to eagle or not to eagle?

[FL350]

I need a little help....

I filled out an app for American Eagle last Friday and got an interview offer today. I have a great corporate job but feel that if I have any chance of getting to the majors (in thirty years when they are hiring again ) that I need to switch gears and get into the 121 world. I have a few questions.

At a recent conference I was told that, with all the hiring they are doing, upgrade times will be around one year. I find this a little hard to believe since long upgrade times seem to be one of the big complaints with Eagle.

I am making a good corp. salary right now. I would be willing to step back in salary somewhat but can anybody point me to a website that lists the payscale for Eagle?

What are you folks in the airline hearing about things in general....company health, morale etc.? Any info you can provide will be helpful.

Thanks a bunch.

FL350

 

[English]

Upgrade in one year? Someone has been feeding you a line. Even at the height of Eagle hiring, the lowest upgrade time was 18 months, and only a handful saw that.

The person who claimed this at the conference is probably the same person who said that everyone hired at Eagle in 2000 would be working for American today. Eagle is severely understaffed, and those recruiters will say anything to get people on property.

Go to www.eaglelounge.com for the truth.

 

[SF3CA]

Are you the PIC at your corporate job and is your job secure? If you are signing for the aircraft and logging pic time, and your job is stable I would say stay there. If not, I would consider Eagle. I worked there 6 years and it is a disfunctional place, but the equiptment is good, the training is excellent, and the people are great......they just bitch alot because it is a screwed up place.

I understand they are starting to hire a bunch so you would probabally be a line holder pretty fast in the jet. Capt. upgrade more realistacilly is about 3-5 years, depending on circumstances beyond YOUR control.

good luck

 

[SF3CA]

This is a bit jumbled up...but colum one and two is first officer t-prop and jet and goes to 8 years. Colum 3 is saab ca and so on.

Eagle's pay scale

2004 Pay Chart

The following hourly rates, effective January 1, 2004,
include an IAI increase of 1.8%


First Officers Captains
Yrs of 20-39 Seat 40-59 Seat 92% 50-59 Seat 96.3% 50-59 Seat 50-59 Seat 60-70 Seat
Svc T-Prop T-Jet Turboprop Turboprop Turbojet Turbojet Turbojet Turbojet
1 $20.97 $20.97 $37.90 $46.46 $50.97 $53.35 $55.40 $58.32
2 $23.66 $29.74 $40.73 $50.43 $52.50 $54.95 $57.06 $60.05
3 $26.36 $32.29 $42.31 $51.76 $54.08 $56.61 $58.78 $61.86
4 $29.07 $33.89 $44.81 $53.08 $55.69 $58.29 $60.53 $63.73
5 $30.42 $34.75 $46.52 $54.42 $57.36 $60.04 $62.35 $65.61
6 $31.77 $35.34 $49.36 $55.74 $59.09 $61.85 $64.23 $67.61
7 $32.18 $35.79 $50.83 $57.08 $60.27 $63.09 $65.51 $68.94
8 $32.69 $36.39 $52.47 $58.40 $62.06 $64.96 $67.46 $71.01
9 $54.28 $59.73 $63.93 $66.92 $69.49 $73.14
10 $55.62 $61.05 $65.85 $68.93 $71.58 $75.33
11 $57.12 $62.57 $67.82 $70.99 $73.72 $77.59
12 $58.28 $64.74 $69.86 $73.12 $75.93 $79.91
13 $59.43 $65.02 $71.97 $75.34 $78.23 $82.34
14 $61.13 $66.36 $74.12 $77.58 $80.56 $84.79
15 $63.03 $67.70 $75.38 $78.90 $81.93 $86.21
16 $69.04 $76.87 $80.46 $83.55 $87.95
17 $70.09 $78.02 $81.66 $84.80 $89.26
18 $70.78 $79.20 $82.90 $86.09 $90.62

Last Updated on 01-11-04

 

[Heavy Set]

I'd stick to coporate PIC time vs. Eagle. Although it operates some great airplanes on some nice routes, Eagle has extremely long upgrade times from what I have heard - in upwards of 5+ years likely. I would suggest CHQ or Trans States - both have better upgrade times and pretty good airplanes (EMB).

In the end, PIC jet time is what matters...

 

[speedwings]

FL350, I am/was in your same position: A corporate PIC in a mid-sized jet. I have just resigned and am leaving for a regional airline. I did it for 2 reasons: 70% schedule, 30% company BS.

Like you could be, I am taking a pretty good pay cut but my QOL was so bad at my previous company, I was ready to quit flying completely and work anywhere until I found a different flying gig. I ultimately wanted to go 121 some day, but with the majors in the tank for a long time, if I was ever going to get a schedule and a 121 gig, it was time to make the move. Besides, I was still a few years away from Air Tran, SWA, etc and we can afford the pay cut (my wife's now the bread winner).

I say - go for it if you can afford the pay cut. That's is my $.02. Take it for what it's worth - from another bottom of the list new hire.

 

[cr7driver]

I used to fly corporate in Lears and prior to that I flew 135 also in Lears. You could not pay me to go back to any of those jobs again. Mainly because of corporate bs. At least at eagle I have a schedule and seniority, both of which I did not have at my previous corporate job. Well, at least it did not mean much.
I am lucky enough to fly the crj-700 at a base in which I live in. I hold partial weekends off with 13 days off total.
Eagle as its issues, but consider this. Eagle will hire 400 pilots a year until the end of '04 and possibly the same amount on '05. And to go along with all that hiring we are taking delivery of 3 ERJ'S and 1 CRJ every month until the end of this year. I have also heard we may do the same in '05.
The pay isn't the best, but we haven't taken pay cuts. I would venture and say the pay is probably among the top five in the industry.
I hope this helps.