United Info

[PCL_128]

I don't agree necessarily but hey, we're all entitled to our opinion.

Be careful about falling into that trap. Two years ago, sitting at Comair with 1000 pilots below you on the list would have seemed like a better deal than going to some majors. Now? Different story. I know a guy that recently started class here at AirTran that was a senior 50-seat checkairman at CMR. He spent many years there thinking that it could be a career airline, but after everything that happened, it finally occurred to him that there simply isn't any security whatsoever at a regional. His flying was contracted out via RFP to countless other regionals while his pay and QOL were decimated in bankruptcy court. A regional can seem like a good deal at times if you're senior, but it's all an illusion. Just my 2 cents.

 

[capt. megadeth]

I know. What I need is a good crystal ball.

Be careful about falling into that trap. Two years ago, sitting at Comair with 1000 pilots below you on the list would have seemed like a better deal than going to some majors. Now? Different story. I know a guy that recently started class here at AirTran that was a senior 50-seat checkairman at CMR. He spent many years there thinking that it could be a career airline, but after everything that happened, it finally occurred to him that there simply isn't any security whatsoever at a regional. His flying was contracted out via RFP to countless other regionals while his pay and QOL were decimated in bankruptcy court. A regional can seem like a good deal at times if you're senior, but it's all an illusion. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Getter]

I know. What I need is a good crystal ball.

Amen. If I could buy one on ebay, I'd put a second mortgage on the house (if I knew it worked).

 

[Sonny Crockett]

Thanks for the nice welcome, and I truly look forward to helping you get off of reserve!!!

Welcome to the UAL-Club!

Congrats

 

[Andy]

In re-reading my post I agree that (due to brevity) it came across as callous. My intent was to remind job-seeking pilots that a company's hiring and its financial health are not necessarily connected. UAL has recently emerged from bankruptcy and remains in a financially precarious state. By all accounts its employees are demoralized, their contracts gutted, pay/pension slashed, and its CEO has expressed no cohesive plan for the future. Tilton has publicly stated he is seeking a merger partner (i.e., UAL's continued viability as a stand alone carrier is in doubt).

IMO... if one knowingly seeks employment with UAL, or a carrier in a similar predicament, then one is making a long shot wager with his career. IF the wager doesn't pay off, then it is a little disingenuous to complain about one's "hard luck" in the future.

On the other hand, everyone's life circumstances are different and the risk of a move like this might not be as great for some. The opportunity cost of lost seniority at another healthier carrier is always a player, however.

YMMV,

BBB

BBB, I'm sure that you're just trying to warn fellow pilots of the pitfalls of 'ol lazy U/Yonited/Untied/whatever name they want to use. I don't disagree with most of your statements, but I don't think that United has to be concerned about going out of business any time soon; they're sitting on a LOT of cash which will enable them to survive the economic sh!tstorm coming up in the next few years.

Every dog has it's day. United had it's day in the 90s. I think that things went bad approximately one day after I was hired (18 Jun 00), starting with the 'summer of love.' Will United return to it's former glory? I don't know. It's more dependent on senior management than us line pogues.
Today brown and purple are having their day. Perhaps that will change; perhaps not. The boys at Southwest have had a great run for the last 25 years; perhaps they'll keep the streak alive. I don't know.
In this business, it only takes one bad CEO for things to get worse. Two in a row, and you're lucky if you're not declaring chap 11. Three? Let's hope that you don't go chap 7.
While I'm not a big Tilton fan, I do credit him with keeping United out of chap 7. Yes, he's making money hand over fist. But he was able to get Wall Street to dump money into United at a time when most expected United to be chopped up and sold for parts. Just look back at posts back then and see for yourself. Most predicted that United would be out of business before 2005, including many, many United pilots.

United still has a lot of retirements coming over the next few years and they are currently working pilots to near maximum block hours every month. When the economy contracts (I expect the housing market to kill the US economy), the company can easily drop a ton of block hours without furloughing. And once the economy does start recovering, I believe that United and it's pilots will be in a great position to benefit. So there are some positives about United.
I know that retirements brings up the question about a change to age 65. That window in Congress has closed. Congress has already started to shift attention toward the elections, and any issue that is not front and center with the American public will not be addressed by this session of Congress. The best shot that the pro-change crowd has at this point is the NPRM process, which Blakey promised would be used for this. So far, the FAA has not put out a NPRM. Time's running short on this; Blakey will step down very soon and I doubt that the new administrator is going to push for a change until after s/he's settled in to the job.

The bottom line is that this business is entirely a crapshoot.

 

[TacoTurbine]

Well put, as usual Andy.

Congrats to you newhires - see y'all at TK.

Taco

 

[pilotgolfer]

IMO... if one knowingly seeks employment with UAL, or a carrier in a similar predicament, then one is making a long shot wager with his career. IF the wager doesn't pay off, then it is a little disingenuous to complain about one's "hard luck" in the future.

On the other hand, everyone's life circumstances are different and the risk of a move like this might not be as great for some. The opportunity cost of lost seniority at another healthier carrier is always a player, however.

YMMV,

BBB

OK Big Beer Belly...

Please go easy on me. I just got off the phone with Buzz Thompson and had to decline the invite for an interview at UPS. I told him that I was starting at UAL a week from Monday and I didn't want to waste anybody's time in SDF. This may turn out to be the biggest blunder in aviation history, but time will tell. I just quit my A320 job in JFK and I'm looking forward to not having to commute any more. My first 2 years at UAL will be a major paycut, but with an easy drive to work...I can live with it.

Maybe the commute to Anchorage would have been a bitch...maybe not. Maybe I'll be furloughed from UAL a year or two down the road...maybe not. Maybe JetBlue turns out to be the most desired place to work...maybe not.

Crapshoot?? Definately! It wouldn't be the first fu**76 up in my life.
Scott

 

[capt. megadeth]

The human sacrifice told me not to write anything so nevermind.

 

[ualgrizz]

How ironic. I just accepted an interview with Buzz. I am a UAL 767 FO making $60/hr.

Grizz

 

[pilotgolfer]

How ironic. I just accepted an interview with Buzz. I am a UAL 767 FO making $60/hr.

Grizz

Can I have your 767 seat?