AirTran Class date

[ifly1900s]

Looking for anyone in the April 3rd ground school.

I interviewed Thursday Feb 27th and heard on Monday March 3rd. There were 11 interviewees. I know of 6 who were offered jobs, but only 1 was going to the April 3rd class.

I thought the whole process was very friendly. Everbody made you feel as if you were part of the family already.

I'm very excited to work for AirTran and feel very lucky to be getting a Major Airline Job. Some say they are not on the same playing field as the Big 6, but I'm looking forward to doing my next 25 years there with great enthusiasm.

 

[AlbieF15]

Most of my contemporaries in the "Big 6" ain't workin' at the moment...you will be.

Pay isn't bad, you have a B fund, and most of the guys there really seem to enjoy their job. Your family can fly with you to the Bahamas in your time off, and our new office goes 400 mph. Good luck to you! Nice to hear some good news every once in a while on these boards...

 

[T45Flyer]

Congrats IFly1900's!

I concur with AlbieF15, Your in a very good position and should be proud. The "big 6" are in a huge shuffling match right now and who knows in the near future what names will be in what positions. Also, being the biggest has nothing to do with working for a great company and luving life!

Congrats and I am sure your gonna love your new job, I sure do!

 

[Ty Webb]

Actually, if the majors' get the pay cuts that they are trying to, or, in some cases, have already gotten, our B717 Capt pay is at (or is even higher) than what they are looking at. Pretty sorry times for the industry, when a 12th yr Major Captain is making the same as a Captain at a NAtional.

Albie, what kind of a tug do you think we're operating over here? We're doing over 500, not 400 mph!

 

[alrightythen23]

How many guys is AirTran hiring this year? I have an interview in April. Any insights on time on reserve......etc.??

 

[flx757]

As far as reserve, there are guys from my class (Aug, 2002), that still have reserve lines this month. I was fairly senior in the class and am holding a CDO line. I am about 30 numbers out from holding a regular line. That holds true for April as well. I am bidding number 236 and there were 202 regular lines. Take that for what it's worth. I'm guessing 4-5 months minimum on reserve, up to about 7 or 8 max. That's assuming they keep hiring every month. If they stop for a while during the summer, which has been the case in the past, then those hired in late spring will spend a few more months on reserve.

BTW, as another point of reference, our Aug class was the first hired in 2002 since Feb. There have been classes monthly since. I have about 45 guys below me eligible to bid, with another 40 or so in various stages of training not eligible to bid for April.

 

[alrightythen23]

thanks for the info flx757! What is the rumor about new aircraft and how many? Is there gonna be another base opening? How long you think the upgrade is? Is the 3rd year FO really about $62? How is training? Load factors on you guys high for commuting?
thanks again

 

[IAHERJ]

Well, I'm a really new guy (day 2 of indoc) so take what I say with a grain of salt. Things seem great here. The people who have come in to talk to us so far really believe in the company and make us feel at home here. The pay is pretty darn good here after first year F.O. pay. Actually, first year pay is not all that bad either. I made less as a brasilia captain than what I'm making in my first year here at AirTran. I think 2 classes are starting in April. My class has 7 people due to the need to match us with an upgrade class beginning in 2 weeks. They like to pair up captains with first officers in the simulator.

Seems as if they are leaning towards a product from the other side of the pond but the announcement will come around June. I've heard #'s for total pilot hiring for 2003 at 240 on the high side and 180 on the low side. The aircraft order and delivery schedule will probably drive some hiring decisions for this Fall. AirTran seems pretty conservative and I don't feel too nervous about a possible conflict in the Middle East affecting hiring too much. The pilot group took care of their own during September of 2001 and no pilot was furloughed and the new hire class continued training at that time. Pay is just about the best in the industry for DC-9/717 aircraft and the retirement plan is pretty generous. Pass priviledges are better than what I had at CAL/COEX and the 717 is a piece of work.

Future looks bright for AirTran. 5 year plan calls for over 200 aircraft according to a higher up. There are around 65 aircraft on property now if that gives you any sign of the growth projected. Possible expansion into hubs currently served by airlines (large and small) that are seeing hard times right now. All this is subject to change with industry/world events.

I'm excited to be here and feel very lucky someone (she knows who she is) down in Orlando pulled my resume from the stack. Best of luck to anyone else interested in this up and comming niche airline.

IAHERJ

 

[Ty Webb]

It's nice to hear an update from someone currently in class. I started class in Nov 2001. They said at that time, we were going to grow at 20-25% per year. Here's how their forecasts have panned out:

We went from 610 pilots to now around 800- that's well over 25%. We went from 36 cities to 44, and from 360 flights a day to 446 . . . all right around 25% increases. We had 60 aircraft, and by the end of October, we should be at 73 . . . of course, that's not counting the "mini-me's" or the Airbus sub-services. If you've been reading the 10K and 10Q reports, you know the ASM's are up around 20-25% as well, with similar load factors.

As for pay, my first year W-2 was $42,000, including per diem. Second year is looking like $60K, and again, if I wasn't such a slacker, I could make more.

In short- compared to what they told me in class, I have worked less, been paid more and have been happier than I expected. In just 16 months, I am pretty much in the middle of the FO seniority list, which means around 16 days off per month, with plenty of weekends off and 85 hrs of pay. You will probably be surprised to find that there is very little pointless bitching on the line . . . . most of us are pretty happy here- hope you are, too. Sounds like you're off to a great start.

Welcome aboard!

 

[IAHERJ]

Thanks Ty,

I'm very excited about this opportunity. I can't wait to get out of training and start flying the line. I've got a long 2.5 months ahead but the folks down here in ATL seem like a great bunch to learn from and work with. Day 1 we had all our manuals, CD's, guides etc. placed next to our name plates. Very organized. Our employee #'s were given out after lunch and we are off and running on our jumpseat familiarization rides this weekend. We've got 2 furoughed UsAir guys along with a furloughed United guy. All have great attitudes. The rest of us are former regional guys and military. Okay, I guess I should get back to reading and put a stop to this procrastinating. Hope to see you on line soon. I'll be the guy on the very bottem of the seniority list in a few months. Well 2nd from the bottom. One guy joined us today and his hire date is a day after our initial 6. I still get to play class secretary though for being the youngest.

IAHERJ

 

[AV8OR]

Congrats to all you guys getting the call for both the interview and class. Looks like from the profiles, those of us that that only have PIC jet but no 121 PIC can hang it up until there's a new pilot shortage, which ought to occur in about 20 years. It seems the mins for getting the interview at AA prior to 9/11 just moved over to Airtran.

Maybe those of us in this category that are interested, MIGHT get the call but it aint lookin good. Not gripin just being realistic. Thought I'd post this so the next newbe to the board with no 121PIC looking for an opportunity with Airtran might do a search and get the challenge before them.

If there is ANYONE who has gotten the call in this last round, without P121 PIC or pure exmil, please, advise and give us a little hope.

Again congrats to the winners!

 

[SentryIP]

Congratulations!

Hey All,

Congratulations on your new job. From all I've read, AirTran is a great airline. Best wishes on your new career.

 

[IAHERJ]

AV8OR,

The class in January had 2 pilots who came from the corporate world. Unless something has changed in 2 months, flying unscheduled corporate was not a definate no go. I used to conduct interviews at COEX and people would sometimes try to guess the profile of candidates we were looking for on internet boards. Most of the time they were not correct. I hope in your case that you are wrong in your speculation but having nothing to do with any hiring here, nor being privy to any criteria used for selection, I offer that thought. I do know they like internal referrals. Almost everyone in every class had one. It should be from someone who is flying the line that you know pretty well. It should probably be someone that they like as well.

IAHERJ

 

[Ty Webb]

Please do me a favor, and ask the "corporate" guys if they had any prior 121, and also if they were former 121 PIC's.

I have been trying to get a highly qualified 135 jet PIC on here, and I keep hearing that 121 time is a hard requirement right now- but I am hoping that it has changed.

 

[ifly1900s]

IAHRJ,
What did most of your class do for accommodation?

 

[AV8OR]

IAHERJ,

Thanks for the info. My intel though seems to coincide with what Ty and JN have been saying. What has dissappointed me has been the apparent shift in policy. It becomes more like winning the lottery. But hey, I'm in a much better place than a lot right now and thankful for it. Just like to keep probing to see if anybody other than ex-mil and regional guys are getting the call. Doesn't appear so.

 

[IAHERJ]

Ifly1900's,

Most are staying at the Country Inn&Suites which is only a few blocks from the training center. The staff is wonderful and the rate is $35.00 a night. Some guys have doubled up and after tax are spending around 20 bucks a day each. Most guys/gals go home on the weekend as we are required to jumpseat 10 legs during training and that kills 2 birds with 1 stone so to speak.

Ty,

I'll ask those corporate guys if they ever flew 121. Like I say, I'm as newbie as one can get. I also have a corporate friend who is right here in Atlanta and really wants to get on here. He has friends who are flying the line now that are doing what they can reccomendation wise but he has heard nothing. It wouldn't surprise me if they did have some sort of internal policy regarding the 121 thing right now. They are in a position to do this right now with all the applicants etc.

Well, off to the books.

IAHERJ

 

[mnboyev]

Welcome aboard ! Its a great pilot group. Hard working and focused on the future. Mostly regular folks from varied backgrounds. I was hired 4/01 . AirTran has been great. Good schedule, easy commute, training was standard 121 fare. Pay is pretty fair for the equipment, as TY indicated around 60K after the first year. Life is better for the folks who are willing to live in ATL.

Trips are 4 days, some 3 day, 85 hrs a month Credit. Upgrade will probably be around 3.5 years the way things are going ?? But if THEY get the equipment they want or another base who knows? AirTran is the best kept secret in the industry for pilots wanting to fly scheduled 121. Good alternative to the big boys now. I have enjoyed my stay here and plan to stick around.

Welcome, See ya round the pilot lounge.

 

[767..street]

Hotel during trng and trng pay ?

It sounds like you have to pay for your own hotel during trng for Air Tran ???????????
What is the training pay ?

Thanks,
Dave

 

[FL717]

Yes, you have to pay for lodging during training that takes place in ATL (since it is your domicile). Any training outside of your domicile (ATL) of course the company would provide a hotel. Atlanta is our only domicile at this time. I believe your only hope of getting a paid hotel during training is if you'd luck out and get MIA for simulator.

As far as pay, you get your base guarantee from day one of training. Starting pay as of 1 April is $39.50/hr times 70 hours which equals $2765.00 / mos. Once online as a line holder, the average line is approximately 85 hours (as of April). This comes to an average salary of $3358.00 per month NOT including per diem.

If you do get out of domicile for sim training then per diem kicks in which is $35.00 a day (which equals 20 hours of per diem per day at $1.75 per hour). This is only while in training. Obviously when you get online you get $1.75 per diem for every hour you're away on a trip. Average lines pay about $500.00 per month per diem.

Okay finally... quick math: As a line holder average first year monthly pay would total $3860.00 INCLUDING per diem. One thing to consider is that by the time you finish training, get off reserve and are a line holder, you will probably be hitting 2nd year pay... which as of 1 April is $53.49, or $55.94 as of 1 April 04.

Hope this helps.