Ben:

There's an old saying that "..the best (major) airline to work for is the one that hires you...."

I had a similar pipe-dream as you; a specific airline. Thought I met their desired quals better than anyone else's. I figured I matched the worst at United.

End result: United called and offered; my dream airline never even gave me an interview.

It's a nice fairy tale to work for your favorite company, but do your research, and get the dream of flying at a job that has reality's chance of success. Better chance of success, and future happiness.

 

Going to GoJet, in my opinion, would not be the best move. If you were to upgrade, as you are obviously aiming for, you'd be on perpetual reserve and hardly fly.

Captain reservists in Chicago are currently going back to the summer of 2009 hire dates, and those guys are hardly flying. I know a captain that has flown less than 10 hrs since new years, and has been spending a lot of time in a crash pad.

Keep in mind that some aircraft are out for Mx and a couple are being painted, so GoJet block hours have been reduced as a result. This caused a reduction in lines so typical line holders ended up back on reserve. That will change in a positive light as the dust from the delta addition settles, and freshly painted UAL aircraft return to service.

I'd go out on a limb and say that going over now may be a bit too late. It would have been a better move a couple years ago.

As far as making UAL contacts, that ship is also beginning to set sail. Recalls have began, as a large number of the jets for jobbers have 2000-2001 hire dates. The rest are expecting to be contacted by late summer or early fall.

Best of luck in whatever decision you make.

 

United hiring???? They'll be lucky to still be in business.

 

Never heard that before...

 

Do yourself a favor and try your best to go Southwest or UPS or FedEx or Delta. UniCal has nothing that will be good for you in the long run.

About the only thing I see that may be of benefit is that you might have an easier time getting hired at UniCal since I think a lot of pilots will have UniCal as their last choice. Really, a transition until one of the better flying companies hires them.

Sorry to be a downer, but I have no faith that the Onion will be able to get anywhere with the management scumbags.

 

I've been listening to that bonehead mantra going on a decade now.

 

Have you ever worked a normal job? Why don't you go be a plumber, it must be fun fishing out hairballs from toilets full of cr@p for $100/hr.. those guys are really living the big life.

If you are really a 767 CA... flying one flight, long layover, one flight.. 5 days off.. $150k per year.. please realize you are doing better than 98% of Americans and most airline pilots in this country. Stop complaining and feeling sorry for yourself.

 

.......and who do you work for "whaledriver" ?

 

You have the minimum time to get hired at Continental which will probably be the surviving hiring department and philosophy. Networking will probably payoff more than chasing an upgrade.

Fly where you can enjoy life or feed your family, or hopefully both.

 

Fedex. UPS. SWA. DAL. HAL.







UAL.

This place has fallen SO far from what it was and el hefe seems intent on making it even worse. He is blowing a golden opportunity to revamp and remake both crummy airlines into one great one. The CAL guys like to badmouth UAL and that is certainly their right, but most UAL guys will say that this has become a significantly worse place to work since the merger. We're treated worse, the product is worse, training has become a joke, Captain's authority continues to be undermined, the coffee sucks, even mindless minutia like payroll has become a farce, and the rumored changes and pin heads in high places only seem to indicate more of the same.

He wants us to have a ten page contract with zero work rules and benefits. Fly to FAR's? Two hour reserve callout with moveable days? Two guys across the Atlantic in a 57? Have fun when the shinola hits the fan and you turn north with all the big red lights and bells on! It would not be my choice by a long shot. Add to that the toxic mess which will be the result after the SLI (if it ever happens...see "USAIR vs. AWA") and this place will be nothing more than MESA with bigger planes.

MESA....say, didn't Jay Pierce quit CAL to go to work for for that guy (orenstein) and then somehow reclaim his seniority number at CAL??? Does that make any sense to anyone other than JP? It stopped being a career a LONG time ago. Now it's a cold whopper junior with no special sauce and a spam pattie. The tulip is dead. You can do much better.