AirTran Pilots Fired!!!!!!!

[Whataburger]

It won't happen, but wouldn't 177 two-week notices that become effective two weeks from today make things interesting until Sept??

 

[LJDRVR]

Never leave a brother behind.

Gup

Exactly!

You know, mature, steady-state thunderstorms should be given at least a twenty nautical mile berth.

 

[AppBrookie]

What a absolute bunch of jerks!!!!
How can these retread instructors even be so selfish to keep these positions!!!!!!!!!( If you research most of these individuals history, it makes perfect sense) What a twisted culture!!

Hang tough guys(the vast majority of you folks are hard working super individuals that deserve better)

Former Trannie that's glad he's gone

 

[FlyWolf]

What changed from two days ago? I thought they already announced the furloughs?

Very sorry to hear the bad news.

 

[Sparse]

Yes Fired. "Position ELIMINATED" "Permanent" Starting sept 6th. Email came out last night along with list of effected pilots.
Why not FURLOUGHED? To protect 15 OLD easter guys still hobbling around the training department. The contract states that before a line pilot is furloughed they must furlough the retired instructors first. To get around this they have decided to FIRE all Probationary pilots on Sept 6th. The list goes back to Sept 10th 2007. WOW what a coincedence. To kill 177 pilots careers and throw them into a market where there is no jobs with no hopes of returning is beyond imagination. The old guys have maybe 3-4 years left tops and all have retirments, grown kids, homes ect. I hope they sleep well at night that family will be broken and careers thrown away.This is AirTran. Maybe a good place to work a few years back but now the abomination of the industry. I rank MESA higher than AirTran.
When the industry rebounds I would take a long hard look at AirTran before applying. The first problem in the industry they will Fire you.

Why on earth would you have something in your contract that would require your company to furlough instructors first? Why aren't the instructors Non-seniority-list instructors? Delta and NW I know do this. You need instructors on a downturn as well as an upturn. Your instructors (NSLIs) should be a seperate work force subject to it's own ups and downs. I think this provision in your contract has screwed the new hires. Managments, like pilots will always find a way to exploit a contract.

 

[carl p]

Bottom line, from someone on the chopping block, no concessions! Sure sounds like a different place than the one who spent the first day giving us the sunshine pump and koolaid enema. I would love to chat with the gal Denise about what a great company we work for now.

 

[CitationLover]

sorry to hear what is happening at AAI.

absolute horse shiite if they fire people.

 

[Lear70]

Why on earth would you have something in your contract that would require your company to furlough instructors first? Why aren't the instructors Non-seniority-list instructors? Delta and NW I know do this. You need instructors on a downturn as well as an upturn. Your instructors (NSLIs) should be a seperate work force subject to it's own ups and downs. I think this provision in your contract has screwed the new hires. Managments, like pilots will always find a way to exploit a contract.

Short-sighted, aren't we?

Because, in the beginning, all instructors, including Line Check Airmen and sim instructors, WERE LINE PILOTS.

The union gave the company relief many years ago during the last contract negotiations to use NSLI's. It was INTENDED to be a short-term measure, not the permanent position it has become. That's why the contract also contains entries that ANY pilot may refuse a checkride by a retired instructor and opt for a checkride by a Seniority List instructor or the FAA instead (I don't know when this has been used, if ever, but the allowance is there).

By requiring the termination of NSLI's, about 14-15 guys, you save 14-15 pilot jobs as the training center MUST be staffed, and line pilots can bid into the training center (quite a few people want it, especially people who live locally), thus reducing the number of furloughs. This also costs the company quite a bit of money if the people who bid into the training center are Captains.

It's a job protection measure for seniority list pilots. No one imagined the company would hold a junior portion of the pilot group hostage for a contract item like this. It's a terrorist action, it's absolutely despicable, and anyone who defends it should be dragged out into the street, castrated, drawn, quartered, and shot.

Is that clear enough?

 

[Lear70]

Bottom line, from someone on the chopping block, no concessions! Sure sounds like a different place than the one who spent the first day giving us the sunshine pump and koolaid enema. I would love to chat with the gal Denise about what a great company we work for now.

Yeah, I'm wondering how the company will defend against this one at future career fairs.

They'll have a hard time hiring anything but VERY inexperienced regional pilots after this debacle...

 

[xray678]

the Airtran pilots, as a group, should refuse to go to a sim run by one of the retired instructors. Take away the companies reason to keep these guys.

I know having a sim with one of the retired guys would make me sick.....too sick to have a sim that day.

 

[BoilerUP]

I've only flown on AirTran once...but after this news I won't be a paying passenger a 2nd time.

 

[zman]

Hold on as a guy on probation does this mean i wont be getting a raise??

 

[Hobiehawker]

Being layed-off and being fired are two different things.

To cut through all the language and interpretation, is it that Ait tran is furloughing 177 pilots on probation with NO recall rights? Is this basically whats happening?

 

[hockeypilot44]

Airtran will have no problem finding pilots when they start hiring again. Skybus, Go Jets, etc. have never had any problem finding pilots. Airtran will be no different.

 

[79%N1]

Airtran will have no problem finding pilots when they start hiring again. Skybus, Go Jets, etc. have never had any problem finding pilots. Airtran will be no different.

Or...............and call me crazy here............when/if they ever need pilots again...........they could just bring back the ones that already applied, interviewed, were hired and then flew the line as employees of the company!