New Hire Time off
 

Alright, this might be a dumb question and I obviously will have to ask the specific airline eventually. I have a few trips planned for this summer (one for my wedding and honeymoon) and Im just wondering if I was to be hired in the next month or so by a regional, how they would treat this situation. I had to plan both trips far before this opportunity came around and it would be a large loss of money as well as very unfortunate if I had to cancel and not go. Anyone have any insight here? Thanks.

I had the same situation 11 years ago. Like you said all depends on the integrity of the individual airlines/interviewers. When they asked me during the interview if I had any questions, I explained the wedding situation and my interviewers just told me to do my best to bid around it and then management would work with me, and when that month came I explained to my base manager what was told me in the interview and she gave me the time off after trying to bid around it. I'd say get it in writing but that might make the interview team sound like you don't trust them and they kick you to the curb :)

Most regional airlines average 10 or 11 days off per month (per their own contract/agreement). As for getting time off, you might be able to try a couple of things: take time off without pay, if you are a line-holder by then (which I highly doubt) you could trip trade with a coworker...ummm...anyone else want to chime in?

Good luck!

At best someone might trade reserve days with you. Being very junior it may be difficult to bid a weekend off reserve line as well. I wouldn't count on vacation for the first year either (and getting it without seniority in your seat during summer isn't easy). If you get caught calling in sick for this, things probably won't go well.

Put off class until after the honeymoon if it's that important.

I had to call in sick for my own, first, wedding in 1994.

Depending on the airline, they might give you days off for your own wedding. The bottom feeders, no way. They will say no, and savor the moment. You are probably SOL on the honeymoon either way.

The trick here is that if you ask for the time off and they say no, you cannot turn around and call in sick...that's a sure way to get fired on probation. You could call in for the wedding, but the honeymoon would be pushing it, they will start to wonder what's up. The problem with calling in sick though is that a wedding is a high-profile event and word might reach the wrong ears. If you call in sick just to stay home and play video games, no one will ever know, but there is a chance that you could get in trouble on something like a wedding. Don't jumpseat or nonrev while out sick...


If you get hired right before the wedding you will not be able to get out of ground school. They might work with you on sim and IOE scheduling. I would probably not worry about until you have a job offer and a class date. Odds are good that they will give you a later class date if you ask, but better disclose your plans at the interview.

Don't cancel your wedding or honeymoon for a regional airline job...that's getting off to a very bad start. If she's not worth saying no to a regional for, she's not worth marrying in the first place.

Comair gives new-hires a couple years off without pay.

That said, your situation is very tough. First, you will not want to be in training when it's time to take a week off for a honeymoon.

I wouldn't even attempt to go home for a weekend wedding unless you purchase a positive-space ticket to guarantee you're back in class Monday morning.

How long is your paid-for honeymoon, and how soon does it fall after your wedding? A couple days for a wedding (after you're done with training) will probably not be an impossible deal, but a two week honeymoon your first year will probably be beyond reach no matter which airline you choose.

If you can't get off for your honeymoon, will you quit the job or skip the honeymoon? A resignation after three months on one job will be a killer at the next interview - "I quit because, going in, I knew I needed those days off but at least they spent ten grand training me first..."

On the other hand, skipping out on an expensive and much anticipated honeymoon will not do much to establish a wonderful marriage either.

I can't recommend waiting 6 months to begin an airline career either.

No matter what you do, starting at a regional with a new wife (or new baby, or new kidney, or whatever) is going to be a huge strain. Your probation year is a tough time to be establishing priorities for the first time. Good luck with your decision.

( Rickair said it sooner - what he said)

Thank you everyone for your responses. I am in a situation where my affiliation with my 141 school bridges me in with with a regional airline and I do not have to interview nor have minimum flight times. I have been instructing for a few years and wouldn't mind continuing to do so, but this is a great opportunity and one where I wouldn't have to job search, ect.

However, because I was not expecting something like this to be an option I planned for other things. As of now, it looks like my class date will be late this month/early next month and the wedding would be late July. I had planned a honeymoon for the 12 days after this, or the first two-ish weeks in August.

I realize that it is a long-shot, but I don't really know how scheduling works or if letting someone know about this far in advance would be able to work around anything at all.

Again, there are other things i could choose to do right now im my life, im young. But Im not sure I can turn down an opportunity like this to jump into the right seat. Thanks for the comments

Also, I am not canceling the wedding/honeymoon.. It just wont happen. I am planning on talking to the recruiter with the airline and if I get a response that looks like Im going to have to change my plans, well then Im just not going to be taking this job.

OR, you could use this as training for your prospective mate. there will be many missed birthdays, holidays, and even anniversaries. Might as well get used to it.