biigD

Yep, there's a reason why the guy that left for FedEx is being talked about by everyone - it's not normal. But good for him - I think it's healthy to chase what you want.

TorqueWrench

Why does company culture even come into the equation? I can’t figure this out. Pilots aren’t really brand ambassadors or customer facing in the sense that many believe. Why not just show up on time, look at the release and to fly your trip and come home? It’s not like we’re in HR trying to sell the “culture”.

Culture can change when management changes. All in all though, it’s probably a win-win. The guy who left AA (or UAL) gets to go somewhere that will make him happy, and at the same time it opens up a spot for someone who wants to work at AA (or UAL) and will be grateful.

Ninethstage

Company culture is a lot of things. I think generally company cultures mirror society to one degree or another and right now it seems like a race to who’s the most woke.

I saw the impact of company culture as a ramper walking past the counter of AA 15 years ago after the US Airways and AmericaWest mergers and I’ve never seen a more bitter group of employees.

Contrast that with personally watching a customer service manager at SWA refund a ticket for a customer who had been ripping the customer service agent a new one over whatever the reason was that person was ****ed off. I listened to the manager say “I’ve been listening to you talk to my customer service agent and I’ve refunded your ticket and we don’t want your business.”

That’ll leave an impression. I also worked a contracting job in Afghanistan where “bobs” were flown all the way over there to ask why they were bleeding out employees faster than they could attract new hires - and when given the laundry list of reasons from all of us the response was “yeah but we pay you a lot of money.”

Money ain’t everything.

Timing is everything, Life is unfair, and we all make decisions.

NuGuy

It might have come down to math. Assuming he was 35 when hired at AA, that puts him at 44. Hired into a 75 or maybe a FO WB seat. Killing it by year 2 and maybe upgrade by year 4 if not sooner. That’s 17 years at FedEx captain pay. DC money ports over and he’ll have a respectable fraction of a DB plus the DC contribution FedEx gives.

Might have been the smart play, depending on personal circumstance.

OpieTaylor

He either doesn’t mind being rude to his family, or they left him, or he never had one, or he is starting a new one and it makes since somehow.

Not leaving is more about stability to your family, and not jerking them and your wife’s career around than by not being able to find a better job. Or being scared of job security. Giving everyone whiplash after 9 years is typically more harmful than the salary gains. I can easily see it not reflecting negatively on AA at all. It also sends a signal your focused on your career still and not you wife and kids lives.

jaxsurf

Wow.

Why do you feel so comfortable passing judgment on the actions of someone you know nothing about, much less their reasons for doing said actions?

busdriver12

That’s a rather negative take. Much more likely that Memphis is he and his wife’s hometown, and he’s been trying to get back forever. That is much more typical of the type of person we have who leaves other carriers to come to FedEx, not ones who hate their family.

OpieTaylor

I don’t, I was responding to someone who said it was AA toxic culture, or BK. I got defensive of AA and retaliated to it being a personal decision. I didn’t mean to make them all negative, I included starting a new family, and meant starting a family and making a selfless decision moving on their behalf. I wasn’t implying new vs old.

jaxsurf

Yeah gotcha, and I do agree that citing the culture and/or risk of bankruptcy would be silly conclusions.

But who really knows I guess.

RJSAviator76

I believe we had a captain of 16 years do that exact thing at Southwest back in 2016.