AlbieF15
F15 Ret/FDX/InterviewPrep
- Joined
- Nov 25, 2001
- Posts
- 1,764
Clarifying...
No...I wasn't justifying the current hiring formats, just giving my 2 cents on what I think they care about.
And the side gig....I have met tons of pilots with them. Here are some...
Barber shop owner (sport cuts)
Realtors (a million of 'em)
Mortgage brokers (one VERY successful 727 captain I enjoy flying with has a multi-million dollar business)
ALL ATPs-- (yep...that guy...Derrick Dennis, was a FedEx Captain)
Retail Lacrosse store-- (one of our ACPs)
Land developer/home builder--
Lawyers--
City councilman
Car lot owner
Now...ALL of these guys are VERY interesting to fly with as I get to hear their perspective on business, life, and learn a little more about stuff going on away from ILS approaches, company negotiations, etc etc. I think these guys are fascinating to fly with and I enjoy learning about them.
Next question--how many of these guys do you think pick up extra trips? Dip into open time and grab a trip here or there at straight pay? They may do it sometimes, but more than likely they are tackling a problem on their other job during their time off. In the case of some, they will drop trips to go do more lucrative work than fly jets (hard to imagine, isn't it?)
So...you may or may not want to FLY with these guys, but how does a company like JetBlue (where you get 1.5 rate for hours over 70 hours) or SWA (extra trips picked up pay year 2 pay) or FedEX (if we call YOU for a trip its 1.5 x pay rate) view employee productivity? I think the pay scales obviously indicate they'd like us to be available for MORE work if needed. Why? Its cheaper to pay overtime than train and hire more folks, and when there is work to be done they'd like you to step up. That may be hard to do when you're selling mortgages, running the real estate office, or attending a trade show. So...if you want to brag about your real estate prowess in a job interivew, knock yourself out. My free advice is shut your yap and talk about how much you LOVE flying and want to fly the line (or teach, or be an LCA, etc). It's not BS...heck we all LOVE flying, and being an airline pilot is an awesome profession. However, one perk of this career is that if properly managed you may have time to indulge other interests too. I just wouldn't go into an interview advertising those interests...
As for "who is doing it right?"...how about this...
Delta, NWA, AA, Alaska, UAL, Frontier, US Air, Airborne, and AWA are doing it wrong. They are not interviewing or hiring.
Continental, FedEx, UPS, JetBlue, SWA, AirTran, and the regionals are doing it right--they are hiring. If you want the "major" with pax and travel passes, a wide variety of plane types, and a good mix of flying...apply to Continental. You lose the A plan at SWA or JB but you get a growing company, rapid advancement, and enthusiatic employees. Airtran is similiar but boasts a pretty sweet B plan. Both major freight ops are hiring and offer stable long term careers with excellent benefits. Regionals give you a place to work for time or experience if you can't make the others work out for a while.
Just chewin' the fat boys...no intention to flame anyone....
No...I wasn't justifying the current hiring formats, just giving my 2 cents on what I think they care about.
And the side gig....I have met tons of pilots with them. Here are some...
Barber shop owner (sport cuts)
Realtors (a million of 'em)
Mortgage brokers (one VERY successful 727 captain I enjoy flying with has a multi-million dollar business)
ALL ATPs-- (yep...that guy...Derrick Dennis, was a FedEx Captain)
Retail Lacrosse store-- (one of our ACPs)
Land developer/home builder--
Lawyers--
City councilman
Car lot owner
Now...ALL of these guys are VERY interesting to fly with as I get to hear their perspective on business, life, and learn a little more about stuff going on away from ILS approaches, company negotiations, etc etc. I think these guys are fascinating to fly with and I enjoy learning about them.
Next question--how many of these guys do you think pick up extra trips? Dip into open time and grab a trip here or there at straight pay? They may do it sometimes, but more than likely they are tackling a problem on their other job during their time off. In the case of some, they will drop trips to go do more lucrative work than fly jets (hard to imagine, isn't it?)
So...you may or may not want to FLY with these guys, but how does a company like JetBlue (where you get 1.5 rate for hours over 70 hours) or SWA (extra trips picked up pay year 2 pay) or FedEX (if we call YOU for a trip its 1.5 x pay rate) view employee productivity? I think the pay scales obviously indicate they'd like us to be available for MORE work if needed. Why? Its cheaper to pay overtime than train and hire more folks, and when there is work to be done they'd like you to step up. That may be hard to do when you're selling mortgages, running the real estate office, or attending a trade show. So...if you want to brag about your real estate prowess in a job interivew, knock yourself out. My free advice is shut your yap and talk about how much you LOVE flying and want to fly the line (or teach, or be an LCA, etc). It's not BS...heck we all LOVE flying, and being an airline pilot is an awesome profession. However, one perk of this career is that if properly managed you may have time to indulge other interests too. I just wouldn't go into an interview advertising those interests...
As for "who is doing it right?"...how about this...
Delta, NWA, AA, Alaska, UAL, Frontier, US Air, Airborne, and AWA are doing it wrong. They are not interviewing or hiring.
Continental, FedEx, UPS, JetBlue, SWA, AirTran, and the regionals are doing it right--they are hiring. If you want the "major" with pax and travel passes, a wide variety of plane types, and a good mix of flying...apply to Continental. You lose the A plan at SWA or JB but you get a growing company, rapid advancement, and enthusiatic employees. Airtran is similiar but boasts a pretty sweet B plan. Both major freight ops are hiring and offer stable long term careers with excellent benefits. Regionals give you a place to work for time or experience if you can't make the others work out for a while.
Just chewin' the fat boys...no intention to flame anyone....