Factual answers only please (CAL Hiring)

[iaflyer]

Only one way.

www.Airlineapps.com

Just to clarify, you don't have to pay for the account. If you apply just to Continental, it's free. Here's the link at Continental's website:

http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/company/career/pilot.aspx

On another note, does anyone have a guess if/when CAL is going to interview pilots without internal recs? If it's not obivous, I don't have any.

 

[pkober]

Just wondering why people did not bid 777 EWR. ie... What sucks about it?

Junior forever, years probably. If you live there, it's probably not bad. If you commute, you are hating life. For the first two years at CAL you are semi seat locked. You can move up in size (737 to 757/767, 757/767 to 777), but you can't move down (757/767 to 737, etc...). Most people choose the 737 thinking that if they don't like it they can move up to the 757/767. If you choose the 757/767 and hate it, you can not move down and enjoy better senority. If you get the 777, you're stuck for two years whether you like it or not.

Choose wisely grasshopper.

 

[Deerkiller]

beat me to it....

 

[Patriot328]

If you live locally and dont' mind reserve, the 777 is probably a gift from god.. barely work. The 737 is slave labor. The 756 is the best of both worlds. If getting a line as quickly as possible (most commuters) is important, 737 is probably the way to go. If you live in Hoboken and spend more time chasin tail than worrying about work, the 777 is the way to go. If you are in the middle, the 756 is it.

I recommend the 756, unless you are senior to 10/05.. then stay on the 737 or go to the 777 and try out rsv..

 

[DBCOOPER]

How's the culture at CO? Do pilots get along overall with other groups, ie. F/A's, agents, screw scheduling.

Are the Captains you fly with for the most part "normal"? Old Farts or disgruntled?

I was in EWR the other day watching the crews walking around. Most of the younger F/O's looked somewhat happy while many of the white hairs had a smug look on their face.

I'm trying like hell to get an interview....5 good rec's (3 of whom i've flown with), time in 73NG's, and more than willing to take more than a half pay cut, UGH.

For all of you guys that have been hired, congrats! I think it's the place to be...i keep my cell phone close at all times.

 

[Ben Franklin]

imho

Cooper:

The culture at CO is solid - and improving. There will always be "those" guys at every airline, anyways. Just try to avoid the stereotypes that exist about all the airlines and search for the facts from reliable sources before making a judgment.

I have flown just under 225 hours in the last 7 months and am enjoying my reserve on the 756. I have been able to catch up on 8 years of not sleeping, not watching tv and not chillin' with some friends...

If I wanted to ditch pax and just fly boxes, I would have went to UPS/FedEx. If I wanted to fly 26-28 hour 4 days (in one type of a/c), I would be trying like heck to get on with SWA. If I just wanted to be rich, I would have went to law school and bought a cirrus for the weekends!

I wanted a taste of everything. Some trips at CAL are quite productive and I do see some boxes get loaded on the plane during my walkaround. Then I get so say hi to some customers as they board and let them know how glad we are glad to have them on board. I can also do all of this in a 737, 757, 767, 787 (soon), or 777

The industry turning around is like all the restaurants opening up around the same time in the mall - where do you eat? wherever you want.

If I had to do it all over again, I would still choose CAL.

Sincerely,

B. Franklin

 

[Patriot328]

How's the culture at CO? Do pilots get along overall with other groups, ie. F/A's, agents, screw scheduling.

DB, I'm not sure where you would be coming from, but compared to a regional airline (former Indy here), this place isn't as tight as I'm used to. That being said, I've gotten along with nearly everyone and had a pretty dang good time so far. It's just really the first airline I've been at where you can fly with someone (pilot and especially FA) and not run across them again for months/years/ever.. I held a line pretty much out of the gate, but the short time dealing with scheduling on the 75 wasn't too bad. More professional than my old coworkers in that regard.

Are the Captains you fly with for the most part "normal"? Old Farts or disgruntled?

The answer to that question is "yes". There are every type here (again 756 fleet). I've only run across one in the year that I've been here that I would much rather not fly with again.. I think he's retired now, though. Sometimes the CAs are pretty cool, sometimes they slamclick and that could probably be a good thing. I've had more than one overnight where everyone is hanging out except the CA. Also had it the other way around.

I was in EWR the other day watching the crews walking around. Most of the younger F/O's looked somewhat happy while many of the white hairs had a smug look on their face.

That's generally the way it is at most places. Most new guys are happy to be here and it probably shows. The old guys range from "this is the greatest job in the world" to knowing how many more legs they have until they retire and it's not fast enough...

I'm trying like hell to get an interview....5 good rec's (3 of whom i've flown with), time in 73NG's, and more than willing to take more than a half pay cut, UGH.

Ahh.. my favorite topic. The pay cut and no insurance for 6mos flat out blows. It annoys the hell out of me that they (pilots) allowed such a pay rate to be implimented for first year guys. The no health insurance for 6 mos is company wide, I believe, and not to just screw the pilots. It sure does hurt, however. All that said, I knew the pay rate and insurance issues before I signed up for the job, so it's not like I was blindsided when I got here. I will say if you get hired and into an aircraft where you can hold a line quickly (most likely the 737EWR now), you will make considerably more than $27.5k the first year. Including perdiem (some would argue against using that, but it is money coming in), I made probably close to $40k during the first 12 months of employment.

For all of you guys that have been hired, congrats! I think it's the place to be...i keep my cell phone close at all times.

Good luck!

 

[Ganja60Heavy]

Is there a Popeye's or Wendy's in EWR?

"Neggs guess 'n lion!"

 

[FLY CONTINENTAL]

Everyone I have worked with has been great. A real class act. I have been here about a year and 2 months, very professional crews and a lot of fun. Also per the question about moving back down to smaller aircraft you can if it's an upgrade....

​

 

[DBCOOPER]

Patriot328,

Thanks for the input. I was too at ACA pre-Indy. I left for a job I thought would be a career. Didn't work out that way unfortunatly. Looking back, I don't think I quite realized it at the time, but ACA was a hell of a company. Good people and well run.

I've talked to many folks at CO, and it sounds like a great place to be too. Hope to join you there sometime soon.

DB

 

[Plug]

Right now reserve on the 737 is kinda slow, unless there is a bad weather day. I get 12 days off and have done personal dropping (no pay if you do that), however, at our pay it only costs about $80 to drop a day. With a wife that 8 months pregnant, an extra day at home is worth more than $80.

As others have said, 737 is slave labor, 756 is a good mix, and the 777 is going way junior because the trips for junior pilots suck (LGW, CDG, TLV, DEL). As far as commuting goes, anyway you slice it commuting sucks! It seems most of the 737 trips for junior folks are not commuteable except for maybe 1 end. 756 trips, mostly to Europe, are mostly commuteable and thus the reason I am jumping over to the 756 on the next bid.

Cheers

 

[RocketRob]

777 is going way junior because the trips for junior pilots suck (LGW, CDG, TLV, DEL).

I wouldn't say that, its just that being on reserve you don't get called much. So mucho time in the crash pad unless you live near by =). As for the overnights, LGW is ok (free train into town, just low time for a 777 trip), CDG is a great overnight (just lots of traffic on ride back to airport in morning), TLV is one of the best overnights in the system (contrary to popular belief!), and DEL..... well I'll give you that one, but it is interesting; and a cool flight routing.

 

[fxbat]

You guys should push for the Aurora in crawly it is about a 5 min van ride from LGW.
The rooms are 10 times nicer and there is a train behind the hotel. It is close to high street and walking distance to supermarkets. It is home to Delta and American crews every night, and I believe it is cheaper than the Hilton.

 

[Plug]

I wouldn't say that, its just that being on reserve you don't get called much. So mucho time in the crash pad unless you live near by =). As for the overnights, LGW is ok (free train into town, just low time for a 777 trip), CDG is a great overnight (just lots of traffic on ride back to airport in morning), TLV is one of the best overnights in the system (contrary to popular belief!), and DEL..... well I'll give you that one, but it is interesting; and a cool flight routing.

I was just going by what a 777 pilot told me that was on my jumpseat a few weeks back. The LGW hotel is at the airport and supposedly the Gatwick Express is going to stop running. In CDG they apparently changed hotels and the rooms are small and never ready. TLV always seems to be in open time. Then there is DEL ;-)

Now I'm not saying these trips wouldn't be fun to fly and different from doing DCA, or BOS but going to the same handful of cities over and over again probably gets old. Heard the 787 will be a common type with the 777 and thus offer a variety of flying, that is when I plan on bidding over to that.

Cheers

 

[CAL EWR B737]

FYI the following was a blast mail from one of the 756 Assistants to his pilots. Some interesting reading. Things change quick around here so what was accuarate last week may all ready but out dated.

One clarification I have read some on here talking about not being able to move down in aircraft status. We have a two year equipment freeze on all long training courses, however you can be released from that freeze by any upgrade in status (F/O to CA) or upgrade in aircraft type. However once the two year freeze is over one can move down to a smaller aircraft type.




"Last week we had our annual B-756 Flight Standards Meeting in IAH. One of the nice things about being a check airman is the ability to attend these meetings and get the "scoop" of what is going on. I thought I would share the highlights with all of you so you can benefit as well.
Larry Kellner spoke on several subjects:

1. Aircraft delivery
2006 6 - 737-800
2007 2 - 777
2008 30 - 737-8/900
2009 30 - 737 8/900
2009 the first of 20 787's spread over 3 years

We plan to retire the B-737-300 in the 2008 - 2010 time frame. The initial B-787's are planned to replace the B-767-200's although we always have the option to keep them as well if the business plan dictates.

2. Mergers:
Larry said what he has always said, that it is our goal to remain independent and grow at a rate of 5-7% a year which is about the growth rate we have maintained for the last several years. However, if there is a round of mergers among the large carriers we would be forced to look at a partner as well. This is because 80% of out revenue comes from 20% of our corporate accounts. The biggest requirement of our corporate accounts is route structure. There are several large companies that would prefer to be flying us, but don't, because American has a larger route structure. If other airlines become as large as American through mergers then they would draw way even more of these valuable accounts and we couldn't afford to lose them. He said that we have about the same market cap as United and that if there ever was a merger between the two airlines that it was unclear who would be the buyer and who would be bought. He reminded us that NWA has the "golden share" that requires their approval before any other airline can purchase us. This would not exclude us from buying someone, but does protect us from someone buying us. Larry said that there is a lot in the papers these days about mergers, but don't mistake the importance the media puts on this to represent the likelihood of it happening. He did say that he keeps up to date on all of this industry news and that if it ever comes to a merger that he will ensure that the employees are taken care of. We are not talking to anyone about a merger at this time.

3. Satellite Bases: Larry said that there are some real benefits to satellite basing. He mentioned that any satellite basing decision would be tied into PBS and he wanted to let the PBS situation settle down before exploring possible sites. The plan is to look into the possibilities in the spring

Fred Abbott and Clay Watters spoke about:

1. Sat Com for the fleet. We have in our capital budget request a plan for Iridium SATCOM. We currently use IMARSAT SATCOM which is an expensive geosynchronous system with satellites in stationary high orbit. Not only is the service sometimes not available, but the units are very expensive and the cost per call is expensive as well. The Iridium system has numerous satellites in low polar orbit giving much better reception and coverage. The cost for installation is much cheaper and the cost per call is less expensive as well. There will be a portable phone in the cabin for F/A use during medical emergencies. The SATCOM will be used for voice communication to company and MEDLINK as well as data transfer through ACARS. They are currently not certified for CPDLC or ADS but we expect that certification will come shortly after installation. We expect to have the entire B-757 fleet completed before the end of next summer.

2. Electronic Flight Bags (EFB's) are also coming by next summer. They will be a large screen display which will be hard mounted near the clipboard on the B-757. They will be placed on all the CAL fleet with the B-756 getting theirs first. Here are some nice functions of the unit:

It comes with 2 video cameras over the entrance to the cockpit door and the forward galley. Video will be displayed on the EFB.

It will contain:
Jepps
Charts
Aircraft and cabin log book
MEL book
Operations Manual
Flight Manual
It will be tied into the data link system to down load log book write ups as well as update the jepps. This will only occur on the ground and will require no pilot action. It is also tied into GPS and although the airport diagram in your Jepps will not be a moving map, you can find your location on the airport diagram any time by hitting the refresh button which will place a cursor over your present location. The Jepps display can be expanded for those of you like myself who have trouble reading the small print at night. The monitor will have a day mode which is color and a night mode which is background highlighted. The units have an ability to cross load and are redundant. They also have back up battery power with the loss of all electrical power. There are no plans at this time for a paper backup system because of the redundancy and backup provisions.

3. Age 60 rule appears as though it will be voted upon in November. It is being attached to the Transportation Spending Bill and expected to pass. ALPA and the ATA and the FAA are meeting to determine how the rule will be written in the FARs. It is expected that they will have the rule ready to go if and when the bill is made law. There are many implications and at this points this is all speculation because we do not know what the final language of the bill will be assuming it is even approved. But here is the situation as best as I know it right now.

Only pilots who are on the CAL senority list upon the effective date will be allowed to continue flying past age 60.

Since the A fund is frozen you will not incur a penalty if you choose to retire between 60-65. Your B plan is not affected at all by the rule change. Since your lump sum is calculated based on the value of your annuity it will be slightly lower at 65 than it would be at 60. This is because the annuity assumes that you will only live on this income until an average age of death. When you retire 5 years later you will not be drawing benefits during those 5 years making the annuity worth less. By taking a lump sum you are basically receiving the value of the annuity which is now less. If you chose to take the annuity instead of the lump sum there will be no penalty. The good news is that whatever amount you lose in this calculation you will more than make up for with the money being put into your B fund. I am not an expert on retirement issues. Please check with your financial advisors before making any financial decisions being based on what you read here.

You can expect your LTD payments to go up to cover the cost of an aging pilot group. One thing to consider if you were planning on retiring at 60 and now will be staying longer is that you may not need the LTD insurance. Your sick bank will be used first and if you have an extensive sick bank you can go a year or so just using that. It your financial plans were to retire at age 60 any income after that age would be gravy anyway. Something to think about.

4. Hiring: We are planning on hiring 336 pilots in 2007. We are currently hiring 12-16 a week.

5. Lastly, we talked about single engine taxi in during the meeting. It turns out that only 12% of our pilots are using the ability to single engine taxi to the gate after landing. It is a good fuel saver. We are also looking into possibly single engine taxi out for those long conga lines and I will get back to you if we decide to go that route. If you have the opportunity to shut down the right engine please give it some consideration. Make sure that you let the engine cool first (757 - 2 minutes, 767 - 3 minutes). Also make sure you have crossed all active runways and completed the after landing checklist. Leave the bleeds alone and let the left engine run the left pack. Some words of caution: Do not shut down on icy or slippery conditions or during winter operations. Consider the ramp and whether there is an uphill j-line. Also if you have to stop in a congested are please allow yourself a little straight ahead room before trying to turn into the left engine. I have been doing this for a while and it works rather nicely. See what you think.

End"