Skubajet

That's an excellent point you make. However these mega mergers are suppose to stabilize a historically unstable industry therefore preventing the nightmares of the past. Just look at the profits Delta made last quarter. And this was done in an economy that still isn't doing that great. If AA plays its cards right which I believe it will, it will do just as well. The South American economy has grown tremendously the last few years and with AA's huge footprint down there, I'm certain they will take full advantage of that.

Speaking of terrorism and economic downturns....most of us fear furloughs. In this situation I would much rather be at a carrier with high numbers of retirements on the horizon than a place with few to none. For example in 3 yrs I'd guess a new hire at a legacy today (ucal,dal,aa) would be around 1000-1500 above the bottom? This is one of the big reasons my top choice was a legacy... more seniority = more job security IMHO

Spicy McHaggis

No I'm not particularly senior. Bottom line holder that drifts into reserve territory depending on the bid month. Been with the company 8 years (been on the 777 for about 3). 75%-ish overall in the company. The reason I can hold the 777 is alluded to in the second part of this post, basically there is a variety of flying and some people like intl and some don't.





Yeah it's hard to describe the gig to someone who hasn't done it. But the beauty of a large network airline is the variety of flying. One can try out the long haul stuff, find out they hate it, and go back to domestic type flying. Or if they like it, they can camp out in the right seat and enjoy it.


Another factor, at least where I work (and probably most legacy type airlines), is a person can make more money sitting right seat in a widebody vs flying as a junior captain on reserve or bottom line holder on a narrow body. I'm willing to bet I make more than some guys in my newhire class who upgraded on the 737. Even if I didn't, I am damn sure I make more per day of work than they do.

Busting ass 18 days a month on reserve getting days rolled or holding a crappy non-commutable early start/late finish line complete with delays, gate holds, airport sits and all the other associated bull****, vs working 3-4 trips totaling 10 days (typical line holder days off) where each trip is one leg out and one leg back? Working 8 more days a month for 12 months. That's 96 days, over three months more work a year, for how much more? What is another three months of work worth? $20k? $25k? After taxes? $12-15k?




I'll caveat it with it may not stay like this. We have some pretty good flying and great schedules, but that could change at the whim of marketing. It's possible to get bumped off the plane if there are displacements. It's possible the company will tank. Who knows? But right now my personal experience has been pretty good. When you think of the stereotypical "what a kid from the 60s" thinks an airline pilot does, that stereotype is basically dead these days. Well, the last place it exists is in the long haul world. It's pretty good.

Except for the FAs. They aren't like the 60s. The were hired in the 60s maybe. Jurassic Park comes to mind.


Sorry for the rambling, the polar radiation has scrambled my brain a little..

Timbo

Well, I've got no crystal ball, or I'd be doing something else.

Anything could happen to the US Majors in the next 10 years, and as many have said here before, you won't know if you made the right choice until the day you retire, and by then it's too late to change your mind.

So, good luck to us all.

ghilis101

Fantastic insight from the 777 guys. My goal one day is to be a senior wide body FO on reserve having to go back to the sim every 3 months to get my take offs and landings!

Free Flyer

^^^^^^^^
Someone gets it! Better than flying 6 legs a day on the 737!

DCA A321 FO

At Airways they buy you trips, trust me :-) to keep your landing quals.

Had zero landings for OCT, but got paid 25 hours over guarantee, lots of deadheads.

JoeyMeatballs

Everyone seems to know what's best for everyone else, lol. Variety of intl flying will eventually become just as mundane as the domestic stuff. How many times can you wander around Rome by yourself? Even if it was twice a month, I would personally want to blow my brains out flying an 8 hr leg. (It's just me,I know everyone is different).

There are hundreds of reasons why I think the New AA would be a good place to work, but variety of flying to me really wouldn't be one of them. An airplane is an airplane and a city is a city. Retirement, growth, retirements, bases you can drive to, company culture etc are decent reasons but after a while I'm sure the flying all becomes the same. Of course if you fly less and make more on the WB......have at it

(Like someone posted, I have never done that type of flying so I'm not speaking from experience, just thinking out loud).

Like I said earlier, go to the place that will allow you to have a batter QOL outside of work, that's more important IMO

Spicy McHaggis

My personal record (and this will never happen again), went non qual and they were backed up with the sim slots and had to buy my entire line which was compressed at the beginning of the month. Worked two extra trips after getting the landings done.

Six days of flying, two days of sim and travel: 135 hrs of pay.

But like I said, that'll never happen again!!

John Carr

I would agree. And the numbers DON'T lie. We're going to see the most insane movement as far as seniority progression that hasn't been seen in OVER 12 years here shortly. Barring catastrophic terror/economic collapse, etc.

So for all the bragadochios lamenting about how awesome it is to be senior on the WB, hardly working, collecting the big pay check. The reality IS, they WEREN'T born in that seat/seniority. Depending on the carrier, they had to suck being junior at some point. And possibly junior for a LONG time, on a B-scale, etc. They may have suffered multiple displacements before they even got there. They may have been into their late 40's/early 50's before they even saw it. Take a look at the BOTTOM line holders at UAL, AA, and USAir doing the WB/int'l. THEN take a look at their hire dates. At UAL, prior to 9/11 a new guy could hold WB pretty quick, AFTER 9/11, if he STILL had a job, he's bottom gear slinger reserve on the NB under a concession, pressed to min days off, max flying, and possibly commuting etc. Meanwhile that "dumb guy" that went to SW is moving up every month, collecting MORE and MORE money every month, watching his QOL/days off increase every month.

Just circling back to the point. What it looks like now may NOT be for certain.

Timbo

Working for one of the Majors with a choice of several different airframes, domestic and international flying, many bases, etc. offers you some variety over the span of your career, and some people feel variety is the spice of life.

I've found I get pretty bored after flying the same airframe for more than about 5-6 years and I'm ready to try something else, both airframe wise and layover destination wise. Flying a 737 for 35 years to the same locations would make me pretty bored.

Right now I'm doing what to me is the most boring flying possible; Ultra Long Range stuff on the 777. You take off and then sit in the tube for 15-17 hours, one of the four of you get to land. The good news is, after that you go to a very nice hotel for 24-48+ hours of fun, usually, but then you've got to fly the same long, boring flight home.

The only reason any of us do it is for the money and the time off. You can cram 30+ hours into two legs, 4 day trip, sign in late, get home early, do that 3 times a month you've got 90 hours and you worked 12 days. Well, not really 12, because you had three 24 hour layovers, so you only worked 9 days. BUT...there were 4 of you on each leg, so for 50% of the flight, you were upstairs sleeping, so in reality, you only "Worked" about 4 1/2 days! Dozing for Dollars! But it's not fun flying, it's just sitting, waiting hours for the layover.

It's very boring, flying wise, but it gives you the most money, and most time off, which is what I came here for in the first place. When I get the itch to "Fly" I borrow one of my buddies little airplanes and get my landings in a tailwheel, on a grass strip, hopefully with a crosswind. That's fun flying.