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Leave Airtran for United??

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I have a friend here that is trying to do the same thing. They are about a year to 1.5 years away from upgrade. I can't understand it. Nothing against United at all. Just way too many variables out there to go over there.
 
i know of 2 ppl that recently left AT for UAL.
one 737 fo had been here about 16 months and one 717 fo who had been here about 6 months. both had ties to the west.
everything in this industry is a gamble, but with risk comes reward.
giving up 18 months to be on the bottom of ual is very risky though.. But who knows.. its all speculation on what could or couldnt happen to either company.
 
You won't know for five years

There a lot of SWA pilots who left SWA for DAL/UAL/NWA/ etc, in 2001. We had a pilot left USA Jet for NWA in August of 2001, cost him almost 400K, giving up DC-9 Captain for furlough two monhts after being hired by SWA. You will know in 5 years. Long list of friends did things like left Fedex for Braniff in 1978, left North Central for Eastern in 1977, left General Motors Corporate pilot job for Braniff in 1978, left DAL for PamAm in 1968.
 
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Leave Air Tran if you want to fly for CAL because it is very likely that UAL and CAL will become one if the Delta/NWA merger happens. If UAL were growing and it actually had a strategy, I'd probably make the move to UAL just to get the option to fly multiple fleets and to fly internationally. Now that UAL is not very secure and it has zero growth, I would be a bit more cautious. I don't know how a merger would impact newbies - that's the big question. Could newbies be furloughed initially (and bumped down to Skywest or CHQ?)? You never know. It could work out well in the long term if newbies are afforded some protection. It could be a good long-term play with some short-term anxieties.

Upgrade times would be very long at a UAL/CAL combo I would assume - and that is something to consider.... If you want to be PIC sooner than later, stay at Air Tran. I also agree that Air Tran could be a SWA target if the industry starts to consolidate.
 
I would at least go to the interview and get the experience and check United out...interview them too...see if it is what you want.
 
bladeusa said:
i know of 2 ppl that recently left AT for UAL.
one 737 fo had been here about 16 months and one 717 fo who had been here about 6 months. both had ties to the west.
everything in this industry is a gamble, but with risk comes reward.
giving up 18 months to be on the bottom of ual is very risky though.. But who knows.. its all speculation on what could or couldnt happen to either company.
Click to expand...

What's this thread about again? I never got past that avatar.:pimp:

 
i imagine most moves like this are for improved QoL. go with the best QoL, which is usually no commute. life isn't all about getting to the left seat.
 
It's a tough decision, but I left AirTran To fly overseas. You have to decide what you think is best for you and go with it. AirTran was not for me so I found something else and have never looked back.
 
slaquer5 said:
Stay you will be at SWA in a year :)
Click to expand...
If that happens, then I will be trying for United. Otherwise, I'm quite happy where I am.

Personally, I think it's a mistake unless you live in or near one of the UAL domiciles. You already have 1.5 years of seniority under your belt here, so leaving to go to the bottom of a list that has zero planned growth and upgrades longer than a decade just doesn't make much sense to me. But if flying a widebody to Asia is a must-have for you, then UAL is the way to go. All depends on where you live and what you're looking for in terms of flying variety.
 
don't get baited into the "quick upgrade" argument at AAI. We're watching that dry up right before our eyes. I've been at AAI for 3 years, and quite honestly i'm not sure when i'll upgrade. There has been a lot of talk about slowed growth and selling options/planes, so it's a total crap shoot.

On the other hand, you are giving up pretty decent relative seniority to start at the bottom of a company that is actively looking to merge with another carrier. All I know about mergers is that it's not the senior guys that get furloughed...

Good luck. I don't envy you having to make such a decision.
 
johnsonrod said:
Leave Air Tran if you want to fly for CAL because it is very likely that UAL and CAL will become one if the Delta/NWA merger happens.
Click to expand...

I don't think it is wise to try to gain employment with one carrier just because of possible prospects after a "predicted" merger.

I remember several people who left whatever commuter airline to work for Midway pre 911 just because they thought or everyone was saying they would merge/be bought out by American. Thus by going to Midway you would get an AA number.
 
contrail67 said:
I would at least go to the interview and get the experience and check United out...interview them too...see if it is what you want.
Click to expand...


While I understand this point i'd say not to do this. What if he gets hired and decides not to go. He has just very likely burned a bridge.

I speak from my own exp. 7 years ago I interviewed with Airtran and was hired. I decided to stay with my commuter to upgrade and get PIC for my then "career goal airline" of United. About 12 months after turning down the offer 911 hit and Airtran was the new AA/UAL/DAL. I've tried since then (less the last 12 months) to get an interview with Airtran with no luck.

I got the first interview/hired with 3000tt, 1500 pic and no types.

Since then with 8000 plus tt, 2500pic, 2 types and 3 CA's walking in my stuff I can't get a call.

Eventhough Jill isn't calling the pilot hr shots anymore my lack of luck is most likey due to turning them down years ago.

So in conclusion, don't interview just for the sake of it - you never know in this bizz when you really need that interview/job. There are other ways to research a job than going to an interview. Plus interview information usually leans twards the koolaide side of the house anyway.
 
Those you dont care about upgrade obviously want to work to 65. Think about this. If United mergers with anyone they will have overlap. Overlap means they are not going to keep that frequency in. This also means any old airframes will be weeded out of both carriers. Then you want to add in Uniteds great scope clause (not) and you can almost garuntee that you will see many of those EMB 175s or 190s (in the future) doing the roots of the old small narrowbody jets that they got rid of. Let somone else take the risk with buying new airframes like Chatauqua. Airtran is a growth airline that has slots in many every major hub. Think about that. If they get bought a few years down the road and you have seniority you may end up quite well in a shuffle if not you will still upgrade faster which means you dont have to work forever. I would rather be a captain on an okay day making good money than an FO having a great day making crap.
 
"don't get baited into the "quick upgrade" argument at AAI. We're watching that dry up right before our eyes. I've been at AAI for 3 years, and quite honestly i'm not sure when i'll upgrade"

If youve been at AAI for three years then you should know almost exactly when your going to upgrade. The next class was awarded to guys who have been at AAI for 3 years. When class starts in March they will have been here for 3 years and 2 months. So, if you have been at AAI for 3 years, you should be able to hold one of the next few classes.
 
You are jr. to me, think long and hard about it. If you were sr. to me, I would advise, follow your heart and go for it.
 
I assume part of the reason the move to UAL is because he lives in one of UAL's bases. It's a bit risky move, but i can tell you as a commuter, nothing beats living in base. And i know that UAL is almost hiring into every single bases (except DEN being a bit more senior).

So if you can sit down with your significant other and discuss that if down the road, a merger does happen, you'll be happy to be a at home dad for a period of time because of furlough, and your family will be fine financially, i'd say go for it!!! In my opinion, quality of life trumps pay any time of the day. You simply just can't buy back your son's 3rd birthday, because you spent it on a commute. UAL has been my dream airline since i was small, but i guess not for now, maybe in the future.
 
BigMeat said:
........Then you want to add in Uniteds great scope clause (not) and you can almost garuntee that you will see many of those EMB 175s or 190s (in the future) doing the roots of the old small narrowbody jets that they got rid of.
Click to expand...

UAL's scope does not allow a regional to fly either aircraft you quote.

You could hold just about any UA base in a relatively short period of time.

Tough decision. Good luck.
 
I have heard they have done away with the sim interview, BTW as you see it will be five years before you know if you made the rihgt choice.
 
LearLove said:
While I understand this point i'd say not to do this. What if he gets hired and decides not to go. He has just very likely burned a bridge.

I speak from my own exp. 7 years ago I interviewed with Airtran and was hired. I decided to stay with my commuter to upgrade and get PIC for my then "career goal airline" of United. About 12 months after turning down the offer 911 hit and Airtran was the new AA/UAL/DAL. I've tried since then (less the last 12 months) to get an interview with Airtran with no luck.

I got the first interview/hired with 3000tt, 1500 pic and no types.

Since then with 8000 plus tt, 2500pic, 2 types and 3 CA's walking in my stuff I can't get a call.

Eventhough Jill isn't calling the pilot hr shots anymore my lack of luck is most likey due to turning them down years ago.

So in conclusion, don't interview just for the sake of it - you never know in this bizz when you really need that interview/job. There are other ways to research a job than going to an interview. Plus interview information usually leans twards the koolaide side of the house anyway.
Click to expand...

Don't feel bad u ain't missing anything
 
johnsonrod said:
That's great. When do you expect an upgrade at UAL?
Click to expand...

about the time you guys get all the management idiots out of your union and all the scabs out of the training department and that scab who is the asst. chief pilot and when you get a new contract (I see you are going on year 4 now without one.) Guess you are waiting for AMR, CAL, UAL to lead the industry back up. And before you spew about our wages at UAL remember my FO pay was more than your 12 year captain pay back then. Enjoy the asskicking you are going to get from DAL you rod.
 

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