading and dropping. But hey, enjoy FedEx and I will enjoy AA.
BTW, I am a new hire at AA and I have been able to swap/drop my schedule completely around this summer and this is our "peak" season. Amazing the ability to change your schedule here. No weekends in July with only 6 days of flying and I turned around and picked up a 2.5 day trip ( wanted to visit a friend in a layover city) so now I am at 9 days. I am junior, imagine if I was senior (like say #1). They say AA has the worst contract, if this is bad then I cant imagine how good UAL and Delta are for trip trading and dropping. But hey, enjoy FedEx and I will enjoy AA.
AA is a great gig and no one is discrediting this. As one who left the big 3 in late 2016 I can tell you unequivocally that the money and quality of life for me as a cummutter is way better now at FDX. I have been a WB FO from day 1. I upgrade to 757 Capt next year. I am 31 years old so do the math. Its simple math to add up the rates from AA and the rates from FDX and how long you will spend on each at each property. As you said AA is still lacking in its contract. I left one of the passanger ops that you labeled as a better contract place and I am saying my earning over a career are staggeringly diffrent now that im at FDX. Vacation, retirement and hourly rates are some big differences. Also we are almost always on soft time on a trip so a 4 day that pays 24 hours only has a block of less than 10 hours almost always domestically. Lots of 32+ hour overnights or weekend layovers for 2.5 days. A week of vacation with hard line bidding gets you the entire month off at FDX this is not the case with PBS. These are all the things I weighed when I made my choice. Its not a comparison contest im just stating the facts from a perpesctive of a guy who did both sides of the house.
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