AirTran T.A. = Vote NO

[twepilot]

oh..I got it now..sorry..

RV

 

[TV9Driver]

Ty is right,

this contract is not the reason alot of people will leave AAI. It's the corporate culture here that are causing people to leave. Unfortunately, this TA reflects the AAI corporate culture.

When people ask me why i'd leave here to go back to a mAAjor that treats their employees poorly, I say i'd love to stay at a place where i'm treated like a valued employee and treated professionally. I would take less money to stay at a place like that.

But if i'm going to be treated like dirt here, I might as well go back to the other airline, get treated like dirt, and make alot more money...

 

[TV9Driver]

who would deliberately leave the flaps up?

that's another thing that bugs me about AAI. We are always in each others business - turning each other in, second guessing each other, ridiculing each other, etc...

I thought we were all on the same team.....

 

[MGT3]

"If you think that 7-10 pilots leaving every month is simply the guys who want to fly widebodies or work for a legacy, you are mistaken.

Nearly every FO who has been here less than two years is looking elsewhere. The real hemorrhage hasn't even begun yet. (and the TWA and AMR guys haven't even gotten the call yet!). Gonna be some real interesting days around here.

It's not just the former Legacy guys, either. The Regional guys recognize a regional contract and regional airline management tactics, and don't want any part of it either.

Regional contract = regional turnover and attrition. Pretty simple stuff.

Management waited too long- they should have gotten a fair a year two years ago, when it was offered. To save a few million in payroll costs, they are destroying the glue that was holding this thing together, and that isn't going to come back."

Ditto.

I think AirTran has incredible potential to be a great place to work for the next 20 years. However, management wasted an opportunity to get a contract in place relatively cheaply and they seem bound and determined to make this a crappy place to work.

I know of at least one Captain who is waiting for the 5 year mark for his B-plan to vest & see the results of this contract stuff to judge whether life is going to get better or worse here. And believe it or not, it isn't all about the Benjamins.

 

[EMBATP]

spidey

fdx hasnt hired anyone since march at least...and southwest slowed down as well...a friend just interviewed and they told him it could be a year before class...

 

[NuGuy]

If you think that 7-10 pilots leaving every month is simply the guys who want to fly widebodies or work for a legacy, you are mistaken.

It's not just the former Legacy guys, either. The Regional guys recognize a regional contract and regional airline management tactics, and don't want any part of it either.

Heyas all,

Ty is right on the mark here. At NWA, we have 30-40 guys leaving every month, and only half that number are retirements. Heck, even the LEC FO rep in MEM just left for FredEx, and he was a 12 year guy.

The industry sucks, it just sucks less in some places. The few decent places out there fill up quick, so that's why you see people in a panic to leave.

Nu

 

[Stewie]

...Ty, take a step back, take a breath and look at the big picture and stop reading what ain't there, bro...UPS, FedEX, SWA, CO, etal are hiring like big dogs...it's more a function of greener pastures out there flying big jets, etc...the TA and all it entails may some effect...it's just like prior to 9-11...the majors, legacies were hiring and our applicants had less experience...did some TA cause that...no...so, yeh we have people leaving, but it is not strictly due to the TA-tho it has some influence-quote]

You Spidey are incorrect. I have been here two years and when I first came here I thought "this could be good...a place where I can happily end my carreer" after seeing how the company has handled itself with it's "we will not give them anything" approach to these TA's I am ready to leave. Cannot imagine spending 30 more years and 8 or so more contract negotiations at a company that expects me to take a pay cut every contract. So i can only imagine that I am not the only pilot at airTran thinking this way. You are wrong.

 

[~~~^~~~]

Spidey - double check with FlyFastLiveSlow. He called and verified. Paperwork snafu, I guess.

Also, FedEx Express is not hiring right now, but I'm afraid to say why because one of our friendly FlightInfo Board members might call FedEx's CPO.

Jeesh - why are folks around here so meanspirited when you just post information intended to help them out and support them? I like AirTran and hope your pilots get a contract that reflects their professionalism and service.

 

[SkiFishFly]

Some big numbers here...

ORLANDO, Fla., Sept. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings, Inc. , today reported all-time record traffic for the month of August 2007. The airline reported that revenue passenger miles (RPMs), available seat miles (ASMs), enplaned passengers, and load factors for August represent new all-time company records.
For August, traffic grew by 34.6 percent to more than 1.7 billion RPMs based on a 20.4 percent increase in capacity. The company's load factor for the month was 84.3 percent. The airline enplaned more than 2.3 million passengers for the month, a 28.4 percent increase over August 2006.
"We are very pleased with our record-breaking August traffic and proud of all of our hard-working Crew Members and the high-quality service they provide for our customers every day," said Bob Fornaro, AirTran Airways' president and chief operating officer. "Extreme heat and thunderstorms made the operating environment especially tough across much of the country, and our Crew Members handled the challenges with skill and determination."
Other August highlights include the announcement of new, nonstop service between Raleigh/Durham, N.C., and Orlando, as well as Phoenix, Ariz., and Milwaukee, Wis.; and the start of new, nonstop service between Las Vegas, Nev., and Rochester, N.Y., Flint, Mich., Akron/Canton and Dayton, Ohio, Moline/Quad Cities and Bloomington/Normal, Ill. AirTran Airways also announced that it will begin nonstop, daily flights between Las Vegas and Indianapolis, Ind., and raised more than $50,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

AirTran Airways August 2007 Traffic (Preliminary) August 2007 August 2006 Change Revenue Passenger Miles (000) 1,744,106 1,295,574 34.6 percent Available Seat Miles (000) 2,069,894 1,718,558 20.4 percent Load Factor 84.3 percent 75.4 percent 8.9 points Passengers Enplaned 2,303,956 1,794,163 28.4 percent Y-T-D 2007 Y-T-D 2006 Change Revenue Passenger Miles (000) 11,727,602 9,448,349 24.1 percent Available Seat Miles (000) 15,126,655 12,488,523 21.1 percent Load Factor 77.5 percent 75.7 percent 1.8 points Passengers Enplaned 16,114,794 13,653,037 18.0 percent

 

[j41driver]

You Spidey are incorrect. I have been here two years and when I first came here I thought "this could be good...a place where I can happily end my carreer" after seeing how the company has handled itself with it's "we will not give them anything" approach to these TA's I am ready to leave. Cannot imagine spending 30 more years and 8 or so more contract negotiations at a company that expects me to take a pay cut every contract. So i can only imagine that I am not the only pilot at airTran thinking this way. You are wrong.

I've been here 2 years this month and this pretty much sums up my feelings right now also. Pretty crappy...

 

[RIDETHELIGHTING]

I've been here 2 years this month and this pretty much sums up my feelings right now also. Pretty crappy...

Me too. It started off good.

 

[airline#5]

Nearly 2 yrs, my feelings also. This place sucks the life right out of you. BK was more fun at previous carriers. $$$ is the only reason to stay here, and it SUCKS as an FO.

 

[AppBrookie]

I have never worked at a place that the pilots have worked so hard to go the extra mile......saving fuel, pushing wheelchairs, etc,etc..............thought this was a place to call home.
The company(and union) have crapped all over this.

No more type ride orals every 6 months with ego maniacs , no more memos treating us like pre-schoolers.

I'm heading for the door, good luck guys!!!!!!!!!!

 

[j41driver]

.....

 

[j41driver]

I'm flying with a pretty senior guy this month. Every time I bring up Lear's rebuttal points re: reserve, scope, FO payrates, etc. he always makes it about him and how that section doesn't really affect him. How do I convince him that he should be thinking about the "little guy" also? What would you do/say to help him see your point of view?

 

[FlyFastLiveSlow]

.....

What happened to your post?

 

[FlyFastLiveSlow]

I'm flying with a pretty senior guy this month. Every time I bring up Lear's rebuttal points re: reserve, scope, FO payrates, etc. he always makes it about him and how that section doesn't really affect him. How do I convince him that he should be thinking about the "little guy" also? What would you do/say to help him see your point of view?

Try this one on him.

Say he calls in sick, but on day two he feels better, so he calls in to rejoin his trip. Skeds tells him that is impossible, but they have three days of reserve for him.

Scen A: He has to live under reserve rules for three days.

Scen B: He says no thanks and they then put him down as refusing an assignment.

 

[j41driver]

Cool...thanks. Keep 'em coming.

 

[T3700]

The SAP 1 changes affect senior guys the most. A lot of guys I've flown with seem surprised when they hear SAP 1 will be subject to the same reserve manning requirements as SAP 2. One guy I flew with said "they didn't mention the SAP 1 changes at the road show" I wasn't surprised.

 

[Lear70]

The SAP 1 changes affect senior guys the most. A lot of guys I've flown with seem surprised when they hear SAP 1 will be subject to the same reserve manning requirements as SAP 2. One guy I flew with said "they didn't mention the SAP 1 changes at the road show" I wasn't surprised.

That one's about the top reason for a senior guy to vote No.

Another one would be to show him where the T.A. allows for a nearly 50% increase in your medical insurance over the next 4 years, and that's just for HMO coverage. PPO coverages go upwards of a 70% allowable increase in health insurance premiums, not to mention copays can increase, too.

Ask him if he'd also like to sit reserve at an outstation as a lineholder. T.A. doesn't require them to bring him back to ATL on the first scheduled flight anymore and reassignments can't be refused if they don't go past your original release time.

3 gems that are standouts for senior pilots...