Interesting how many people knock on ATI. Especially since it is under ACMI. I guess that is to be expected at any carrier. But the part that has me absolutely shocked is how I read so many people talking about regionals as if they are a good place to be! Since when did regionals become the hero? Same with the LCCs? They used to be the destination of those whose career didn’t pan out. Sure the pay is better than before but now everyone is talking about how amazing they are!

Call me naive but what makes LCCs and regionals better than ATI? ABX sure I get that, but ATI?

I find it interesting all the griping. I interviewed at ATI in October, and was subsequently placed in the hiring pool, and I am awaiting a class. My interview group was full of unhappy regional pilots. (me included I suppose if you count a regional freight feeder) Do you really think the regionals have a decent QOL? Maybe if you are 28 and single, but not for me. I know 3 people at ATI, and they are all happy. My present employer had a past reputation as a good place to work from a QOL standpoint, but pay was lacking. I did not need the pay (wife retired from training department at a big freight company) and since I was at our largest base, I had excellent QOL, esp after gaining some seniority. Now we are making decent money for the job we used to do, but QOL sucks as we are getting drafted to work our weeks off. Many guys with a lot of time here who were lifers, (me too) are leaving BC of QOL. ATI seems good deal to me. I will lose pay the first year but 16 on 14 off seems like a decent deal to me as I am no longer 3 weeks on 1 week off home most of the time, but the same schedule and on the road most off the time. I don't have much time left (58 years old) and it seems like it would be fun to fly a 76 before I hang it up. All jobs have good and bad, its time for me to try something new.

One more time. All of our trips begin with a day dedicated to travel. If you have a 16-day trip, day 1 is a travel day. If you have a 4-day trip, day 1 is a travel day. Whether you need it or not. If you don't need it, it's more time off for you. And if the trip ends after 1600Z, the following day is a travel day as well. Neither travel day counts as any of your minimum of 12 days off. Many of our lines have 13 days off. Some have more. We don't do much hub-based flying, so many/most of our trips start and end all over the place. That's why these travel days are vital to our QOL, as are the purchased tickets.



If you live on the wrong coast (generally, east coast base airport for west coast flying), it is possible to bid yourself into traveling on a day off at the beginning. Almost impossible to bid yourself into traveling on a day off at the end of a trip. If your seniority doesn't permit getting a line, or if all that's left are trips that might require you to travel on a day off and you don't want to do that, then you can very easily hold either a reserve line or remain on or stay on Open Reserve. Many senior folk opt for reserve lines because of the flexibility they generally afford. Either way, you do not travel outside of your reserve days, unless you want to for whatever reason.

Many of those who say a regional is better, either never worked at one, have forgotten, or currently work at one particular ACMI.
Spirit, Frontier, and Jet Blue all employ happy friends of mine, especially since their new contracts. One friend at Spirit lives on base and bids reserve. He is home enough to get emails warning him he needs three takeoffs and landings to stay current.
If you hated commuting at a previous job, you will fall in love with true home basing. 100% ignore those that say otherwise.

All the airlines seem to be doing this now. Partly due to the pilot shortage but also because HR has become heavily involved in the hiring process. AA hires people from all experience and backgrounds. low time, seasoned high time pilots, ex flight attendants, even saw one of them wearing a turban.

Been applying and updating to SWA, United, AA, FedEx, UPS etc.
5600 TT
5500 PIC
1300 PIC Jet
Crickets from ALL of them.
The only "airline" with interview invite is Sun Country, but can't afford to work there...
So, I guess the "low" timers that you speak of that airlines are hiring, have something else besides just an application up their sleeve...?
Tons of LOR's, buddies on the HR team...idk..

You will love it....enjoy. probably be a Captain your last 4 or 5 and fly decent equipment.

I've seen some ATI lines and am curious with some crediting over guarantee an some under, is there an average? Maybe outside the oct-jan window? If you're drafted for days off how is it paid? I know everyone should plan for guarantee but what does a line holder and a rsv typically credit? Thanks for your insight all

Only about 10% of lines are over guarantee. So a few line holders will credit over guarantee and very few reserve will. There isn’t a lot of opportunity to credit over unless you work on days off.
If you do work on days off you get paid 4 hrs volunteer pay a day. If you have been away from home over 16 days (and fewer lines are the full 16 days out) you also get 3.75hrs on top of the volunteer. Or if you have flown more than 60hrs(rare) you get flight hours on top of the volunteer.
IMHO it’s really not worth working on your days off here. You basically get paid straight time (we rig 3.75hrs a day) unless you already have an over guarantee line. If you want to make more than guarantee go to k4 and fly the 74 around the world. You can make over guarantee there and still get days off.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So there's A LOT of whining, complaining on here, working for ACMI companies...
For a pilot that's been working hard and enjoys flying, most of the time under paid, but still enjoys it, how bad can it be??
Home based? Check. 2-3 weeks on and 2 weeks off? Check. Flying heavy equipment? Check. Getting to see all kind of places around the world?. Check. Pay might not be great the first year, but after that, pretty decent. Check.
After reading almost ALL the posts on here, good and bad, I'd still do it in a heart beat.
I just need to make enough $ to pay the bills...