Turned down a CAL job offer today

[Pocono Pilot]

Alright. Now it's obvious flamebait.

I was obviously joking. Note the big smily face!!!

Honestly, I don't think I would have the guts to go in and quit after getting a 737 type rating, and going to SW. I can't believe that some guys actually do that.

 

[dojetdriver]

Alright. Now it's obvious flamebait.

Agreed, looks like EMBSkillz, Rhoid, FreightNazi, 80for80, 4.0@riddle, and most recently, non-union, has a new user name.

 

[1st Overnite]

Go up to COVE HAVEN and RENT THE ROOM WITH THE CHAMPAGNE GLASS JACUZZI !!! If you are a true POCONO PILOT you will know exactly what I am talking about

I've never been there, but I heard that place is awesome.

 

[johnny taliban]

why are you guys slamming him? I just turned down an interview with jetblue for the same reason, the money sux. plain and simple. not worth the pay cut, in my opinion. I will wait and take my chances with FedEx or SWA, if they ever call...I think more guys should be turning these job offers down. Maybe then we will all gain a little respect.

doing my part to hold the bar,


johnny

 

[HighSpeedClimb]

Pocono,

Come interview at SWA, get hired, and luv life.

Sure, luv life working your a$$ off..believe it or not SWA isn't for everyone.

 

[nyboilermaker]

I never thought I would be turning down a job offer from a legacy airline, but I turned down a CAL job today to hold out for a better airline.

Good for you man. If more people were like you in this industry, we wouldn't be getting paid the sh*t wages and the QOL that we do.

When more people turn down airline jobs that have no benefits and food stamps wages the first year, watch and see how that goes away.

Even the regionals are starting to catch on with signing bonus' these days.


We are our own worse enemies.

-NYB

 

[Scrapdog]

I thought CAL was AQP? IF so, does an AQP type rating count for other airlines like SW?

Maybe I will call her back and tell her that I have reconsidered, get the 737 type with CAL, then try for SW. Or I guess I could get the trans-oceanic crossing requirements with the 757 or 777 then apply to UPS.

I will call in the morning and see if I can change my decision. Of course I will leave out the part about SW and UPS

Alright dude - now I see you are a f'ing idiot. Obvious flamebait. Any man worth his salt is not going to ask a bunch of dudes on here if he will regret turning down a multi-million dollar career from an airline that has made money in the last 6 or so quarters in a row (or more, not sure on the exact number).

And trust me, I'm not one about "airline loyalty" or any other garbage. I'm a true believer in doing what is best for you and your family, situation, etc. I'm with CAL, but if I was hired at UPS, SWA, or Hewlett-Packard and it fit my situation better, I'd take the job. The real loyalty I have is to my family, friends, and defending our country. HOWEVER, I can assure you CAL is a very strong airline and it's growth potential is great in the next 10, 15, 20 + years as the retirements continue and seniority increases at a very fast clip.

Grow some balls and ask yourself what is best for you, not a bunch of whiny pilots (and I'm one of them) on a blog that 90% of the time is either about flaming another guy's airline or bashing our leadership. You obviously lack intellect and the ability to see the big picture looking down the road ten plus years. Do you have sh*tty pay the first year at CAL? YES, it's horrible. Will you have a very good living in about 5 to 6 years with a lot of seniority at CAL? YES. I think you should have thought long and hard before you turned down a job where you can retire as a millionaire in 30 years. But oh well, huh? Will you regret it? YES. Enjoy your "potential" SWA, UPS, FDX, DAL, JBLU jobs - or wherever you think you're going to get on.

 

[Scrapdog]

why are you guys slamming him? I just turned down an interview with jetblue for the same reason, the money sux. plain and simple. not worth the pay cut, in my opinion. I will wait and take my chances with FedEx or SWA, if they ever call...I think more guys should be turning these job offers down. Maybe then we will all gain a little respect.

doing my part to hold the bar,


johnny

Bullsh*t dude - do whatever you think is best for you. No one has to turn down any job they will enjoy, whatever the pay is. That's called freedom, Mr. Taliban. Nice name by the way.

 

[Lear70]

why are you guys slamming him?

Because I think this whole thread is pure flamebait,,, oh, and it's fun when drinking (or on pain killers 'cause someone dropped a car on your foot).

I just turned down an interview with jetblue for the same reason, the money sux. plain and simple. not worth the pay cut, in my opinion. I will wait and take my chances with FedEx or SWA, if they ever call...I think more guys should be turning these job offers down. Maybe then we will all gain a little respect.

First, good for you! I did the same, exact thing last week.

I wanted to work for jetBlue more than just about anywhere else... 7 years ago when they first started operations and I was flying a 727 in the right seat doing night freight.

Now... I have a job that's almost exactly comparable to theirs in terms of combined pay, B-fund, upgrade potential, days off, etc. Came here to better my QOL and have no urge to make a lateral jump again.

ALL these airlines need to increase their compensation packages. And yes, I told her that over the phone when I called back to cancel my interview the following week. She actually sounded like she'd heard similar comments more than once.

doing my part to hold the bar,

I don't believe that does any good. You will be replaced by a much lower time regional pilot who's just happy to "get the hell out".

Until the low-time guys STOP taking jobs at regionals that qualify them for food stamps, the bar will stay firmly at rest on the floor, kicked to the corner of the basement, and covered with the used wine and beer bottles where people drank toasts to the golden years of aviation.

 

[~~~^~~~]

I've not been called from CAL, but at the same time I completely see Pocono's point. Pay, no insurance, and a move to a city like Newark are my reasons for not pushing hard for CAL.

It would take somewhere around 10 to 11 years for me to go into positive numbers (to recover the cost for the first several years) to make the jump to CAL. At FedEx, UPS, or SWA, I would be into career earnings growth in the second year.

For a young pilot, the mainline guys on the board are correct. For a pilot in his late thirties to early forties, the math works out differently. CAL is obviously a better long term future, but the choice really hinges on how old you are when you make the jump and where you want to live.

 

[Lear70]

I've not been called from CAL, but at the same time I completely see Pocono's point. Pay, no insurance, and a move to a city like Newark are my reasons for not pushing hard for CAL.

It would take somewhere around 10 to 11 years for me to go into positive numbers (to recover the cost for the first several years) to make the jump to CAL. At FedEx, UPS, or SWA, I would be into career earnings growth in the second year.

For a young pilot, the mainline guys on the board are correct. For a pilot in his late thirties to early forties, the math works out differently. CAL is obviously a better long term future, but the choice really hinges on how old you are when you make the jump and where you want to live.

And that's exactly why I'm starting to think about bailing the U.S. aviation market if our new contract isn't just *STELLAR* and the Midwest deal goes through, lengthening our upgrade times.

If you really want to fly internationally as a CA for a Legacy carrier, if you're not on board NOW at that carrier and you're pushing 40, you're going to have a hard time making it to widebody international CA before mandatory retirement.

Just a thought.

 

[On Your Six]

I've not been called from CAL, but at the same time I completely see Pocono's point. Pay, no insurance, and a move to a city like Newark are my reasons for not pushing hard for CAL.

It would take somewhere around 10 to 11 years for me to go into positive numbers (to recover the cost for the first several years) to make the jump to CAL. At FedEx, UPS, or SWA, I would be into career earnings growth in the second year.

For a young pilot, the mainline guys on the board are correct. For a pilot in his late thirties to early forties, the math works out differently. CAL is obviously a better long term future, but the choice really hinges on how old you are when you make the jump and where you want to live.

If this is a legit posting and the guy isn't flaming us, then I think he/she made a mistake. Sure, the first 6 months without insurance (and relatively low pay) is idiotic, but you can always get supplemental insurance. Consider it a six-month investment in your future... Need to take a long-term perspective.

Continental has a great fleet (787s on the way!), great worldwide routes, great pilots and a strong strategy going forward. If I were getting back into the 121 game, I would definitely consider CAL as a good long-term bet. Sure, Fedex/UPS would be great, but the only other pax carrier I would consider beyond CAL is Delta. If I had a Delta offer and a CAL offer I would probably choose Delta because I know a lot of happy people there now and Delta appears to have turned the corner financially. I could never do the 30 minute turns at SWA - 30 continuous years of multiple 30-minute turns would be difficult - but that's just me...

 

[nonstop]

I've not been called from CAL, but at the same time I completely see Pocono's point. Pay, no insurance, and a move to a city like Newark are my reasons for not pushing hard for CAL.

It would take somewhere around 10 to 11 years for me to go into positive numbers (to recover the cost for the first several years) to make the jump to CAL. At FedEx, UPS, or SWA, I would be into career earnings growth in the second year.

For a young pilot, the mainline guys on the board are correct. For a pilot in his late thirties to early forties, the math works out differently. CAL is obviously a better long term future, but the choice really hinges on how old you are when you make the jump and where you want to live.

I agree with Pocono and Fins. Some of you guys are way off base, and coming off quite irrational. I'd like to interview at CAL, and I'd probably go if hired and make a career of it. The earnings hit, however, isn't as temporary as many make it out to be. The financial hole you create isn't filled when your earnings simply catch up to what they were. I've been running some numbers and I think Fins numbers may even be on the low side as to how long it'd take to break even... especially considering the looming age 65 change that seems (unfortunately) inevitable in the next 5 years. Open skies seems like a certainty in the next 10 years as well, I don't think that will help the scenario.

If you think you're going to leave CAL, then I certainly wouldn't take the pay cut to go... because you'll never make the money back before you leave. Even for the 737 type, whats a 737 type cost, 8k? You're talking an initial 40k+ pay cut for an 8k type.

Just the unfortunate financial facts. This is assuming you've got 5+ years at one of the better (relatively speaking) regionals. Obviously a Great Lakes FO isn't going to use the same equation.

 

[Lear70]

Actually, Flight Training International in Denver is doing the 737 type for $4,500. Yeah, that's the full PIC type.

They just had a career fair with Southwest out in Vegas last month on the 20th, heard it was a great success, only 200 guys were there instead of the others where there's 400-500+ resumes trying to get face time.

I agree, IF you DEFINITELY PLANNED on leaving CAL and had a hard time making the money work, and you're currently making a decent living that you can LIVE with the REST OF YOUR CAREER, then stay put.

Otherwise, if you think that CAL could be a good long-term deal you could LIVE WITH, you're just plain stupid, and you can't fix that.

You never know what the future may bring, and history has taught us that it brings downturns, furloughs, and failed airlines. With Open Skies coming, that's only going to get worse in the next 5-7 years.

 

[GuppyWN]

I don't know where you work now but I'd guess you're going to look back and regret it.

This job is only as good as the next contract. AA gets a 30% pay raise and the race to the top is alive and well again.

Gup