Sounds like you fear taking chances?? Having Comair as "insurance" is like having a dried up, expired condom in your wallet.
Take the leap, take some chances to make your life/career better. Or, look back later in life at "what I should have/could have done".

On a side note: A guy that used to work for me just got an interview at Eagle. 850 TT and 50 ME.
Good for him, but sad that the regionals are back to hiring low time people again! After the Colgan incident, I thought things would be different....guess not.

 

I'm taking it. I'd rather get something for officially separating than dropping off the list in 2 years. (I think we only retain furlough seniority list rights for 5 years). Us '08 furloughees don't have much time left.

 

This really has me scratching my head. If I were a furloughed pilot I would take the ~$1000 and run, especially knowing that in two years I'd be history to the company anyway. However...

Why is the company spending this money that they don't have to, if in two years or so I would lose recall rights anyway? Someone suggested that the company is paying this to inoculate themselves from a possible age discrimination lawsuit, but I would venture that most (if not all) of the 51 furloughs that were offered the buyout were less than 40 years of age or if not, already had other jobs.

From an age discrimination lawsuit standpoint, this strategy has never been used (to my knowledge) with a labor group such as pilots, where starting over really means "starting over." Also, how many 57 year old pilots is American Eagle hiring these days?

 

Not sure why it's being offered.... but I'm glad. My DOH package is work >$6k... taking it and runnin! I guess I don't understand the 'age discrimination' thing though...

 

For all you guys hired in '07-'08, take it from a guy who got hired in the good times and left ('02)...Comair has been steadily shrinking since about 2004-2005. Not one real bit of good news has come that way in more than 7 years.... Upgrades that occurred in 2006-2007 were only due to attrition because others saw the writing on the wall and went to other places or were lucky enough to get hired by a couple majors....Now those upgrades are downgrades and soon to be furloughees...!

When I was there they had more than 160 a/c and were slated to keep growing.... the -700 had just arrived and things were good.... Comair is going to be a quarter of the size they were.. If you have a chance to take the money---do it... So many hopes of a brighter future have been dashed there it's ridiculuous... (think pay cut/ pay freeze) all for nothing.

$.02

 

Pretty much everyone in any hiring department knows Comair's fate at this point. So explaining in an interview that you took a buyout due to a workforce reduction, is like easy spread butter. However, if you don't take the buyout and you have on your resume that you were an FO for 10 years at Comair, the people are going to ask you why you didn't take a buyout(Everyone knows they are offered.) When you explain that you still saw a future on the pretty much already sunken ship, they may question your judgement.

 

So if we take the buyout when do we get the checks?

 

Turbo, if that might be the case, then why would those HR departments even bother interviewing that person?.
Comair is a crap-shoot right now, and it does not matter what or how we speculate, we just don't know the outcome.
Best of luck to those taking the buyout.

 

Considering that not all classes are full and not all that show up make it through, I'd say the answer is "as many as we can get." Don't have to worry about them maxing out the pay scale, or probably going somewhere else in six months.

When I was in training a couple weeks ago there was a retired ATC Controller in new hire class, and I know of one FO here who is at least 60, is retired military, was a CA at ATA and original Midway, and was furloughed from Eagle a couple years ago.

 

I didn't say that you wouldn't get an interview for having Comair on your resume. I think places actually like to see Comair (except for Delta.) So you will get the interview. I went to 4 interviews after having taken the buyout from Comair and EVERY time I was asked what drove my decision to take the buyout. I would imagine if you are furloughed, the employer will probably ask if you think you may be recalled soon, or if you are willing to give up your seniority number. If you respond with a "Yes", then it would have been a better option to take the buyout.

IMO I think that being furloughed and hanging on to a company that just has a little hiccups to get over is one thing, but holding on to a company that is clearly dismantling, is something different and it's no secret that Comair isn't just getting over a hurdle.

Good Luck guys!