Just Another "Help Me Pick" Thread
03-13-2022, 09:36 PM
#1
On Reserve
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Jul 2019
Position: CRJ Captain
Posts: 11
Just Another "Help Me Pick" Thread
Hello, friends.
I know that these "help me decide my next job" threads can be extra repetitive and posted by people who generally haven't searched the forum even a little bit. Despite my incredibly low post count, I have been a long-time lurker and I pinky swear that I have done extensive searching through this forum to find answers to my questions regarding where I want to go for my final airline destination. A great many of them have been answered in my searching, but I want to ask the ones that haven't. I am specifically looking at American, Delta, and United.
First, I am a captain at one of the regionals who has been doing a trans-con commute. I absolutely know that I absolutely need to stop doing that to survive, absolutely. I'm not even sure I can make it to tomorrow somedays. With that being said, I live in LA and that means that basically any major can give me a base that stops this punishment.
I am a person who, surprisingly given my intolerable commute, is driven by quality of life. And all of my questions to you fine people are related to that:
1. How flexible is your schedule really? I understand life in this industry is tied very solidly to seniority, but I am specifically looking for how flexible I can expect my schedule to be as a junior pilot...especially a junior pilot based in LA.
2. Can anyone speak to how easy it is to take a leave of absence for personal reasons here? I have taken a gap year before I got into this industry traveling the world and have aspirations to do things like climb the world's biggest mountains and volunteer abroad for an extended period of time.
3. What is the flying like out of LA? I can read the base drops for every major here and have been, but I am really looking for what I can expect if I stay in the Los Angeles area at each place.
As a final comment, I do have interviews with all three of the airlines listed. I have friends in all of them, but I wanted to spread my questions just a little bit further.
Thanks for the advice. Flame away!
I know that these "help me decide my next job" threads can be extra repetitive and posted by people who generally haven't searched the forum even a little bit. Despite my incredibly low post count, I have been a long-time lurker and I pinky swear that I have done extensive searching through this forum to find answers to my questions regarding where I want to go for my final airline destination. A great many of them have been answered in my searching, but I want to ask the ones that haven't. I am specifically looking at American, Delta, and United.
First, I am a captain at one of the regionals who has been doing a trans-con commute. I absolutely know that I absolutely need to stop doing that to survive, absolutely. I'm not even sure I can make it to tomorrow somedays. With that being said, I live in LA and that means that basically any major can give me a base that stops this punishment.
I am a person who, surprisingly given my intolerable commute, is driven by quality of life. And all of my questions to you fine people are related to that:
1. How flexible is your schedule really? I understand life in this industry is tied very solidly to seniority, but I am specifically looking for how flexible I can expect my schedule to be as a junior pilot...especially a junior pilot based in LA.
2. Can anyone speak to how easy it is to take a leave of absence for personal reasons here? I have taken a gap year before I got into this industry traveling the world and have aspirations to do things like climb the world's biggest mountains and volunteer abroad for an extended period of time.
3. What is the flying like out of LA? I can read the base drops for every major here and have been, but I am really looking for what I can expect if I stay in the Los Angeles area at each place.
As a final comment, I do have interviews with all three of the airlines listed. I have friends in all of them, but I wanted to spread my questions just a little bit further.
Thanks for the advice. Flame away!
03-14-2022, 08:27 AM
#3
Layover Master
Joined APC: Jan 2013
Position: Seated
Posts: 4,310
Originally Posted by asmallstep4man
2. Can anyone speak to how easy it is to take a leave of absence for personal reasons here? I have taken a gap year before I got into this industry traveling the world and have aspirations to do things like climb the world's biggest mountains and volunteer abroad for an extended period of time.
03-14-2022, 08:44 AM
#5
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Mar 2018
Posts: 2,352
From a UA perspective.
1. Too difficult to say what the future holds, but dropping trips is difficult. Seniority makes you get what you want. As a junior lineholder you get the leftovers, but that doesn’t last long at junior domiciles.
2. Personal leaves of absence are uncommon, but approved for good reasons. Not sure if yours meets that mark.
3. Kind of a non-answer, but depends on the fleet and seniority.
1. Too difficult to say what the future holds, but dropping trips is difficult. Seniority makes you get what you want. As a junior lineholder you get the leftovers, but that doesn’t last long at junior domiciles.
2. Personal leaves of absence are uncommon, but approved for good reasons. Not sure if yours meets that mark.
3. Kind of a non-answer, but depends on the fleet and seniority.
03-14-2022, 09:07 AM
#6
Prime Minister/Moderator
Joined APC: Jan 2006
Position: Engines Turn Or People Swim
Posts: 39,273
Originally Posted by asmallstep4man
2. Can anyone speak to how easy it is to take a leave of absence for personal reasons here? I have taken a gap year before I got into this industry traveling the world and have aspirations to do things like climb the world's biggest mountains and volunteer abroad for an extended period of time.
Other than waiting for a downturn and taking voluntary furlough, you'd probably need to go out on disability to get that kind of time off (but then you can't travel).
03-14-2022, 09:35 AM
#7
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jul 2013
Posts: 4,671
Originally Posted by rickair7777
Other than waiting for a downturn and taking voluntary furlough, you'd probably need to go out on disability to get that kind of time off (but then you can't travel).
03-14-2022, 02:10 PM
#9
On Reserve
Joined APC: Oct 2017
Posts: 10
Originally Posted by PotatoChip
Pick the one you're most likely to get furloughed from and you'll have plenty more gap years to come.
Last edited by jtroypaige; 03-14-2022 at 02:33 PM.
03-14-2022, 02:15 PM
#10
On Reserve
Joined APC: Oct 2017
Posts: 10
Originally Posted by rickair7777
Not likely due to employment law. They have to treat all employees equally... so if they give YOU a LOA for X reason, they'd have to grant the same to every subsequent applicant. Maybe possibly UAL if you were going to serve some woke cause and they could piggy-back some brand recognition on that?
Other than waiting for a downturn and taking voluntary furlough, you'd probably need to go out on disability to get that kind of time off (but then you can't travel).
Other than waiting for a downturn and taking voluntary furlough, you'd probably need to go out on disability to get that kind of time off (but then you can't travel).
I for one will be woke as hell if I gets me the QOL I want. Color me curious about the responses here....
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