Furloughees Standby for Letter From Capt. Hogg

[Swaayze]

Swaayze,

His answer: "I guess I would just go to Southwest".

Oh. :blink: You would just go. There's a class starting Monday, just show up.

What a lot of these senior folks don't seem to understand is that life just isn't that easy. They apparently don't realize that after 09/11 over 7000 airline pilots were furloughed.

So they can't comprehend the fact that the few hundred jobs available at places like Southwest, Jetblue, AirTran, UPS, FedEx, etc -- were not the kind of jobs you could just walk into. In fact, for most of us, even getting an interview was an exercise in futility.

What Pilot (and those like him) are incapable of seeing from the front-end of an A330 is that for every furloughed US Airways pilot who was hired by Jetblue, there were 50 more who went to places like Colgan, Great Plains, Shuttle America, AirNow, etc.


It's just not that easy folks. For pilots like Swaayze who, 5 years after their furlough, are sitting in the right seat of an RJ at some POS commuter and wondering how they're going to pay for the kid's college and fund their retirement -- maybe coming back to AAA doesn't look half bad.

-FurloughedAgain

PS - Sorry if this seems a little bitter, but I just don't believe that those currently flying for US Airways have any idea what it has been like to seek pilot employment since 09/11.

Spot on, of course. I do get a little tired of feeling like I'm some sort of leper because I haven't landed a job with UPS or a Fortune 100 corp GV gig making 6 figures, because a few of us have done that. Of course, if truth be told, I could be in a better position (ie more money and/or bigger airplane, etc) but I'm trying for a reasonable QOL. I continue to search though, even though I'm in my 4th job since furlough. In fact I just found out today that I was not chosen for a new corp aviation department flying a PC-12 that will be based 5 minutes from my house by year end 2007. Trumped by corp experience and a couple hundred hours of PC-12 time, I was. Evidently 10,000+ hours over 14 years with 3 type ratings doesn't make one automatically employable, even for a single engine turboprop job that woulda doubled my regional FO pay! It just ain't that easy....

 

[nostradamus]

Spot on, of course. I do get a little tired of feeling like I'm some sort of leper because I haven't landed a job with UPS or a Fortune 100 corp GV gig making 6 figures, because a few of us have done that. Of course, if truth be told, I could be in a better position (ie more money and/or bigger airplane, etc) but I'm trying for a reasonable QOL. I continue to search though, even though I'm in my 4th job since furlough. In fact I just found out today that I was not chosen for a new corp aviation department flying a PC-12 that will be based 5 minutes from my house by year end 2007. Trumped by corp experience and a couple hundred hours of PC-12 time, I was. Evidently 10,000+ hours over 14 years with 3 type ratings doesn't make one automatically employable, even for a single engine turboprop job that woulda doubled my regional FO pay! It just ain't that easy....

Welcome to any furloghee that comes back to LCC. Why some of these folks like pilot and luv737 shoot their beaks off about this I do not know. They lived a cush life, lets vote for things that will help their reality factor when you return. Their arrogant and cowardly behinds are not the norm, you will be welcomed by 99 percent of the pilots, screw the other 1 percent.

 

[Elevation]

What is US east pilots doing for the furloghed? Are there no open time pick up requests by the union or have they forgot about the 1500 already? What about medical? Just curious?

 

[luvn737s]

If you would like to see LUV 737 previous posts click on his name, then upper right profile options, then click find members posts.

Thank you. Should anyone desire to see what I have consistently said (in context) regarding the protection of our profession from exploitation this would be an excellent way to do so. I don't know why anyone with anything (ANYTHING) better to do with their time would want to, but there it is.

I cannot recommend a way for anyone to see what Nosty has done to enhance or protect the profession, as he has seen fit to keep this a closely guarded secret.

Perhaps he is right. Maybe we should continue to perpetuate the myth that:

1) RJ proliferation doesn't affect the odds of landing a job with a major

2) Taking a job that pays very little will somehow lead to a job with a whopping salary when both jobs are practically identical

3) That spending the best part of your life being played the patsy by those who would have you believe you are next in line to win life's lottery is a worthwhile endevor

4) That real change can come about with no sacrifice at all

5) That the law of supply and demand is a sham and that reducing the supply of pilots will never alter the pay and working conditions in this profession.

6) That the blame for everything (including the former salary scale to which most pilots aspire) lies at the feet of the most senior (which I am not, since I must constantly remind some) who should support the continuation of a blatanly unjust and outdated Age 60 rule as a guilt offering to appease the unappeasable

Yes Nosty has a point. Those who have seen the sweet spot of their careers crushed by those who traded 9/11's tragedy for opportunity and wiped out 50 years of gains by organized labor should lend a helping hand to the poor "victims" of the exploitative RJ proliferation. Those same victims who were the willing accomplices who chose to agree with those who saw a pilot as worth $350/week by accepting the position, now need a leg up. Regardless of the fact that less than a handful of the 7000 pilots on furlough in the past 3 years are RJ pilots, they need our help.

Nost says voting NO to concessions that wipe away precious scope protection is not enough, in fact it hurts the cause. It is hypocritical in the eyes of some to defend your profession and offer advice to those who still have time to choose a brighter career.

Should the senior quit? Maybe so on principal. A senior guy leaves and a junior one takes his place. What change does that motivate? But those that make the choice not to accept lousy pay to begin with and look to better, more fulfilling professions benefit themselves and the profession by forcing companies to see what the value of a pilot really is.

The old cliche' of pulling up the ladder once you are aboard takes on new meaning when that ladder is attached to a sinking ship.

But then again, I'm just a phoney.

 

[nostradamus]

What is US east pilots doing for the furloghed? Are there no open time pick up requests by the union or have they forgot about the 1500 already? What about medical? Just curious?

Not enough. They helped the furloghed pilots with health insurance for a couple of years, that was admirable.

The attitude now for furloghees by more than half the pilots at LCC is a typical I got mine attitude. Too bad but I was furloghed once too, yada yada, thats part of the business, yada yada, why would they want to come back to this business anyway, yada yada.

Then they put on their pig noses and allow max hours to go from 85 to 95 or more. Then play in the mud to what they tell furloghees and new pilots is a pig pen by wanting to up the retirement age thinking of themselves instead of the real enemy.

Notice I say half the pilots, when you return you will be treated well, the ones that try to discourage you from coming back are the cowards that do not want to look you in the eye, knowing what they could or should have done for you.