AirTran Interviewers

[717capt]

I dont know any FO's that voted for TA2!!

So your sayin that out of 600 or so FO's not one voted YES. Maybe the ones that you know voted no but as I said a lot of the FO's that I talk to or fly with, tell me they voted yes and that is without me telling them how I voted or even without me bringing up the subject. It's just natural in the course of a trip to talk about the company, the union, the flight attendants, who's banging who, etc....and eventually it leads to the TA. As I tell most of the guys and gals that I fly with, "whats done is done".

Did we screw ourselves? Maybe
Will we get a better TA? Maybe
Will we go to arbitration? God, I hope not...
Will we strike? Again I hope not, but if we do I'll be at the front of the line holding up a sign and I'll even bring the coffee and cigarettes.

Whats done is done gang, it's over with.. lets move on... lets get the guys their jobs back.

We all have to start preparing to type away on this forum about how bad TA3 is, once that comes out. We need to start talking about more serious issues like the hats and leather jackets.

 

[scarlet]

"I don't like the pay as an F/O. First year is better than most major airlines, then it takes a nosedive. Everyone knows it. Was hoping a decent T.A. would come out, but that was before I understood the ex-Eastern mentality behind senior management. "

You did know the rates before you interviewed right?

"I do not like the way Senior Management operates. I came here thinking it was a Southwest-esque operating environment between management and employees; it's not."

My point exactly!!!

Not trying to stir the pot just trying to see why you wanted to come back?

 

[Lear70]

"I don't like the pay as an F/O. First year is better than most major airlines, then it takes a nosedive. Everyone knows it. Was hoping a decent T.A. would come out, but that was before I understood the ex-Eastern mentality behind senior management. "

You did know the rates before you interviewed right?

Yes, along with the promised upgrade times of 2-3 years. That was a lie, and it's my own fault I just accepted what I was told by HR and interviewers and didn't do the aircraft delivery / pilot hiring math on my own before making the jump.

Based on the upgrade times, I was willing to suck up the F/O pay. Once I realized it was going to be 4-5 years on the 2nd worst F/O pay in the major airline business, I started sticking my head back into getting involved in union work (which I swore to myself I'd never do again after PCL).

"I do not like the way Senior Management operates. I came here thinking it was a Southwest-esque operating environment between management and employees; it's not."

My point exactly!!!

Not trying to stir the pot just trying to see why you wanted to come back?

Because the pros outweigh the cons.

At the end of the day, management will come and go every 5-7 years; I plan to be here for a 25+ year career.

At the end of the day, they either learn how to BE more like Southwest in their employee relations or we shove it down their throat in the terms of an ironclad contract that has penalties for non-compliance or, more specifically, deliberate violation. Something like a minimum $1,000 payment to the pilot for taking a window or aisle seat away when they were due for it (since there is no way to make the pilot "whole" after the fact), plus 3 times the monetary damages have to be paid if they deliberately violate the CBA.

Only then will the management antics stop. It will be cost-prohibitive, and we can get down to the business of flying our trips, doing our jobs 100%, then going home to our families.

Since that's the part of the job that I enjoy more than anywhere else I have flown, and I believe we can get it back to just that and no drama, THAT'S why I want to come back.

Looking forward to flying with the fine ladies and gentlemen at AirTran again soon! :beer:

 

[curtis46]

Lear70,looking forward to see you back on the line;your desire to come back and help make A/T a better place for all of us,is very special.
A good friend of mine,a 2 years F/O admited to me he signed yes on the T/A.he was convinced that the pay raise was the best we could get and the concessions on 1st year pay,the reserve system,the scope language wal all necessary for the financial survival of the company.
I didn't blame my friend but instead blamed myself for not having talk to him earlier,not having descussed with him the pro and con of the proposals.
something i found out,he wasn't familiar with our current contract.How on earth can we know where we're going if we don't know where're we at ?
We need to start to educate ourselves about how our company position it self financially,about our present contract(too many unneccessary greavance for lack of knowledge),what about challanging each other about our contract once donne with the usatoday?! that would be a start.
And yes cannot wait to start serving our union.

 

[mnboyev]

Duuu ohhh... Homer strikes again.....

 

[Lear70]

Curtis, thanks for the sentiment.

A lot of guys are still a little shell-shocked from 5-7 years at a regional through 9/11 and after, and are just "happy to be at a major".

I'm seeing that begin to wear off, and more and more people starting to get engaged in making this a better place for themselves.

I know Mike will do a much better job communicating our current market position, our general contract goals, and how that will affect the company's financial position so that more of our pilots aren't afraid to demand fair compensation and treatment.

I look forward to being back and seeing more and more new pilots engaged in the process... Thanks for stepping up!

 

[-9Capt]

Speaking of that, if everyone was like Lear70 this might be one of the best airlines to fly for. If it wasn't for him, there is no question we would have voted in the last substandard TA and would have suffered it's repercussions for the next 7+ years. If the majority of the pilots here had the integrity and character that "RM" possesses I believe we would have had an industry leading contract by now.

.

Amen.

 

[Spidey]

Lindsey is not married. She is my secret girlfriend. I love her. She kicks interviewees asses with such ease, and then looks over and winks. It makes me crumble. And she's the nice one in the interviews, she makes me be the bad one. Lindsey is so sharp.

 

[AV80R]

To get back to the initial question

– I believe Stephanie is still interviewing and so is Lindsay.

Personally, I think AirTran has some of the best recruiters out there; it’s very hard to turn a stressful and normally uncomfortable ordeal into a positive and an enjoyable experience – yet they seem to be doing just that over and over again based on the numerous posts I’ve seen here and on my personal experience.

Merry Christmas to everyone...

(and Happy Winter-Holiday Workers’ Day to FlyFasterDieSlower, or was it FlyLowerLiveShorter, or…you know what I mean…)

Santas of the World - Unite! ​

 

[Long Time Gone]

Is Tom an Eastern SCAB?

Ssshhhhhhh!!!!! Don't use that word on the regional board, or else you'll be banned!!!!