With AA potentially starting their hiring process in late 2013, I figured I'd pose some questions for those who fly legacy AA about how things are going, especially since they haven't hired in a long time. I've seen lots of specific administrative threads. This one's vague in general.

• How's the quality of life lately?
• Considering the new look, somewhat recent management change, and the merger, has there been any shift in morale?
• Where might new guys expect to be based (if that's releasable)?
• Anybody heard of AA plans to attend job fairs?
• Any rants/raves/praises/concerns to voice?

Lastly, thanks to the APC owners for keeping their quick take (all of them, really) full of details. It's nice to have.

-Nate

1) Quality of life changes SO slowly, in reality, that what we feel about it is simply perception rather than any actual change. Compared to 1994? QOL is greatly diminished. Compared to 2011? Better.

It varies so much between individuals, airplanes, and domiciles, that there's no one right answer.

2) Morale is improved. I think guys are proud we stood our ground and did not eat the term sheet. Come January, we will get 16% into our 401K, and a 4% raise in base pay. Someone told me "the company is now putting as much $$ into our retirement as they did before BK." Don't know how true that is.

3) Basing expectations - LGA is the perennial Jr base, with Miami next likely. Maybe some ORD. Depending upon movement, you might be able to get out in 6 months, or it might take 2 years. Hard to say.

4) No idea.

5) if the new mgt team starts to play games with us, it will get very, very ugly. We want square dealings, simple truth, and a mgt team that wants to run an airline, not a spread sheet.

Yes like Forever FO said morale is better. I don't dread going to work as much.

The company has hardly implemented any contract changes. The implement the ones that help the company, but if it benefits the pilot group it's "We are unable to reprogram the computer to implement that change at this time"

One of the latest gossip points is/was Elise the USAir HR head a scab FA at TWA. Someone asked the question on our message board and the former TWA pilots took it personally. It wasn't intended that way I don't think.

I've heard great things about her, and anyone anything would be better than AMR HR.

If I were a new hire, I would move to Miami and fly the 737 internationally. Make life easy on yourself. To commute is pure insanity. Just my .02 cents.

The 73 flying the carrib, Central and top of So Am is really fun!

Crew scheduling called me Monday on my day off. I'm on reserve. I answered just for fun. She said "Hi, oh you're on a day off." I said Yes, how are you? She said, I gotta go and hung up. Too funny. She didn't even ask anything.

I looked it up lateer and they brought a FO from LGA down to fly EZE.

Is AA AQP yet? If not are you going to adopt the US CQT policy?

On job fairs, there has been an AA booth at every job fair I ever attended. They just didn't have anything to do there. They were at OBAP 2 years ago, and it was really stupid. After asking, it seems there were just there because they wanted to be supportive of OBAP. So if they are attending when they have no purpose, I'm sure they will when they're on the verge of hiring. Now they will probably have speculative info about the upcoming process.

Step 1: provide proof of number of lunar landings (space shuttle landings also accepted)...

AA AQP since early 2003. I did it on the 73 back then.

QOL at AA depends entirely on who you ask. We have a bunch of "sky is falling" types that find EVERYTHING negative no matter what... we also have plenty of optimists who are convinced Doug Parker is a knight in shining armor and that the new AA will be "Abe Frommer, The Sausage King Of Chicago..."

Generally, those who do the best here are those in the middle.. I count myself as one of those.

So to add my opinions:

- Morale is somewhat improved, at least on the line and in the passenger reports I read. Most guys here are "cautiously optimistic." Keep in mind, we have huge changes coming our way: merger headaches, SLIs, the TWA arbitration, etc.

- Junior base is actually MIA with LGA being a close second. As was mentioned above, possible ORD and DCA as well.

-I have no doubt AA will attend job fairs in the near future.

Concerns? SLI, culture change, good management, getting our JCBA up to DAL/UAL Plus, to name a few.
Praises? Not a day goes by that I don't give praise for having a job at a major. In the past 11 years, there are many, many pilots whose lives were far more adversely affected than mine.

Here's my opinion: those that are hired in the first few months will be joining an airline that has plenty of opportunities to become great once again, in the hands of the right management... not to mention the rapid rise up the seniority list thanks to years and years of stagnation.

That was true back in the 80s/early 90s, but has long since been shelved. In fact when I went through in late 99, the application/interview process was the easiest out of all the majors.

I didn't think MIA is junior base. It's a nice place to live. How come many people don't want to go there.