Former OO pilot here. I'm looking for the lowdown on Soft Landing/Direct Entry policy. Thinking about going back to OO but I am hearing so many stories. I left on good terms, so do I have a good chance they will take me back? What does it look like for being on reserve or flying the line? Are they doing forced upgrades? Will I be stuck on reserve for eternity because of that? Any insight would be helpful.

 

I came to OO with soft landings and still they are honoring that.. drive to work it's great, being on reserve will be nice if you are living in domicile. Force still going on, but many fo are living. So your seniority will be a good one every month.

 

If you left as a Captain and/or have the time you will almost certainly come in as a direct entry Captain. Solid program as you will go through initial with a new hire class and essentially get re-typed. You'll get pay rate and 401k contribution based on years of service 121. That means you'll come in at up to 10 year pay rates and 12% direct contribution at the start. If you max out your 401k you'll make contribute no less than $53k on a conservative Captain salary at that pay rate.

Yes you'll be junior and on reserve but the movement is and should remain fast for awhile as potential upgrades leave. Until they get serious about improving QOL (schedule flexibility, vacation program, etc) you can expect many of the young FO's that would bump you down will leave before getting the chance. If you live in base, especially a junior base, you can make a decent go at is as a junior Captain making good money and piling up retirement. Get yourself into the training dept or become an LCA and you have a golden ticket. I know a several who have returned or came in DE and its alway been honored. If you left on good terms and have continued so at you current airline they should most certainly welcome you back.

 

welcome back to them. When I was there, we had a few come back from Atlas, Breeze, frontier and JetBlue. They still honor it.

 

Thank you for everyone's info.

I do not live in base. I didn't during my time with OO before either, so commuting isn't new. Curious what the Jr bases are now? I left as 175 CA but have been told I might have to go to CRJ, I was a CRJ CA as well at one point. Does that sound realistic? Having to change to CRJ.

 

I would tell them ERJ or nothing…

 

If you were an ERJ CA when you left I would be willing to bet they let you come back to the ERJ.

 

Unless you want to be based out of DEN. COS, or perhaps PHX, the CRJ is nearly gone on the West Coast. Delta is down to only 4 CRJs out of SLC and you'll never hold it. LAX, SFO, and PSP are basically done as CRJ domilciles with only minimal staffing now. The American flying with 700s out of PHX, DFW, and ORD seem safe from not disspearing soon. Fifteen new ERJs are going to replace current UA 700s in a year or so. I don't know how many we fly for them right now.

I'd really push for getting the ERJ as well. They haven't been doing transitions from either airplane for most of this year as well. Probably won't for a while either. They'll be no hired into the CRJ and transition into the ERJ a little down the road.

 

Yup yup -- this is all spot on accurate.

We have 18 year CRJ CAs back on reserve.in West Coast bases. All of my last 3 reserve trips were AA flying out of PHX, so there's that for a little while. You'll literally be on reserve indefinitely as a CRJ CA. The airplane is essentially done.

 

I wouldn't say the CRJ is dead.. i see 700/900’s staying around for the long run. With that being said. It seems the senior CRJ guys don’t want to transition to the ERJ. So the top CRJ side is stagnate.. unless you at a AA base stay away from the CRJ