AirTran Folk

[SkiFishFly]

My name says it all. I've been here just a little while and I couldnt be happier, great crews, great airplanes, great company! Airtran will be around or a long long time and were growing like crazy! Not only are they seeing double digit (by percentage) growth every year and adding passengers but the flying public just plain DIG US ! We are seeing double digit revenue percentage increases every year over 25% more passengers enplaned Airtran planes over last January alone!

We have been running classes of 15-25 every 3 weeks and plan on hiring around 300 pilots in 2006 with 100 737's on order. Airtran has made a profit the LAST 7 YEARS IN A ROW!! That is unheard of in the current climate. The only other airline that can say that is Southwest and now Airtran is flying almost 35 daily departures from Chicago and nearly 40 from Baltimore. This is Southwest territory! Not to mention nearly 17 daily departures out of DFW and of course about 140 daily departures from ATL.

As far as QOL, here is what you can look forward to. Im not sure what regional you come from but Airtran was definitely a great improvement to my quality of life compared to the regional I came from. I can give you a few examples and what I remember from training.

AIRTRAN

• 85 B717's
• 23 B737's (50 firm orders, 50 options)
• classes of approx 15-30 new hires every 3 weeks through the end of 2006
• The nations youngest all Boeing Fleet.
• Trip Rigs
• Duty Rigs (so no 5 hour sits)
• Fly to great places like LAS, LAX, SFO, Grand Bahamas, Cancun (currently postponed), but still fly to the same places that most regionals do too.
• Upgrade is currently about 3 years (its a crap shoot, will not always be that way, but as an FO you will still eventually make more than a captain at a regional).
• Scheduling supervisor came in and talked to us and was asked about JA's he said that he has only had to "JA" 2 people in all of 2005.
• 100% cancellation pay
• 100% deadhead pay
  
  RESERVE
• 70 hour guarantee
• 3.5 hours per day of reserve (whether you fly or not) and anything you fly over the 3.5 hours per day is ABOVE guarantee!! (heck, a MSP turn out of MCO is nearly 7 hours!) I have a friend in the crashpad who flew 72 hours last month but got paid for 103 on RESERVE!!!
• Most new hires are only sitting reserve about 1-2 months right now.
• Max 12 hour duty day (scheduled).
• 2 hour call out.
• Contract states you can leave 4 hours early on last day of reserve and dont have to call scheduling.
  
  TRAINING
• Got paid 4 hours per day in training, expect to get 84 hours of pay in the first full month.
• The VP of flight ops calls you personally to offer you the job. Then comes into the class and went around the room and shook everyones hand to personally welcome you.
  
  COMMUTING
• Cheif Pilot commutes!! He walked in on day 3 to welcome us and said "hey, if you have tried a couple times to get to work and cant in time for your trip, call me, dont call in sick, save it for when its important, dont call scheduling, Ill call scheduling for you and pull you off your first round trip"
• 60-70% of the Airtran pilots commute.
• Not only can you ride the cockpit jumpseat but you can also ride the extra FA jumpseat if its open.
• For every month you dont call in sick they give you any of the following, your choice.
  1. $30 cash, on your check
  2. $40 towards the Airtran Store (uniforms, t shirts, airplane models)
  3. $50 towards your tuition payment.
• 10.5% B-plan

About the B-Plan... AirTran has a B fund retirement program. I want to clarify that AirTran's retirement program is NOT a promise to pay you a lump sum or a payment amount at some later date (i.e Delta, US AIR..etc). They make contributions to your retirement account twice a month to Fidelity, who also handle your 401(k)'s. You can then invest that money in funds of your choice just as you would your 401(k), and you are vested in the entire amount after 5 years of service, or immediately if something were to happen to AirTran. Anyway, putting a regional in the rearview mirrors as quickly as possible and getting a number on a "major airline" seniority list should probably be the main goal of all pilots and I wish everybody good luck in doing that.

As with any move, do some homework, there is plenty of great info on Airtran out there. Im sure you will see the potential, as well. Here is a great place to start. Posted by another Flightinfo member.

http://library.corporate-ir.net/library/64/642/64267/items/184941/InvestorBook0206.pdf

I hope this helps.
AF

I agree with the Fanatic. Life here is good.

The future - hard for anyone to predict.

 

[Ty Webb]

I have been very happy at FL for the past 4.5 years. I wouldn't leave the left seat here to go anywhere else, but if I were a new hire, I would have to give strong consideration to Fedex, UPS, SWA, CAL and maybe JB . . . . .

Our contract talks have demonstrated that this management team wasn't quite capable of the same type of "win/win" negotiations as SWA or some of the more progressive carriers, and seems intent on tripping over quarters to pick up nickels . . . . and pissing off the pilot group in the process. At this carrier, more than most, the pilots basically make the thing happen on a daily basis . . . . so alienating the one thing that holds it all together is penny-wise and pound-foolish to the extreme.

If the pilots stop going "above and beyond" the whole thing goes to hell in a handbasket rather quickly, and I'd hate to be around when that happens.


.

 

[-9Capt]

If the pilots stop going "above and beyond" the whole thing goes to hell in a handbasket rather quickly, and I'd hate to be around when that happens.


.

Long overdue in my opinion.

Their latest trick is a new policy requiring the FA's to disarm and open the main cabin door as soon as the seat belt sign is turned off (which causes the ACARS to stop the pay clock for the pilots and FA's).

This is a dangerous condition as there is no way off the aircraft , the slide is disarmed and no jetway available yet, not to mention a violation of the limitations of the aircraft manuals and flight ops manual.

 

[Phaedrus]

Rrd..........

 

[-9Capt]

Rrd..........

?????

 

[Phaedrus]

Rosanna Rosanna Danna.....Never mind.

 

[j41driver]

Long overdue in my opinion.

Their latest trick is a new policy requiring the FA's to disarm and open the main cabin door as soon as the seat belt sign is turned off (which causes the ACARS to stop the pay clock for the pilots and FA's).

This is a dangerous condition as there is no way off the aircraft , the slide is disarmed and no jetway available yet, not to mention a violation of the limitations of the aircraft manuals and flight ops manual.

I hadn't really paid attention to that but now that you mention it I guess they have been doing that recently. How about we quit turning off the seat belt sign until the jetway is ready?

 

[Citrus531]

I agree that the pilots are going "above and beyond"....with the FA's and pilots I know and talk to, I've got a decent idea about what you're talking about.

I do think that there are plenty of others though that are busting their hump for little to no $$$ to make this airline successful too. The daily abuse I used to take from passengers and even sometimes employees for $8.75/hr as an agent sometimes seemed not worth it.

Looking back on it, I'm very glad I've stuck around and wouldn't trade my ops job at all.......working on the night shift, we have a great group of people who work doubles, late nights and try hard everyday to make the ATL operation run smoothly.The people we coordinate with in SOC are great people....I've met many of them and they honestly care about the company. Any of you guys who talk to Kelly in SOC or Matt, I believe you know what I mean.

It is a great group of Pilots, FA's, Cust Serv, Ramp(for the most part),etc that make this company successful. It does seem like we are "alittle" conservative with things but that's my own opinion. I think the course we have set is bright and look forward to seeing it happen.

 

[Ty Webb]

I sure don't mean to downplay the work of the dedicated people in other departments . . . . but the pilot group has the most invested in the Company, and is also has the ability to try to keep the ball from hitting the ground after some other Dept. dropped it, especially at outstations and when things get lost between the cracks in ATL . . . We know you guys are working hard. We're in the midst of our COntract Talks, though, and it is likely to get worse before it gets better.

Shiny side up . . .

 

[Citrus531]

Oh yeah, I know.....believe me, we appreciate it big time when you help us out in ops because it can really be frustrating when we're working with the ever struggling ramp and cust service to make sure they have their act together and then it doesn't happen......the yelling and screaming that goes on in that tower to make sure planes are pushing would make some people go deaf, trust me.

I hope the pilot talks work out to the benefit of everyone....what's the current status?

With spring break and the IROP ATL summer nights around the corner, I'm sure things will be getting a little rough soon but hey we're filling airplanes....