ATA interviews

[propjob27]

So how did ALPA take care of the ATA pilots? Some things the ALPOphiles would love to burry and forget! JUST LIKE YOU

Got this ALPA negotiated bennie:

Pref interviews at CAL. Many of us (myself included) benefitted from those. Can't remember though, did one have to be on the 757 at ATA to get that perk?

SWA "gave" many of us furloughed ATA guys interviews (with an alarmingly low success rate...) though this was obviously un-ALPA related.

Looking back, ATA was the most fun flying job I've ever had (Lakes, Skywest, ATA, CAL, and FedEx). I agree with a previous poster, they were at their best being the "biggest airline you've never heard of", flying troops around for the government.

Once they tried to become a "real" airline they tanked. It was a case of not sticking to what they knew and were good at. World and Omni are still around doing the same thing, which they know and were/are good at.

Competing for ticket sales out of MDW with Southwest and AirTran + out of IND with Northwest, etc with ATA's bankroll was just stupid.

Maybe GM simply got tired of being the CEO of an airline no one (other than US troops and fat mid-west people bound for Hawaii) ever heard of.

He tried and failed. Is he still around? Wonder what he's up to?

ATA was a great run prior to that and hope everyone who wanted to keep flying still is.

 

[GuppyWN]

Didn't the Airtran offer include buying ATA assets and planes, but not take the pilots?

And no, I'm not hating. It's just a question.

Gup

 

[FO 4 Life]

Got this ALPA negotiated bennie:

Pref interviews at CAL. Many of us (myself included) benefitted from those. Can't remember though, did one have to be on the 757 at ATA to get that perk?

FWIW, my brother was on the 737 and never heard a peep from CAL. He did get his token interview at SWA along with the others.

 

[HalinTexas]

Didn't the Airtran offer include buying ATA assets and planes, but not take the pilots?

And no, I'm not hating. It's just a question.

Gup

No aircraft. No employees, directly. They wanted the MDW, LGA, and DCA slots/gates. We would have flown for them for a few months, then we would have downsized on our own cert. from 1150 to 300+ pilots, eventually, doing all charter work out of IND. We were to get preferential interviews with FL.

Not a stupid question.

 

[HalinTexas]

CAL did hire a couple of guys that were current on the B757. SWA in '05 interviewed about 50, hired about 10. Since then, they've hired more than 10. I know one in training right now.

I did hear that SWA interviewed every B737 check airmen, and didn't hire a single one. Could be wrong. I don't think SWA hired a single union member that held a position as an officer. Could also be wrong about that. I don't think Allegiant has hired a single ATA crew member since the shut down. Could be a former ATA management person is there.

 

[HalinTexas]

ALPA lied to us even before USAir left. ALPA was run by US, UA, and DL. They didn't care about us then. So, no, ALPA hasn't "taken care" of us. No union has, once you're not paying dues. No airline has, either. Not, FedEx that pulled the charter plug, not SWA after they scavenged our carcass, no one, not even our so-called GAL/GAH "partners."

We've scattered to the four corners of the earth. A few have passed, one just recently and two in training accidents for new jobs. The best we've got for any of us is that a few of the low-tier freight dogs have hired us and we're still a "preferential status" among others at CAL should they keep it after the merger is complete in 2020 and they start hiring in 2025. I turn 60 that year and will be hoping for a mandatory 70 retirement.

Everyone, and I mean everyone, in this business is a g0dd@mn liar and a cheat. I'm at peace with that now that I've accepted it.

So, don't turn this into an anti-ALPA thread, because USAPA ain't gonna do (nor would it have done) anything for us. Your easties could give a sh!t. I know a lot of the westies and they have always expressed regret that the ATA/AWA merger didn't go through. That would have been a piece of cake.

I'm on my fourth gig since the shutdown, and the first in the US.

D@mn, now you got me all riled up.

I'm going to apologize for the tone and content of this post. It is unprofessional and caught me on a bad day.

I'm sick of the incessant ALPA-USAPA-SWAPA shamma-lamma-ding-dong whining stuff constantly on this board. It's counter productive and I got suckered in.

 

[Wesb737fo]

Any more info?

Dude.. you're like the "Indiana Jones" of the internet for digging that one up.

 

[FO 4 Life]

I don't think Allegiant has hired a single ATA crew member since the shut down. Could be a former ATA management person is there.

They have at least one. I could probably ask if there are more.

 

[Mr Wu]

I don't think Allegiant has hired a single ATA crew member since the shut down. Could be a former ATA management person is there.

Gary Elmer is on the BOD.

 

[flygirlqt]

Some things the ALPOphiles would love to burry and forget! JUST LIKE YOU

Is that like burying the definition, meaning and agreement of binding arbitration?

 

[HalinTexas]

Gary Elmer is on the BOD.

That's the one. He was VP Flt Ops. at ATA. Was responsible for the DC10 integration that resulted in giving FEDEX an excuse for dumping us due to dispatch reliability. Classic case of "screw up, move up." Google John Tague at UAL.

 

[Ty Webb]

Didn't the Airtran offer include buying ATA assets and planes, but not take the pilots?

And no, I'm not hating. It's just a question.

Gup

We were told that the aircraft leases were more expensive to assume than what we could get from Boeing.

Even though there were no aircraft purchased, our union still sent a letter to the Company asking them to give preferential hiring to the ATA pilots. We hired quite a few.

 

[HalinTexas]

We were told that the aircraft leases were more expensive to assume than what we could get from Boeing.

Even though there were no aircraft purchased, our union still sent a letter to the Company asking them to give preferential hiring to the ATA pilots. We hired quite a few.

That's true of the pre-bankruptcy costs, especially of the 1st 5 B757 leases (EETC). Those were around $600K/mo per airplane. GM said that was a stupid deal to get into. He was right. After the reorg. they were cut down by more than half, but we had to give up aircraft, future deliveries as well as deposits to get it. We went from 65 aircraft at our peak, down to 30 or 35 at the end. We were a steal, but no one was buying.

I'm pretty sure FL didn't want the WBs or the B757s, either. Didn't know what to do with them.

 

[Ky.BrownBourbn]

CAL did hire a couple of guys that were current on the B757. SWA in '05 interviewed about 50, hired about 10. Since then, they've hired more than 10. I know one in training right now.

I did hear that SWA interviewed every B737 check airmen, and didn't hire a single one. Could be wrong. I don't think SWA hired a single union member that held a position as an officer. Could also be wrong about that. I don't think Allegiant has hired a single ATA crew member since the shut down. Could be a former ATA management person is there.

I do know one guy from ATA that was a 73 guy at Allegiant...Super Guy.
KBB

 

[tailwindz]

We were told that the aircraft leases were more expensive to assume than what we could get from Boeing.

Even though there were no aircraft purchased, our union still sent a letter to the Company asking them to give preferential hiring to the ATA pilots. We hired quite a few.

F,,,,, well "you" know what comes next.

You guys tried to do the exact same seniority grab that SWAPA is going to shove you know where, only worse.

Good luck with that. Karma is a ...........