Atlas interviewing!!!!!!

[9drvr]

Hello........

Just got a call from Atlas to come in for a interview.
May I ask the viewers of this forum for some information.

What is the initial new hire aircraft assignment - 200 or 400 series??

What is this new interviewing/hiring for??? Iraq/CRAF military flying, expansion, new customers, etc.

Training location, pay, perdiem, airline fare to training, hotel, etc.???

Company benefits - 401K, insurance, dental life, health, credit union, etc.

Flight crew domiciles/bases?? Time to upgrade to Captain??

Any problems with the Polar Air pilot group???

Describe some of the customers/routes currently being flown.

Typical schedules??? 2 weeks on-2 weeks off, etc.

BIG ITEM..........Managements relations with the pilot group????????????


Thank you.

To all the readers of this forum --------- thanks for all the information and a "Happy Holiday" to all who read and reply.

Best Wishes to everyone in this tough airline economy.

9drvr

 

[MyRadarIsOut]

Bump!

 

[ETOPS-787]

OH YEAH.

 

[ETOPS-787]

Atlas

Hey Buddy...

When and how? i have been in the pool for two years and word yet....what is going on?

Tell me more man. thanx

 

[cgmason1]

Does anyone have the pay scales and monthly gurantee from the new contract that was ratified a couple months back.

Also has quality of life improved allot at Atlas since the new contract?

Thanks and Fly Safe
Chuck

 

[SentryIP]

Interview Gouge

9drvr,

Congrats on the interview. Try looking at http://www.aviationinterviews.com/ for typical interview questions and learn about Atlas by reading the prospectus and surfing the company's website at http://www.atlasair.com/. Best wishes on your interview.

 

[CCDiscoB]

Is this true?

This thread got buried too quickly, so back to the top it goes.

I was speaking to Atlas pilot yesterday, and I mentioned this "rumor." He was surprised and denied it.

9drvr, how about some more details, like how long you've been in the pool? Why wasn't Mkmoz called since he's been waiting two years?

If it’s true, then congrats, and good luck, it looks like you find yourself in the -400.

 

[reepicheep]

I agree with the last post - proper etiquette demands that if you're going to partake of the info. everybody else is providing then you should tell us what the deal is - my friend at Atlas has no knowledge of any interviews or of a "pool" either.

Good luck guys - tell us how it goes.

 

[9drvr]

Atlas Info ??????

Hello, and Happy Holidays.

Here is the information I have. I have had my resume in the pile since my former employer was grounded for maintenance, appx.
1yr and 4 months ago.

I was called by a Atlas HR female type on Monday, Nov. 25th if I was still interested in the company. YES!!!!!!!!

Several questions were ask; currently qualified in any heavy jet a/c...YES 8200 hrs in a DC-8. currently available....yes, current US passport and medical...yes, etc.

A brief review of my resume and that was it. Was scheduled a interview in Miami the week of the 8th, and told to be there.

Was told that all furloughed crewmembers were called back, and this is the first new hire class for expansion in new customers, military CRAF/Iraq flying and general increase in flying.

Regarding the comment " hope this begins to help" was out of line.

I know Atlas quite well, but being out of work since mid August places me out of the loop in pay/benefits, schedules, etc that they fly.

If someone could assist, it will be appreciated. If not, I will get it all in Miami late next week.

That is it. Best wishes to our sterling comrades at United and their corporate plight, and this very bad airline economy.


9drvr.

 

[Icebergclub]

Just heard it......

We line drivers just got the official word via voicemail yesterday. Interviewing 4 days in December.

Nothing else at all. No info on how many, what aircraft nothing.


My only words of advice are: Your mind set during the interview should be "I love to fly" "I love being away from home 19 days at a time" "I love to fly" "I love being away from my family during the holidays" Atlas will really try to dig and make sure that your willing to put up with all the "crap" that goes along with this job.

Yes, you will be gone 19 days a month. Yes, even when your scheduled for a day off, Atlas has the power to move two of your days off. Yes you will dead-head half way around the world to do one leg of 8 hours and then dead-head the other half way around the world home. And all of this for 3 to 1 pay. (three hours deadhead = one hour flight pay)
It's alot of fun, but it's alot of hard work and ALOT of frustration! Being awarded a pattern means pretty much nothing here. Atlas has a middle name it's CHANGE. Things change all the time. Somedays you will have 4 major pattern changes. You really have to be easy-going and slow to anger with this job. They will really be watching for this during the interview.

Just three days ago in Shenzen, China I got called at the hotel room to "quickly" pack up my bags and get to the airport to catch a commercial up to Shanghai and oh by the way the flight leaves in two hours. I told them that it was impossible to make the flight in two hours. I promised them on my mothers grave that there was no way I could make the flight. They said we want you to try! So, I pack my bags and start a 4 hour journey that leads to you guessed it.....I missed the flight. All of this for no pay and tons of frustration. Four hours to get back to the hotel and to do my normal trip that I was patterned for the next day. There is alot of "putting out fires". And there sometimes seems to be a general mistrust of the crews.

I have had 38 hour dead-heads, I have been sent to Kuala Lumpur to sit for 7 days, and never fly a leg. Followed by dead-heading home again. You will fly New York to Hong Kong 17 to 18 hours, walk a mile through the airport, sit in a hot cab for an hour to an hour and a half to get to the hotel to find out that you dont really have a room. Well into your 21 hour day now, you will spend an hour on the phone to find a room somewhere in HK to then get back into another cab. You will get sick from eating strange food, (this includes some of the crew meals!)spend days in the hotel with cramps sweating your brains out, wishing you were home. You will be awarded a line of flying with 87 hours, just when you think your about to make some money, they will cancel 20 hours off your line. There's more, but you get my drift.........

Atlas is a great place, you will have TONS of fun and you will see the world. BUT, you have to be willing to put up with ALOT! It is very hard on a family, very frustrating, and everything changes daily. Long haul, international flying is NOT for everybody!

So!, if you dont mind putting up with stuff like that! Come fly one of the greatest airplanes flying, with some of the best crews in the world!!

Good Luck to all who interview.

Icebergclub



I'am in Dubai just coming off of a 19 day trip and will be home in two days. If you have any specific questions that I can answer let me know. I will try my best to get back to you after my wife has had her way with me!!

 

[CCDiscoB]

Excellent info Icebergclub! I was under the impression that the new contract fixed a lot of pervious scheduling problems. Does the company ever break-up an 18-day schedule into two trips a month? I guess I’m asking are there shorter trips?

Does Atlas have a retirement plan?

What about pilots that are in the Guard. Will they work around our schedules?

 

[USNFDX]

Anyone heard any rumors about Fedex Buying Atlas?

 

[mar]

Yup. All the time.

That's probably one of the more *vicious* rumors out there.

The number 2 vicious rumor was probably American buying Alaska.

I don't know where they get started but it's probably more wishful thinking than anything.

Good luck.

 

[CCDiscoB]

Freight vs. Packages

I actually heard the same rumors too, and I'm not even out there. It must be because Atlas' stock price is so low that it would be ripe for a takeover. When I heard that rumor it got me thinking. Atlas and Polar move freight, FedEx's primary business is package moving, can these two separate categories come together in a way that is beneficial to FedEx?

How did this work back in the Flying Tigers days? Does FedEx still move a lot of the old Flying Tigers' freight?

 

[FearlessFreep]

Icebergclub,

Thanx for the info! Reading your post got me to laughing...I work for a ACMI freight operator as well. We look at you Atlas guys with a lot of envy. Your narrative is EXACTLY what we have to deal with, the only difference that I can see is that we can get stuck out on the road for 40 days in a row and possibly longer. From our prospective we thought you would have it a lot better than us; well you make more money, your company is more solvent and your -400's glide past us over the North Pacific, I guess that still is a lot better. This makes me feel like we all have a lot in common. You know the expression, "The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence". Being away from home for as long as we are gives you a new respect for it. I revel in every minute that I have at home.

Other than the uncertainty of the future (This is now a given for all of us in this industry), and not much pay, I am VERY happy to be where I am at. I have a flying job! I hope and pray it lasts!

Good Luck To All & Happy Holidays!

P.S. A Bunch of Atlas aircraft are painted with that "Purple Tail" design. The color is very close to the Fedex color, It can make you think.

 

[Icebergclub]

40 pilots..........

Just heard word from one of the union guys that the company wants to hire 40 pilots now with possibly more later in 03.

No info on which aircraft or bases.

Happy Holidays to everybody and there familys!

Icebergclub

 

[CCDiscoB]

Iceburgclub,

How "trigger happy" would you say Atlas is with regards to furloughs? At the first hint of a slow down will they let these new pilots go? 40 pilots seems like a lot all of a sudden. Don’t they still have a pool?

Speaking of which, if they hire straight into the -400, and subsequently reduce the -200 flying and furlough those guys, how will that out of seniority furlough work? Didn’t that happen during the last furlough?

Thanks

 

[AV8OR]

Rumors....

Here's one....

From the Yahoo Atlas board, that DHL would be buying Atlas.

Anybody inside heard any rumbling to that affect?

Feel free to PM me.

 

[Icebergclub]

CCDiscoB,
Thats the really scary part with Atlas, they are very trigger happy about furloughs. They do not hesitate to furlough at the drop of a hat. They have done it numerous times. The guys on the botton of the list joke about being seasonal employees......the problem is it's not a joke after you have been furloughed 2 or 3 times.

The out of senority furlough that happened was a deal brokered betweent our old MEC and the company. The threat from the company was if you dont let us furlough out of senority we will furlough many more pilots and engineers. In the interest of saving some jobs the MEC elected to go along with the deal. It was a bad deal in my opinoin. (It was not brought to a vote, or even mentioned to the pilots) Senority is all we have, and now we dont even have that!

I believe that our Contract now prevents this from happening, but there are some other shady things that can happen though. There are some serious loopholes in the contract.

Yes, Atlas works very well with military pilots from what I hear. And yes there are shorter trips. Depending on which base you are at and what you bid there can actaully be some pretty nice lines. In ANC you can do 3 to 5 day trips and every once in a while Chicago turns happen. Out and back ANC-ORD-ANC home that night to sleep in your own bed! The schedules really vary from horrific to great (well, great that is for 747 flying).

They have the 401k, and profit sharing.

Happy Holidays!

Icebergclub
Proud, yet humble and very appreciative SWA Poolie!

 

[CCDiscoB]

Thanks for the info. Maybe I'll be a little less aggressive at trying to work there.

I see you are jumping ship and going to SWA. Is this for quality of life? You'd rather fly the 737 for the rest of your career that the -400. I wondered, hypothetically of course, if I was to ever work for Atlas and FedEx called would I go to FedEx. Go from flying the right seat to the panel. Hmm, the lives of a professional pilot, very interesting. At my age (40) I can’t do much job changing. What are you thoughts?