US Airways Final Recalls: Take it, or Leave it?

[grog_sit_reserv]

What's your pay at eagle vs going back to US?

If you go back at 4 year FO pay plus the 1500 for every year, couple that with the attrition East will have, you might be looking at something worthwhile.

I personally think you should come back.

 

[General Lee]

General,

While I appreciate your advice, I don't believe you are seeing the entire picture. You lack the experience of working for US Airways and the associated uncertainty.

You lack the experience of working for my current flight department (which can not be compared with any run-of-the mill Learjet operator. It's a Fortune 500 company whose quality of life far exceeds that found in 99% of the corporate, fractional, or charter operators out there.)

I also question any airline pilot who tells me, "You could just go fly corporate". It doesn't work that way. There is a strong aversion to airline pilots within the corporate world. Only those who are very lucky manage to find a good corporate job after having worked for an airline. There are dozens of threads on the Corporate section of this website about airline guys desperately trying to break into corporate. If you leave corporate and go BACK to an airline, your resume will speak for itself. No reputable flight department will hire you when you've shown that your loyalties truly remain at the airlines.

I appreciate you trying to help, but i'm a little frustrated with people saying "Just go back" without providing me with any evidence that doing so would be anything more than gambling (again) with my family's future.

It will eat away at your brain if you don't go. I have seen numbers saying there will be around 1 billion passengers domestically by 2010, up from 700 or 800 million a year now. To say that USAir won't be flying some of them is wrong. They have too good of a route structure (mainly East Coast, with a good PHX and LAS hub too) to not be a player. I don't think Virgin America or Skybus will make a dent, primarily because they can't get enough slots into the airports people want to fly into (DCA, LGA, ORD, etc). I think USAir will be around, with most legacies. There could be a merger or two, but not much downsizing I don't think, unless there is another 9-11. Your corporate job could easily get swiped from you in favor of a fractional operator. It happens all of the time since they(your company) don't have to offer benefits to fractional pilots. But, it is up to you.

Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[PositiveRate]

Furloughed,

I hate to agree with the General, but you're going to regret not coming back.

This is the right point in the cycle to get back in. You will likely be flying whatever aircraft you want within a year or two. Combine that with a move close to base and life will be just fine.

Man up and make a decision. When you taxi past a learjet in a US 767 or similar you will not look up and wonder 'what if'. Flip the scenario and it will eat you up each and every time.

 

[FLYLOW22]

This thread now sounds like a few crack addicts trying to lure in another one.

USAIR. Just say no.

 

[General Lee]

Well that's just it. We simply aren't moving and I just really don't think going back with the intent of commuting for 20-25 years is a very wise decision for my family with 2 young kids at home. This is already my second time at Eagle (I don't think I could start over here a third), and I've put up with an awful lot in the last 6 years (2 furloughs, 1 CH7, 4 jobs, a 2 leg commute at Eagle after being told we'd have DFW slots in my newhire class, etc) to get to the point I'm at now: holding 2-day trips and driving 20 mins to work. Obviously the pay issue makes it very difficult here but I'm having trouble finding ANY other reason to return to U (besides maybe a little SJS for the 757).

And, I agree totally with FA on the corporate thing. Don't think I haven't tried that route and met with nothing but a couple of nibbles and a high degree of skepticism about my intent. If you aren't well connected you can forget it as a current/furloughed airline guy.

Thanks for the input, really. I need all the help I can get!

I don't think a commute from DFW to CLT (or PHX eventually) would be that bad. If you simply had to commute for family reasons, DFW is in the middle of the country and is about 2-3 hours from anywhere. If you lived in LA and had to commute to PHL, that might really suk.

Will there ever be a furlough like we both (US and DL) had after 9-11? I hope not. It could happen though, but I would think the odds are against it. If you have some seniority and can get in there and have 500 behind you eventually, that could probably be a good cushion, barring another 9-11. Again, it is up to you.

Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[General Lee]

This thread now sounds like a few crack addicts trying to lure in another one.

USAIR. Just say no.

If it is their dream to fly "the big jets", then they should consider it again. If they want stability, they can go to Netjets or Southwest. I still think USAir will be around in the future. And, they obviously want the advice or they wouldn't keep coming back for more.

Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[B-atch]

Convince YOURSELVES......Enough said!! This self contradiction thread is making me nucking futts!!

 

[FurloughedAgain]

Then don't read it.

Ok, so hypothetically, what could a 1/99 hire hold right now in:

BOS?
PHL?
CLT?

Also, what are the min days off on a reserve line?

And, is there any possibility of commuting home on your last day of reserve? i/e, is daily releasing anybody in time to catch the last train outa town?

 

[FLYLOW22]

If it is their dream to fly "the big jets", then they should consider it again. If they want stability, they can go to Netjets or Southwest. I still think USAir will be around in the future. And, they obviously want the advice or they wouldn't keep coming back for more.

Bye Bye--General Lee

Humbly,

This is NOT the place to seek advice. This board is about as useful to gather information about USAIR as talking to your barber.

You want facts? Call some of the guys you used to fly with. Call you old CPO and have the nice ladies leave V-File messages for guys to call you back. They will. I did.

Nothing has changed there in 6 years. It's still a stinking meat grinder.

3 HUGE factors in the decision to return (a fair decision to return) are missing as of yet. SENIORITY and the CBA (pay and working conditions).

1. Seniority- Contested
2. PAY- Not Negotiated
3. Working Conditions- Not Negotiated

This is called Russian Roullete... and US expects guys to be able to make a decision based on this?!?!? The CBA language that US is enforcing regarding recall of furloughed pilots was NEVER designed for these circumstances. They invoked Force Majure (Force Manure) on us back in 2001. I'd call this Force Manure for us now. The CBA recall language should not apply until all three of the above are settled. Only then will the decison to come back to this old boat be one based on fact and not SJS.

WANTED: CRACK SMOKERS to fly USAIR Jets. Must be willing to be a "visionary" and dream of big airplanes for the next 20-30 years till retirement, bend over and contnualy take it and settle for "mabye next times" until retirement.

One final thought... I wish that I could pay the bills with dreams of "flying the big ones". Dreams like that will have you retiring at age 69 (in the future) and wondering where the hell it all went; time and money.

 

[stb]

While I appreciate your advice, I don't believe you are seeing the entire picture. You lack the experience of working for US Airways and the associated uncertainty.

What a true statement. USAir has always attracted the best of the worst management teams. Dont go back to USAir and dont look back. The last class was for 30, 15 no-showed and 4 quit by the third day of indoc. So 11 of 30 finished indoc.

Take a trip to CLT and visit the schoolhouse ask questions. I'm sure in a hour you will have your answer.

The few couple of guys that I know went back feel they are getting set-up for furlough again. Moral is in the crapper. Most coming back are J4J pilots or did not have a flying job. They also said it seems USAirways is working through the list just to get rid of the list.

I feel sorry for the AW pilots.