Hate to sound like an A-hole, but he is either bitter or trying to justify why he is at Eagle. I don't blame him however. He does this probably due to a condition I refer to as Eagle syndrome. I am an ex-Eagle 6+ year FO that found myself showing symptoms of said disease. I don't know what it is, but Eagle has probably the largest pilot group that retains pilots for the LONGEST time. An overwhelming majority of (non-flowback) captains have been at that place for 15 to 20 years. They just don't go anywhere, and it is not because it’s a great place to work, because its not. At Eagle, it’s a constant battle of CYA, hoping not to get fired, and battling with management. Not that this is much different than any other place, but it happens at Eagle on a much grander and more intense scale. The place gives you a sense of paranoia and the employees don't really get along, they're not friendly I should say for the most part. Not all, but most. So like I said, don't blame him because he has this condition. Maybe he can get out before it takes over his life and ruins his airline career.

You hit the nail on the head. I went to Eagle when upgrade time was 13 months (unheard of in recent Eagle history), then Eagle bought BizEx. That delayed the upgrade for about a year and a half. Then, upgrade was creeping its little head again when 9/11 happened. Instant furloughs and downgrades followed, delaying upgrade for about another two years. Then upgrade ONCE AGAIN started to look possible when the mass AA flowback (some illegal per our contract IMHO) occurred. This all but put the final nail in the coffin for upgrades.

Bottom line, the place sucks, will always suck, and is only good (like rickaire said) if you want to add on to your SIC, ME, turbine time. Don't look to Eagle for a chance at gaining PIC time, and DON'T listen to Eagle guys that say it’s “a stable place”, “the grass isn't always greener”, etc... They are just trying to justify to themselves and others why they are still stuck there. I was always embarrassed to tell people that I worked at Eagle because I knew we were the laughing stalk of the industry (especially with the ridiculous contract that was signed) So to anyone considering Eagle, think long and hard before you take that leap.

 

So it only took you 6yrs+ to realize that?
May I ask where are you working now?

 

Exactly! That's the point I tried to make. For some ungoddly reason people stay at Eagle in hopes things will actually get better. That's been the same story throughout Eagle history and AMR (Eagle managment) knows how to dangle that magic carrot in order to get what they want. It’s some kind of spell or disease or something.

Trust me, I feel like a fool now that I realize that I wasted a little over 6 years of my life at that place. The catch to Eagle, as it applies to FOs, is that you get stuck in a rut. You don't want to go laterally to another regional and start all over probably with a cut in pay (going from crappy to crappier), but staying at Eagle will ensure that you don't see PIC time that is needed to get on with a "real" airline. This is why I like to call Eagle an FO purgatory.

Yeah, you'll eventually upgrade in 10 years maybe (from new hire to upgrade), but that's a long time of OTHER people qualifying and grabbing those much coveted "real" airline jobs and a LONG time of getting substandard pay for hauling folks around. Not to mention having to baby sit AA blowbacks that are less qualified while they make Captain pay based on their DOH (which is contrary to how the contract is written, by the way) and an FO makes well below that.

Do yourself a favor by, at the very least, making sure not to drink from the kool-aid well over there and don't EVER think that the senior pilots of the group won't screw over everyone below them for just a little more of something. APA is bad about "eating their young", but the senior Eagle pilot group runs a close second. You also have to consider the possibilities of the "flushbacks" staying there for A LONG time, IMHO. That evaluates into a VERY LONG time to upgrade regardless what spews from the company kool-aid pump.


Yes you may. I don't fly for a living anymore. Eagle and the state of the industry left me with really sour feelings regarding the job. Yes, I had some windows of opportunities open during my aviation career that I probably should have gone after, but we all make mistakes and we all must live with them. With that and some other personal reasons (like wanting to be home more), I went back to school while flying and got a second degree. I am now employed outside the field of aviation. Do I miss it? Yes, but there are many more things that I do not miss about it. Who knows, I might give it another go if the industry EVER picks up and my kid gets a little older. For now I "think" I'm happy with my decision, and yes I wish I would have made it about 4 years ago.