UA Calling for Interviews

[ualdriver]

Along those lines...Is the job at UAL really that bad? I have an OK job now and looking at left seat 757/767 within a year or so. Thought there may be more of a future at a legacy carrier. Don't want to leave what I have if pilots at UAL are jumping ship for either lack of decent pay or QOL. Any thoughts?

All of the following is my opinion........

Is UAL that bad to work for? No, it's not bad. The guys you fly with are great. I can count on 10 fingers or less how many guys over 12 years I've flown with that were a*holes, not counting the scabs I occasionaly flew with when I was a F/O.

You have to keep in mind that when you ask the typical UAL guy whether life sucks at UAL- it's relative. We all saw our pay go from a hard fought highest in the industry with an excellent retirement to LCC wages and LCC (i.e. no) retirement. That makes guys mad, as it should. So when they see someone from the outside potentially happy about applying at UAL, they can't understand that maybe for a guy flying for a crappy freight outfit or a bottom-of-the-barrel regional that maybe UAL is a step up. And for some it will be.

Are there better airlines to fly for? Absolutely. Would I apply here if I had to do it all over again? Yeah, but it would be my third or fourth choice. I guess it just depends on your situation. I don't think you'll be unhappy coming here because of some inherent flaw that only exists at UAL and not at any other major, but if that flaw exists in your opinion, you can just apply somewhere else with your new type rating.

Good luck with your decision.

ualdriver

 

[pilotss]

That's just funny! I need to do that as a joke on my next FO. LOL I can only imagine the look on their face when i introduce myself and pull out my instruction index card!!LOL

Yes, Make sure to make it a two page laminated document with graphs and charts!

Does anyone remember in other hiring times if pilots told them NOT to come to legacy carriers?

I was filled in on the LCC rules and how they are different from I guess you would call mainline. Can a UAL pilot please explain the differing rules between the 73/A320 work rules and the rest of the fleet.

 

[lineflyer1]

[FONT=Tahoma, Ariel, Verdana]Hot Flash [/FONT]-[FONT=Tahoma, Verdana, Lucida] Monday, October 29, 2007[/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma, Veredana, Lucida]Now, We Can Talk Mergers
[/FONT][FONT=Tahoma, Veredana, Lucida]United's Perfuming Itself[/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma, Verdana, Lucida]It's about as subtle as a IED attack.[/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma, Verdana, Lucida]United has clearly tossed itself onto the sale block. Not to mention the chopping block.[/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma, Verdana, Lucida]They're apparently clearing the decks to make themselves an easy pick-up. They're talking about selling off parts to, in the B-school-ese they're paying dearly for, "unlock shareholder value." Not to mention shed stuff that might be duplicative in case somebody wanted to buy them.[/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma, Verdana, Lucida]United appears to be transforming itself from an airline into an acquisition target. They've hired consultants to "review" spinning off their maintenance operations - translation: spin'em off as fast as possible. They're talking about selling off other parts of the company, too. Parts that once gone might make United more attractive. And with cash in the till, too.[/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma, Verdana, Lucida]Then we have the CEO who was reported to have blurted out to an employee meeting that the choice is a combination of United with another carrier, or back into bankruptcy. Subtle, eh? A heck of a compliment to a management team that had the airline in Chapter 11 for three years.[/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma, Verdana, Lucida]This presents a real challenge for the rest of the industry. Since UA is hell bent on selling itself, it's not out of the question that somebody will look at buying. That means that every airline out there has no choice but to sit down and accomplish a lot of "what-if" scenario planning regarding their strategic options.[/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma, Verdana, Lucida]Buy United? Encourage a competitor to do so? Make a play for key parts? Plan a regulatory attack, with the intent of stripping key parts (like the Tokyo fifth-freedom rights) from a potential merger? Might the PBGC try to grab some of the spin-off cash? Might the Star Alliance be interested in doing something? Go after ORD slots? Lots of competitive options out there. One thing, at least at this point, seems to be certain. United's management really wants to sell.[/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma, Verdana, Lucida]So if United wants to sell itself, it's going to sell itself. And somebody - or somebodies - will end up buying all or pieces of the entity.[/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma, Verdana, Lucida]Stand by for some really innovative competitive responses.
___________[/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma, Veredana, Lucida]Highlights -The Boyd Group Forecast Conference[/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma, Verdana, Lucida]We've posted key forecast points presented at the 12th Annual Aviation Forecast Conference... [/FONT]
Billings & Beijing: Now More Important Than Orlando

IT: To Fundamentally Transform Airport Facility Needs

Labor: It'll Leave The Table With Either $$$ Or Strike Posters
Consolidation: United's Tossed Itself On The Sale Block. Scenario Planning Time

FAA's NextGen: A Totally Lost Cause. FAA Now "Irrelevant"

Airliner ​

 

[contrail67]

[persons opinion with TONS on questions from himself.quote=lineflyer1;1444047]

[FONT=Tahoma, Ariel, Verdana]Hot Flash [/FONT]-[FONT=Tahoma, Verdana, Lucida] Monday, October 29, 2007[/FONT]​

[FONT=Tahoma, Veredana, Lucida]Now, We Can Talk Mergers[/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma, Veredana, Lucida]United's Perfuming Itself[/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma, Verdana, Lucida]It's about as subtle as a IED attack.[/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma, Verdana, Lucida]United has clearly tossed itself onto the sale block. Not to mention the chopping block.[/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma, Verdana, Lucida]They're apparently clearing the decks to make themselves an easy pick-up. They're talking about selling off parts to, in the B-school-ese they're paying dearly for, "unlock shareholder value." Not to mention shed stuff that might be duplicative in case somebody wanted to buy them.[/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma, Verdana, Lucida]United appears to be transforming itself from an airline into an acquisition target. They've hired consultants to "review" spinning off their maintenance operations - translation: spin'em off as fast as possible. They're talking about selling off other parts of the company, too. Parts that once gone might make United more attractive. And with cash in the till, too.[/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma, Verdana, Lucida]Then we have the CEO who was reported to have blurted out to an employee meeting that the choice is a combination of United with another carrier, or back into bankruptcy. Subtle, eh? A heck of a compliment to a management team that had the airline in Chapter 11 for three years.[/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma, Verdana, Lucida]This presents a real challenge for the rest of the industry. Since UA is hell bent on selling itself, it's not out of the question that somebody will look at buying. That means that every airline out there has no choice but to sit down and accomplish a lot of "what-if" scenario planning regarding their strategic options.[/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma, Verdana, Lucida]Buy United? Encourage a competitor to do so? Make a play for key parts? Plan a regulatory attack, with the intent of stripping key parts (like the Tokyo fifth-freedom rights) from a potential merger? Might the PBGC try to grab some of the spin-off cash? Might the Star Alliance be interested in doing something? Go after ORD slots? Lots of competitive options out there. One thing, at least at this point, seems to be certain. United's management really wants to sell.[/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma, Verdana, Lucida]So if United wants to sell itself, it's going to sell itself. And somebody - or somebodies - will end up buying all or pieces of the entity.[/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma, Verdana, Lucida]Stand by for some really innovative competitive responses.[/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma, Verdana, Lucida]___________[/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma, Veredana, Lucida]Highlights -The Boyd Group Forecast Conference[/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma, Verdana, Lucida]We've posted key forecast points presented at the 12th Annual Aviation Forecast Conference... [/FONT]
Billings & Beijing: Now More Important Than Orlando​

IT:To Fundamentally Transform Airport Facility Needs​

Labor:It'll Leave The Table With Either $$$ Or Strike Posters
Consolidation: United's Tossed Itself On The Sale Block. Scenario Planning Time​

FAA's NextGen:A Totally Lost Cause. FAA Now "Irrelevant"​

Airliner ​

[/quote]

Seems like Northwest is looking to do the same thing...already revamped MX... lots of questions in this artcle too from its own author..

 

[ualdriver]

I was filled in on the LCC rules and how they are different from I guess you would call mainline. Can a UAL pilot please explain the differing rules between the 73/A320 work rules and the rest of the fleet.

Yeah, I can. In a nutshell, you work more and harder. Most LCC line holders have their lines built to around 92-95 hours a month with little opportunity to drop or trip trade. The mainline guys typically don't fly 90+ hours a month routinely. The pay for the 737/A320 is the same. There's no rigs other than a "lookback" provision which is too detailed to explain here. There's probably more but I haven't flown on the non-LCC side for serveral years, so hopefully someone can chime in.

 

[UAL-GSO]

M3LTW said it very well. Keep in mind that the pilots here are very angry and ramping up for a long fight, so most of what you here from them is going to be negative. I just try to keep sight of the big picture. I have flown for a few other carriers, including ASA, ATA, and Airtran, and I can say without question that you will not find a safer, more professional, or more standardized group of pilots than you will at United. That alone makes coming to work a whole lot more tolerable - just my opinion.

When I was hired in 2000, United was my first choice airline, as it was for many of us. Today it would not be my first choice, but it certainly wouldn't be my last, either. I would not tell anyone to stay away, its just a matter of personal choice. If you are happy at the regionals or the LCC's, then staying put may be a good option. If you are interested in the variety of flying that a place like United offers, then you might want to consider coming here. Just remember its a cyclical business - the companies that look great now may the ones to "stay away from" in a few years. Good luck with whatever you choose!

 

[pilotss]

WTF 92-95 hours?
Thats time out come December. Have their families seen their pilot/spouses since last year?

 

[M3LTW]

Remember, that's just what PBS builds the lines to. Many are able to drop a trip or two, and that combined with sick leave, trading, and vacation prevents most people from timing out.

One of the last guys I flew with was a junior lineholder on the Airbus, and up to that point every one of his lines had been built to 93+ hours. It was only every few months that the big pick allowed him a drop, but when combined with his vacation, one or two sick calls, and the occasional displacement (for IOE's etc.), he had averaged over 17 days off a month for the first 9 months of 2007.

Of course things would be even better if we had more productive trips, but it's not as bad as the numbers make it seem.