Tough Choice--SWA or UPS?

[JethroF15]

I am done with this thread...

Thanks!

 

[WillowRunVortex]

Thanks!

JethroF15,,,shucks thats cool

From Iowa?

 

[Widow's Son]

SWA and UPS are both great companies. The lifestyles are very different but most can adapt to either.
The fact that someone mentioned about the boxes not complaining is exactly why the boxboys may find themselves lacking in leverage someday.
The people who pay the money to fuel the airline don't have any interaction with the airline side of UPS. They just want to have their boxes picked up and delivered. They have no clue what happens in the meantime and could care less. There are myriad ways to move those boxes. As long as in house pilots work into the business plan things will be fine. The moment in house pilots no longer make business sense, something else will happen. That is what happened on the pax side with RJ's and international code shares.
As far as the teamsters go, when they make a fourth or a fifth of what the pilots do watch what happens when management shows them they can double their pay by using Chinaman's air to keep the airline running if the pilots were to ever shut it down.
There are several entities working very hard right now to replace human pilots in airplanes. They envision ATC and Bill Gates doing what pilots do.
I know someone loosly affiliated with Boeing who is working on that very project and he claims that their target market is cargo simply because of the fact that the boxes don't complain and the shippers could care less.
Granted this is still years away, but a lot can happen during the average 30 year career of a pilot.

 

[WillowRunVortex]

SWA and UPS are both great companies. The lifestyles are very different but most can adapt to either.
The fact that someone mentioned about the boxes not complaining is exactly why the boxboys may find themselves lacking in leverage someday.
The people who pay the money to fuel the airline don't have any interaction with the airline side of UPS. They just want to have their boxes picked up and delivered. They have no clue what happens in the meantime and could care less. There are myriad ways to move those boxes. As long as in house pilots work into the business plan things will be fine. The moment in house pilots no longer make business sense, something else will happen. That is what happened on the pax side with RJ's and international code shares.
As far as the teamsters go, when they make a fourth or a fifth of what the pilots do watch what happens when management shows them they can double their pay by using Chinaman's air to keep the airline running if the pilots were to ever shut it down.
There are several entities working very hard right now to replace human pilots in airplanes. They envision ATC and Bill Gates doing what pilots do.
I know someone loosly affiliated with Boeing who is working on that very project and he claims that their target market is cargo simply because of the fact that the boxes don't complain and the shippers could care less.
Granted this is still years away, but a lot can happen during the average 30 year career of a pilot.

WOW remote control cargo,,totally make sense

 

[JethroF15]

I am done with this thread. MYYY mentors are going to work to see what is fact and what is fiction. T-Gates, from what Ive been told already, I wouldnt lose a nights sleep over the UPS deal. The rest is typical flgihtinfo

JethroF15,,,shucks thats cool

From Iowa?

WOW remote control cargo,,totally make sense

Guess you really weren't "done with this thread". Too bad!

 

[WillowRunVortex]

Guess you really weren't "done with this thread". Too bad!

Go to bed jethro,,,I'm never done. Hell its only 23:15!

mustbe my upbringing,,,my constitution

 

[100-1/2]

I don't get it. you have said you would take the first to give you a class date. Sounds like a good plan!

In the extremely remote chance you are talking to one while you see the other beeping in on the Call Waiting/Caller ID, are you going to crap on the one you want least to answer the call of the other? Seems to me you answered your own question within the question.

I wish you the best of luck in either case. I would recommend formally withdrawing your application from the one that calls last. You save face and are not put into a position to appear anything less than ambitious for either company. You also don't want to regret turning one down later on. Better to get in on one company and after learning it isn't all it was choked up to be, reactivate your application with the second choice if you really feel you must do so. In 99% of the cases, you will spend a couple of years feeling your way around and inherently building valuable seniority before you begin to reconsider and weigh jumping ship. Highly unlikely with either of these choices you are very fortunate to have.

Good luck!

100-1/2

 

[Focus]

Two words: "Actuarial Tables"! Of the five most important variables concerning your career decision ask yourself, Whats really the most important thing?

I have not looked at a pay rate comparison of the two companies mentioned but if I were flying cargo for the rest of my career on long hauls I would want to make a heck of alot of money for my kids to enjoy after I die. Cercadian Rythm, Sleep Deprivation, and many other ailments go with working the wrong side of the clock. For every extra sunrise you see take 2 days off your life expectancy. Just a WAG. You probably will not have to much trouble with Skin Cancer so at least you will have that going for ya. Good Luck with your choice.

 

[ILUVURBANMYERS]

Guy I had to make the same call in 96. My thought was same as yours take the first job offered. If by some chance you are in training at UPS or SWA don't tell them you are in class with the other just ask for a postponement. I know SWA will let you slide a class and UPS called me back 3- months later but by then I decided to stay at good ol' SWA.
My feeling is you will know real quick if the night freight thing is for you. Here is what I did I had a UPS buddy e-mail me his next 3 day trip and I chair flew it. I know it sounds stupid but I "showed" at 1900 ( I am making these times up) stayed up all night, hit the rack-repeat.....By the last day my ass was dragging big time and that was why I stayed at SWA. I think you are in great shape no mater who you go with! Best of luck.
ILUVURBANMYERS

 

[Big Beer Belly]

In the sole interest of a little balance on this subject ... for the last 10 YEARS or so at UPS ... I've averaged approx 50 DAYS per YEAR of WORK and fly annually between 120-150 TOTAL HOURS. This is VERY COMMON on reserve. Many hundreds of pilots at UPS will quote similar days/flight time. My SWA buddies say this is unheard of working at SWA.

PS ... that's DAYTIME reserve also!

YMMV,

BBB

 

[English]

Big beer belly,

You were hired on at UPS with 7500 hours of military experience? WOW, that's impressive! For some reason I thought it was difficult to accumulate high flight hours in the military.

 

[Hobiehawker]

Guy I had to make the same call in 96. My thought was same as yours take the first job offered. If by some chance you are in training at UPS or SWA don't tell them you are in class with the other just ask for a postponement. I know SWA will let you slide a class and UPS called me back 3- months later but by then I decided to stay at good ol' SWA.
My feeling is you will know real quick if the night freight thing is for you. Here is what I did I had a UPS buddy e-mail me his next 3 day trip and I chair flew it. I know it sounds stupid but I "showed" at 1900 ( I am making these times up) stayed up all night, hit the rack-repeat.....By the last day my ass was dragging big time and that was why I stayed at SWA. I think you are in great shape no mater who you go with! Best of luck.
ILUVURBANMYERS

What an outstanding idea!!!

I always kinda of wondered the same thing myself. I did a few red-eyes in my past and knew it wasn't for me also.

UPS and FEDEX are good companies but I thought it would be too tough on me.

BBB,

Thats hardly working!! The airline pilots dream come true. But I know you are in the minority. Most all your fellow pilots are experiencing their flying much differently. I personally wouldn't want to live in any of your domiciles and thats what it would take to be on reserve.

Congrats on your cake lifestyle though.

 

[Big Beer Belly]

Big beer belly,

You were hired on at UPS with 7500 hours of military experience? WOW, that's impressive! For some reason I thought it was difficult to accumulate high flight hours in the military.

Desert Storm/Shield in a C-141 ... we had guys hit their monthly max of 150 hrs in 11 days ... even more impressive when you figure required crew rest into those 11 days. Low-time military guys are usually fighter guys ... at 1.3 hrs per sortie it takes years to accumulate any substantial time.

BBB

 

[Big Beer Belly]

I personally wouldn't want to live in any of your domiciles and thats what it would take to be on reserve.

Now Hobie ... you're telling me there's nothing between Malibu and Coronado that's to your liking? Me thinks you need new spectacles ... <g> ... lots of pretty, young, tanned, hard-bodies soaking up the sun all around me ... I need reinforcements!

YMMV,

BBB

 

[Hobiehawker]

Now Hobie ... you're telling me there's nothing between Malibu and Coronado that's to your liking? Me thinks you need new spectacles ... <g> ... lots of pretty, young, tanned, hard-bodies soaking up the sun all around me ... I need reinforcements!

YMMV,

BBB

Too far from Oahu