Hello everyone, I am not an employee and getting prepared to drop some applications, trying to gather as much data as I can. Sometimes guys use these forums to gripe and complain about their company - which I understand completely (I work for the USAF... it's a side gig for all of us too). But, everything I can put together from 1000 different sources says that FedEx is still one of the best places to work.

For you folks that are working there now, care to share any of your favorite things, good deals, benefits, etc that you like about the company? Trip locations? Good hotels? Food? Maybe things people don't know much about?

Thanks!

When people say, “there is a schedule for everyone at FedEx” that is absolutely true. It’s great. It takes some seniority but more options than anywhere else. Double dead head, days, nights, week on - week off, single departure lines, etc. FDA’s if that interests you. Only at FX.

Our vacation takes a little while to figure out but it’s the best in the industry. You’ll earn it with the night flying but it really creates opportunity to have time to invest as you see fit. Or you can use vacation to maximize income. Again, options.

Trip locations, hotels, etc are pretty equivalent to the other airlines. Although we don’t hit as many “vacation destinations” in the US or abroad. There are still some hidden gems where you can unwind on a long layover.

Unless you live in a fortress hub for a major that you could see yourself working for, I think FX is a great place to retire to. See previous posts about night flying. It ain’t no joke.

-UA

Private message sent.

To summarize some of the good things about FedEx:

First off its a very stable, highly profitable and overall very well run company that is well positioned and capitalized to be a force in the transportation industry for a very long time.

The current mix of retirement benefits are literally what kept me at FedEx when I had other options. The A and B fund balance is probably the best in the industry. Most people are incredulous when they hear about our retirement plans, and the non pilot folks here who had their (A plan type) fixed benefit plan frozen in 2008 are still miffed about it.

Compensation is pretty good but starting to lag other majors. Still competitive and although you will be gone from home a similar amount of time as pilots at pax carriers (with possible exceptions if you manage to live in a city you can hold) you will probably spend less time in the sky actually flying and more time in hubs or hotels between two or three legs a day. International flying excepted as well.

Scheduling flexibility is awesome when manning is sufficient. Ability to trade down or up is probably similar to other carriers but it is very good here.

Vacation is excellent.

Commuting policy and the ability to fly from your home city to the start of your trip is awesome. Reserving jumpseats to get to and from work makes life a lot easier.

Variety of aircraft types and domiciles, and the resulting different types of trips and flying means there is something for everybody. Also, we are adding new 767 and 777 aircraft and the fleet will probably continue to get younger for the next decade or two as the older MD, 75 and Airbii are retired.

Those are a few of the good things off the top of my head.

Flying for Fedex has its challenges, just like any other major airline. MelT and UA above have mentioned some of the benefits of flying for Fedex. But, I believe what truly separates Fedex from everybody else, except maybe UPS, is that over 85% (4200 of 4911) of our pilots are flying wide-body aircraft. Anyone hired today can be flying in the right seat of a wide-body 777, 767, MD-11/10, or A300/310 within 2 years and be making around $200,000/year doing so.
There's not a domestic passenger carrier out there that can match those numbers. It will take new hires at the other majors probably a minimum of 5 years before they will be doing right-seat, wide-body, international flying. Currently, I would expect a Fedex new hire to be able to hold wide-body captain within 8 years.
I was a 1996 hire, am still not in the top 20% of overall Fedex seniority, and have been a wide-body, international (MD-11 and now 777) captain for 9 years. And, I could have upgraded 3-4 years earlier, if I had chosen to. There's no way that would have been possible at a passenger carrier where only 15-20% of their total crew force fly wide-body aircraft.

For me:

1. Front end DH’s came from a regional and commuted, it sucked. Now I either get a confirmed seat and am getting paid to go to work or I have a reserved jumpseat that with a few exception is as close to a guarantee as you can get. Commuting used to give me nightmares now I have to just remember to book the JS.

2. Vacation. With line bidding your vacation goes on top of your trips and kicks them off. No BD pbs that only gives you a certain amount of days off because you only had x amount of vacation. If you want to not use all of your vacation hours that’s an option too. I happen to like my time off.

3. The people. Truely is a pretty easy group to get along with.

we get snacks. sometimes cake. we have coffee and popcorn and fox news. we have lots of toilets and showers. free bus rides. good gossip. a rich history of crazy people. we have the villainous union that we love to hate. we will soon have great stories of the A plan we once had. we get to admire the moon and stars quite often; get to know your constellations. and meteor showers. we often get direct to the airport and sometimes if we’re on time the traffic isn’t bad to the Holiday Inn. we get to talk about the great hotels we once had and the sock puppet lady. good times. at night, flying into Memphis, gunfire lights up the sky. so pretty. and the cop lights. and ambulance lights. so many lights. we get to hear old timers tell us their retiring this year and ask ‘em two years from now what happened. we have 63 year old pilots with 3 year old kids in Central America. so inspiring. it’s never too late. every night in AOC is Halloween what with the apocalyptic zombies walking around with bloodshot eyes and coffee and iPads. we enjoy the exact same conversations night after night when flying with someone new. where you live. what’s your background. have any kids. did I mention free popcorn?

****ing. A.

Read no further boys...this is the holy grail.

What Anthrax said.

In addition, I love the ability to have unlimited drops and swaps, have a month or two off if I need it without having to go on vacation....or work my butt off if I choose to.

I love the size of my house, pension and 401K.....though our pay is starting to lag.

I love not having to deal with flight attendants or pax, it's great just having only one other person on the plane. Most of our crewmembers are very likeable, at least on the Bus.

The above two posts just about cover it.

We have a few idiots but most folks are great to be around.

If you fly international, you also get to pick your meals in advance, get a one hour alert call, and can eat Corky's and Death by Chocolate cake every time you leave MEM. You can also pass the cake to the over 60 Captain and hope it helps him "retire" sooner.

I have to admit, Anthrax outdid himself this time. That's pretty freaking witty.