ATA75Pilot
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 26, 2001
- Posts
- 67
Race Pilot.....
My two cents....
Definitely go to the interview.
However, any job offer from JB will happen late in your training here at ATA. You will probably have to make the decision the night before your checkride.
If the left seat is a priority....go with JB. I've been here just over 4 years. When I got hired I was fed the old "left seat in two years line" as people were indeed upgrading that fast when I got hired. In fact, our junior most 73 Captain has only been here 8 months longer than me. He has been a Captain for 6 months or so and like TriStar_dvr, I conservatively estimate another 2 maybe 3 years for me to have a shot at the left seat....thats 6 years plus. My point in this long winded story is that anyone getting hired now at ATA should plan on the right seat indefinitely. I don't see any great growth here in the future and the guys above me won't be leaving for the other Majors anytime soon. There are alot of PO'd FO's now that are angry at not being in the left seat because they believed in what they were told at the interview.
Other points to consider....
Given the choice I wouldn't work for an airline without union backing, preferably ALPA. All negatives aside, the support I get from ALPA on Medical and Legal issues is worth every dime I pay in dues.
JB sounds like a fantastic place to work on a day to day comparison with working here (I have a few friends there myself) but if things get tough in the future - there would be no system of checks and balances to protect the pilot group.
ATA is coming up on 30 years in the biz. Not a bad track record if you are looking for long term career stability (an oxymoron in this industry for sure). I'm in no way saying JB won't be around that long...but aviation history has a way of repeating itself. The past is littered with the corpses of carriers that were in the same position JB is today.
ATA will give you a variety of flying types here. If you want the chance to touch down in Kuwait City, Shannon, Sicily, Diego Garcia, Japan, Trondhiem, Germany, Hawaii, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Greece, Bosnia, The Azores, London, Spain, then here is where to be. I'm extremely glad that I was afforded the opportunity to experience that type of flying in my career.
That being said....if you just want to stay domestic then you can do that also (in fact I am in 73 school right now because I want a change for a couple years).
Good Luck in whatever path you choose. The only thing I've learned in this career is this :
You will never know whether the choices you made were the right ones until the day you turn 60 years of age.
My two cents....
Definitely go to the interview.
However, any job offer from JB will happen late in your training here at ATA. You will probably have to make the decision the night before your checkride.
If the left seat is a priority....go with JB. I've been here just over 4 years. When I got hired I was fed the old "left seat in two years line" as people were indeed upgrading that fast when I got hired. In fact, our junior most 73 Captain has only been here 8 months longer than me. He has been a Captain for 6 months or so and like TriStar_dvr, I conservatively estimate another 2 maybe 3 years for me to have a shot at the left seat....thats 6 years plus. My point in this long winded story is that anyone getting hired now at ATA should plan on the right seat indefinitely. I don't see any great growth here in the future and the guys above me won't be leaving for the other Majors anytime soon. There are alot of PO'd FO's now that are angry at not being in the left seat because they believed in what they were told at the interview.
Other points to consider....
Given the choice I wouldn't work for an airline without union backing, preferably ALPA. All negatives aside, the support I get from ALPA on Medical and Legal issues is worth every dime I pay in dues.
JB sounds like a fantastic place to work on a day to day comparison with working here (I have a few friends there myself) but if things get tough in the future - there would be no system of checks and balances to protect the pilot group.
ATA is coming up on 30 years in the biz. Not a bad track record if you are looking for long term career stability (an oxymoron in this industry for sure). I'm in no way saying JB won't be around that long...but aviation history has a way of repeating itself. The past is littered with the corpses of carriers that were in the same position JB is today.
ATA will give you a variety of flying types here. If you want the chance to touch down in Kuwait City, Shannon, Sicily, Diego Garcia, Japan, Trondhiem, Germany, Hawaii, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Greece, Bosnia, The Azores, London, Spain, then here is where to be. I'm extremely glad that I was afforded the opportunity to experience that type of flying in my career.
That being said....if you just want to stay domestic then you can do that also (in fact I am in 73 school right now because I want a change for a couple years).
Good Luck in whatever path you choose. The only thing I've learned in this career is this :
You will never know whether the choices you made were the right ones until the day you turn 60 years of age.