No, the idea is that the pilot shows some backbone and has some semblance of honor, instead of taking the training, railing to live up to the obligation, and running away.

The applicant knew the deal when they signed on. Get training, and agree to work for a period of time. If the applicant leaves before fulfilling that obligation, then the student has debt. The students took discounts and tuition assistance to go from zero to hero, and then having let the airline pay for them to become pilots, they returned nothing and went to other airlines. Quite dishonorable.

Waiting to go to work in aviation is nothing new. I've interviewed, been in the "pool," and called back to go to work months or even years later. Not uncommon at all. In this case, the individuals came to the table ab initio with no qualification, and were shaped into pilots, in exchange for granting service; they were willing to sign the papers to get what they wanted, but then they failed to fulfill their end. Did Republic, et al, agree to employee the pilots immediately, or at all? What if the pilot turned out to be unemployable, a poor risk in the cockpit, and the airline elected not to employ them? Other countries do this, for much longer periods of time, and if the pilot doesn't pan out, he or she may end up tossing bags, sweeping hangars, or working the ticket counter...for 99 years, in the case of some Chinese operators. Whatever the term required, it was one that these students gladly signed up for when they wanted the money and the training. Now, qualified with skills and certification, the gimme-gimme-gimme generation isn't willing to fulfill the contract. They should get sued. And they should lose. And they should be an example for others.

The ungrateful little sots have no clue what it means to earn one's place in this industry. Give it to me now, and if not I'll take it and run. Entitlement. Disgusting. Pathetic. Dishonorable. If one doesn't wish to be held to an obligation, don't sign the paper and don't take the money. No one put a gun to their heads. No one forced them....but they're going to force republic to get something back. It's costing Republic time and money, and Republic is having to train someone else. These nimrods should lose their case to Republic and they should be forced to pay not only the loans and discounts, but legal fees, too.

Don’t hold back, John. Tell us how you REALLY feel.

Okay lets suspend reality for a second and say you got a CJO from DL/UA/AA right after IOE , would you not take the job of a lifetime to avoid paying off a contract?

If you are attempting to “avoid paying off a contract” you are a dirtbag who deserves what’s coming. If you take the dream job and make restitution, then you are simply ambitious and willing to trade a few years of high debt payments for a seniority number years senior to what you would otherwise hold. Part of adulthood is not signing yourself up for legal obligations that will screw you over in the end.

Apparently they’re suing people who they promised a job from LIFT Academy and Republic didn’t offer them a job for months so obviously they took a job at other regionals hiring. So Republic failed to fulfill their end of the deal. They can’t expect people to sit around waiting on a job and not pay them. God help anyone working at this awful airline. Writing is on the wall, don’t touch this company with a 10 ft stick if this is how they treat pilots

Borrow from a bank next time if you don’t like the terms.

Let’s see what comes out of findings if this goes to court…..

Negative.

These oxyge-wasters vowed five years of their life in exchange for getting what they wanted; the big brass ring and a paid ticket to a shiny jet. A few months after being handed a wet ticket know-nothing brand new pilot cert, these legionaires of the brain trust jumped ship and went elsewhere, failing to either A) deliver their promised service, or B) pay back what they owed based on the legally binding contract they signed.

This isn't about how Republic treated pilots. It's about neophytes who took the money and ran. Thieves. Liars. Self-entitled curtain climbers who could't live up to their agreement and stole from Republic. These moral pygmies are the offenders, not Republic.

It's not uncommon in this industry to wait months or sometimes years after an inteview for a job offer. It's not at all uncommon to complete initial, before getting trained on the line, or to do indoc and get sent home pending availability of a sim, and it's not uncommon to take months to get online...to wait a short period to actually wind up there, is typical. The thieves whom are sued by republic had a five year requirement, and far short of waiting five years, bailed a the first sign of an offer, and wanted to forget what they owed. Its disingenuous to expect to take from Republic, then ask the favor of being forgiven tens of thousands of dollars in training expenses, loans, and discounts, as well as the costs of recovering what the students owe.

What these students need is to grow up, put on their big-kid long pants, and learn that in the adult world, we owe our obligations.

The chances that a student, fresh out of primary training with a wet commercial certificate and just enough hours to fall short of knowing how to open the aircraft door, getting a job with a legacy airline, is zippo. The legacies aren't that hard up. Moreover, these jokers who have taken the money and run, aren't taking jobs with legacies. They're taking jobs with regional competitors of Republic. They let Republic buy their training, signed a legally binding contract to repay Republic by working for Republic, and then not only failed to pay back the money, and not only failed to give the employment they had a duty to give, but jumped ship and worked for a competitor.

They have an easy choice. If they wish to go work elsewhere; then pay back the money, or give the service they agreed to give.

If these little poodle-brains really can't handle waiting for a class opening, having just come from primary training that was given them, and must run to the first shiny jet job they can get, in contravention to the legally-binding contract they signed, then at a minimum they need to pay Republic back.

However, you asked the question, having quoted me, what I would do, if given a golden opportunity; would I honor my obligation to avoid paying off loans.

No, of course not. I wouldn't do it to avoid paying loans. I'd do it because I'm a professional and I'd honor my agreement, because I always do honor my agreements, and repay my obligations. I'd do it, honor that agreement, whether it was based on a handshake, or a signature, because it's important that my word counts for something.

Someone who isn't willing to honor their own word isn't worth whale excrement.

Can I get an amen?

FIFY

So was it written in the contract that the students couldn’t work somewhere else while they were waiting for their number to come up at republic? I mean, as long they show up to their class date wouldn’t that negate the lawsuit? Now if they’re working elsewhere and don’t show up to class then that would be a different issue.