Why is that?

I'd hire the one I want to work with and sit next to for 6 days, not the doucher with the chip on his shoulder that will ear rape me for a week straight.

I'm sorry you're still bitter over Comair. But in my 6 years at Delta I have NEVER seen any Delta pilot treat a regional pilot poorly. Most are quite accommodating, friendly, and sociable to regional pilots. And most of the time my captains allow regional pilots to stow their bags in the flight deck, even if they're sitting in the back.

Have a nice day. :)

Most likely what he is experiencing is his own bitterness radiating outward and bouncing off of those he accuses of being bitter towards him.

Hmm...What happened to Larry David's last remark? It would have been #43 or #44 I guess. I was getting the popcorn ready.

If you guys ever walked a mile in a Comair pilot's shoes, you'd understand his frustration. We all experienced it, even those of us that had nothing to do with the shenanigans of the early part of the last decade.

Some of the shunning of the Comair guys by the Delta guys was real, some was just perceived but regardless, there was bad blood on both sides. Lots of people on both sides couldn't let go of the past and move forward. Unfortunately, it was the junior Comair guys that had nothing to do with any of it that paid the price for the mistakes and miscommunication and other nonsense of the early 2000s.

His frustration is understandable from my point of view.

Umm... I never mentioned anything about Comair and being bitter towards DL because of that whole debacle. That's all in the past. That's not why I wouldn't want to work for Delta. I have my own personal reason. All I mentioned earlier was how I think the whole hiring selection will go down based on my past observation. You guys don't have to agree with me. You can look at the DL hiring news thread, obviously I'm not the only one making these observations.

Anyway, I'll let you guys go back to discussing sick calls. Carry on.

Jesus dude, I can't believe you have been there that long!, feels like yesterday I was yanking gear for you, lol

I don't have a problem with the fact that you don't want to work for Delta. I don't want to work for SWA. What I do have an issue with is the way people inaccurately portray the pilot group.

I guess it's really only been 5.5 years. But it does feel like it was just yesterday that you were saving me from filing ASAPs. :D

Willing to put $$$ on it? I'd be surprised if women/minorities account for 7% of the group. I'd even go double or nothing to say they're not even 10%. If women and minorities are the majority of pilots you're seeing at DAL you may have some personal bias you need to deal with.......

Huh? Do you think I'm wrong? I'm lost.

Technically, they are asking you how many times you called in sick and not how often do you get sick. Semantics, I know, but I think it's fair enough of a question.

Only advice I have here is to be 100% honest because they will look into it and it'll be in your records. Heard a story when I went through about a newhire being pulled from sim training and sent home because he mislead the interviewers in believing he had much less sick calls then actual. ( 2-3 as opposed to over 15-18 )

I don't think the sick calls are as big an issue as everyone makes out to be. I'm guessing once your calling out more than 10 random times throughout the year you may have to explain yourself a little, but being honest goes a long way.

Not that I am worried about sick calls, but how are sick calls going to be in my records?? I did not think attendance was PRIA. Just wondering....

How far back would they be asking me about. Am I going to have to call my high school nurse and ask her how many days of school I missed? :rolleyes:

Okay, previous to Delta I was a corporate pilot. Actually, chief pilot. They absolutely asked me about my attendance and it was a funny conversation. Somewhere I mentioned the job was 6 days a week unless you flew on Sunday then it was 7. Unless we flew I was at the office 9am-5pm and then work from home after the wife went to bed. It was a big plane, big hangar, lots of vendors, lots of demand and a lot of work. My phone usually rang at 9-10am on Saturday to review the numbers and that was more of a pop quiz than anything. And although I didn't mention this in the interview, a sick call on a charter trip only cost the boss around $50-$80K, so get well fast. I had perfect attendance for all of it, I even missed an earlier interview and had to reschedule because the boss wanted to use the plane for a pointless short trip.

So the interviewer was laughing when he said, "so, who do I asked about your attendance record?" Me. "So, how was your attendance?" GREAT. They laughed.

But note, they asked but did not ask about my previous airline job.

There was was a rumor there were some Comair (might be wrong but definitely DCI pilots) who were interviewing at Delta and had called in sick to make the interview. I don't want to screw up how the story goes but the gist was they weren't hired because Delta figured out that day they'd called in sick to be there. Don't quote me, it might not even be true, just a rumor.

Key is to be very very honest about it. That's all I know.

I was asked twice by two people in a Southwest interview if I have ever called out sick when I wasn't really sick. I thought about it for a second:

1. I tell them no. They know I'm a liar.
2. I tell them yes. They know I'm a liar.

It's a pretty lousy question in my opinion. I told them I missed a commute once and then told them about my best friends mom that died so I called out to stay with him.

I didn't get an offer (thank god, it was after the AirTran merger).

RK

I'd venture to guess that this is probably the most accurate. Assuming of course, it's not some outrageous number.

It's primarily and honesty test. If you called in 5 times that year, and told them 5 times that year, they call and and it's in fact 5 times, well then the honesty check is complete. The candidate DIDN'T lie nor was dishonest about their sick calls.

Again, assuming the number isn't some crazy amount.

Same with the tickets/traffic violations. Just tell the truth on how many, if applicable.

Interviewers cannot ask how many times you called in sick. They can ask about being "absent other than sick", etc. but not sick use.

And most defiantly delta cannot ask your employer how many times you called in.

Unless you work at PinnDeavor, then Delta can see everything. They'll stare into your soul! :p:eek:

I'm not sure exactly. I doubt sick calls are noted in PRIA records, however once offered employment I believe new employers are entitled to previous employers employees' records. I believe those records include training/recurrent results as well as on going attendance records.

Personally I don't think sick calls are the issue as much as being truthful and honest. If an applicant comes off as disingenuous or insincere the interviewers will likely be turned off.

Example, when asked if you've applied anywhere else don't lie and tell them no. It's highly unlikely that pilots will only send in one application to a specific company and hold out for the call. I know I didn't.

WHen I interviewed with Delta, I was at ASA which was still wholly owned at the time. Walking through the ASA crew room after th einterview, the CP stuck his head out the door and congratulated me on being hired. I played dumb and pretended not to know what he was talking about. He told me to relax, the day prior, during the face to face interview, when I left the room to go sit in the wooden chair, the HR person picked up the phone and called him to talk about me.

They know who to call and what to ask. Be honest, even if you have to throw yourself somewhat under the bus. If they catch a lie they will move fast to cut you out, even if you have already started class.

Honesty is always the best policy. As long as you don't take a bunch of "sickations" per year you should be fine. I still disagree with them asking about it, however, you do sign the waver when you interview allowing them to look at your attendance record(so I have heard).

Even if they don't pull your records from your previous employers, they can still check....your log book!

If you've been junior and never flown on a holiday, super bowl, etc., no big deal, just be ready to explain (without getting too defensive).

Especially if you have at 737 type rating with zero 737 hours logged. :eek:

(Sort of) valid point.

But the couple times I was a junior CA in a new base, I was able carry my vacations from being a senior FO with me. Resulting in up to 2 weeks off over holidays. Sure, they could ask, and that's what I'd tell an employer.

I've also sat an entire 4-5 day stretch of reserve over Thanksgiving/Christmas without getting called. With 3 days off prior and after meaning 10-11 straight days of NO entry in my log book.

I've also sat a month of long all reserve, ONE entry in the book.

They grilled me pretty good over having the FE written done. Obviously were concerned about me jumping ship to FedEx.

Just an FYI, they actually do check up on attendance with your employer. When I was hired, the CP at my regional posted the letter he got requesting the records for several of us on his office door (names blacked out). Take it for what it's worth.

I bet attendance has mysteriously improved lately at the regionals.

Part of me really hates them looking into this, but part of me understands it is a 100% valid question. They do need to know if you are one of those guys that simply cannot miss the superbowl.

What this industry desperately needs are no questions asked personal days... something most companies have. There's this funny thing called life that makes it so that you sometimes cannot come in, and you're not sick.

It'd be easy. Block the dozen or so major holidays. Everyone gets one or two a year. I'd not even care if it was unpaid. The requirement is to give a minimum of 24 hours notice prior to the sequence start, and you're off.

aw man tell me you olayed a mind game...

"why do I have an FE written? why do you think... (whisper) its for the merger... (touch nose with index finger twice then pull your ear lobe... do not touch their nose or pull their ear lobes)"

or just say its for your 727 then go silent with an accusing look.

"Because your application on airlineapps had a box for the FE written."

Maybe you could say I only call in sick for work if I am sick or sick of work.

:D

see if they laugh.