Thanks for the honest answer. You had very good qualifications and you deserve your spot at Delta..However if you were hired 1.5 years before the merger with 2000 TPIC you were probably gone from PNC before I was even hired.... Anyway, I'm not trying to bash anyone at Delta or any mainline, I think many of us regional guys are very frustrated and trying to figure out this - hard to crack code - on how to get an interview with a good mainline, many, many, many of us are well qualified but our phone remains silent..

 

The problem with flow agreements (from a pilot's perspective)

• Require management to keep a promise to hire pilots (something management has a lousy track record at)
• Still requires the pilot to give up their longevity at the door
• Does not protect pilots at mainline, or the flow up carrier, from whipsaw
• Does not protect pilots at mainline, or the flow up carrier, from furlough
• Give pilot an empty promise in exchange for (usually) lower pay rates and stagnation

In the case of Mesaba / Pinnacle, it is my opinion flow agreements make less sense from a management perspective. At Delta's wholly owned carriers you had Delta managers running the show to Delta's standards. ASA flight operations is still run by a former Delta Flight Operations Manager. (C.T.) Further, I would hope Delta feels some sense of compassion for the Comair pilots.

The Mesaba / Pinnacle flow was to Northwest. An airline which merged, but which no longer exists.

Just my opinions about other's opinions. 10,000 hour Captains can be taught an after landing flow (it had been eight years since I'd ever done one). Overall, flying at Delta is much easier than flying at a regional. Dispatch and Maintenance rarely throw you under the bus. The Douglas equipment can be a challenge for pure RJ guys (going backwards 30 years in systems tech) but will feel like home for old school turboprop drivers.

Last I've heard Delta intends to honor the flows. Don't know how they will handle some of the specific issues (which can't be discussed on a web board).

 

[QUOTE=ShyGuy;1312445]Neither. Regionals shouldn't be hiring at 250 hrs but they did because of the wages being offered and not enough pilots showing up at the door. You're right at my opportunity, it was just luck and timing. But I do think it's crazy the opportunity I got. As for flow, I'm against it. Everyone should have to interview, and then earn the right to work there if they pass the interview process.


I'm fake as hell at an interview.

 

Code Cracking:

• Major has to be hiring (the biggest obstacle)
• Competitive flight times and education (majority of my class had 6,500 hours, over 3,500 121 Jet PIC and a Master's degree)
• Internal Recommendation(s) ... (I had four who had flown with me ... if a mainline guy rides your jumpseat & seems friendly, ask him, don't be shy)
• Take good care of customers ... a couple of "atta boys" at your current airline helps and will give you good stories for the interview
• Be involved in your community (be a giver, not a taker ... a leader, not a shaker)
• Do something extra at your current job (Line Check Airman, Safety, even Pro Standards volunteer)

You want to get hired at the front of the wave. When the door opens the "best" get hired first. 80KTS got in before me. I delayed my interview by a week because or scheduling conflicts and I wanted to be extra prepared. That cost me something around 250 seniority numbers after the merger. Guess the moral of my story is, get the gouge and prepare every time you hear the rumor of hiring ... remain focused on the goal at all times, with every customer interaction.

 

Thanks Bar, this should be taught in class for those aviation degrees.... I'd be honored to sling gear for ya.

 

Management tried hard to back out of it, why DALPA took the other side is crazy.

 

That's the problem. Too many guys fake themselves instead of just being who they really are. Then spend $600 at a company that basically "teaches" them how to interview. It isn't that hard. If you are a nice guy and they see themselves being able to get along with you on a 4-day trip, you'll be fine. Too many people think it's just about the total hours or turbine PIC, but it isn't. Not anymore.

 

Let me make this clear:

If this offer is included in the TA, YOU MUST COMPLETELY IGNORE IT.

The only reason progression would be included is to cloud your judgement and sway you to vote yes. If it is indeed included, it is likely because the rest of the TA is garbage.

Pop.

 

So you should tell them you want to be paid at least $100,000/yr, salary, don't like working with incompetent people or lazy people, you'll tell the captain he better call in sick or you'll call him in drunk, your last boss was a jerk that treated workers like crap, you'd rather know what bases are available and how long you'll have to sit on reserve, tell them that you're just there for the 1000 PIC and then you're off to the majors, and what kind of airplane will I be in?


EVERYBODY is faking it.

The successful ones are faking it well, while being personable, making carefully thought-out statements that show they are human and are professional.

 

No. Why lie? I already knew what salary I would be getting so no point arguing that. No one likes working with incompetent people so no point in saying that stuff. I have always been honest in all my interviews. Long term, I told at my regional interview I'd like to move on to a major. I was honest and hired. You'd be lying if you said you're gonna stay there for life, unless you are an older guy and don't plan on moving on.

For my current airline interview, same honest thing. I was asked where I saw myself in 10 years. I said I was married with no kids yet. I was also saving up for a mortgage. I said in 10 years I am hopefully a homeowner and a father. That honestly where I see myself in 10 years. I got hired with honest answers.