Huff Daland Dusters...

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Cptnchia said:
In the AAL that we carry, and I'm not gonna fire up the EFB to get the page # right now, it's listed as AO for all fleet types. Not sure what reference the dispatchers have, but as far as I'm concerned, what I have is controlling. It would take a call from the DFO before I accepted MGE as an alternate.
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Interesting. We are not necessarily discouraged from listing AO domestically, but not many will unless out of necessity. Say, OGD if the weather dictates for SLC because sometimes nothing else is usable with the fuel load with the idea of bailing to GJT or TWF immediately if given a delay, or stopping short for gas. Getting a bit off-topic...
 
R2D said:
Interesting. We are not necessarily discouraged from listing AO domestically, but not many will unless out of necessity. Say, OGD if the weather dictates for SLC because sometimes nothing else is usable with the fuel load with the idea of bailing to GJT or TWF immediately if given a delay, or stopping short for gas. Getting a bit off-topic...
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Many times I've had the origin listed as the alternate, usually for flights up to 2 hours.
 
manniax said:
WN seems to have realized, in recent years, the value of having a mix of internal and external applicants for dispatch. DL seems to have abandoned the notion of bringing in experience from outside the company since they started their own school. According to @MT, all their recent hires have been graduates of their internal school - even internals with a license already are evidently not getting interviews. Time will tell if this trend continues, but it doesn't sound like they'll be considering externals for the forseeable future.
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I'm guessing that the size of the class has more to do with internal vs. external hiring. For smaller classes, going internal makes more sense. You use fewer company resources to achieve a similar result. Larger classes (WAG- maybe 10 or more?) would be more likely to contain externals.
 
crjdxr said:
I'm guessing that the size of the class has more to do with internal vs. external hiring. For smaller classes, going internal makes more sense. You use fewer company resources to achieve a similar result. Larger classes (WAG- maybe 10 or more?) would be more likely to contain externals.
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I think the fast major DX hiring pace of a few years ago is unlikely to be seen again for some time. Also, since the majors all have new, well paying contracts, DX job postings are getting a lot more applicants (including internal ones) than may have been the case in years past. This isn't to say that someone at a regional or supplemental will not be able to make a jump to the majors, but the days of seeing lots of people get offers with less than two years of regional experience may be over for now.
 
R2D said:
Interesting. We are not necessarily discouraged from listing AO domestically, but not many will unless out of necessity. Say, OGD if the weather dictates for SLC because sometimes nothing else is usable with the fuel load with the idea of bailing to GJT or TWF immediately if given a delay, or stopping short for gas. Getting a bit off-topic...
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I know that those offline alternate airports are used all the time as paper alternates. EFD especially when going into IAH. Not only that, but EFD is actually one of the better places to divert as opposed to some of the on-line stations. EFD will turn a diversion in half the time some of the on-line alternates will take to get the aircraft to the gate.
 
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Cptnchia said:
How bout this. They are hiring flight attendants. You could do that then you'd be in a position as an internal transfer. That, or work the ramp.
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You sure about the FA thing? My old roommate has been in inflight for almost 4 years, with an aerospace college degree, and a year or so of regional crew scheduling, and he can't even get a TBNT. He (we) know several dispatchers for recommendations as well. It's not go sling cokes then dispatch.
 
Altimeter said:
You sure about the FA thing? My old roommate has been in inflight for almost 4 years, with an aerospace college degree, and a year or so of regional crew scheduling, and he can't even get a TBNT. He (we) know several dispatchers for recommendations as well. It's not go sling cokes then dispatch.
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If DX is what one wants to do, then going with Delta (even in another capacity) is a poor bet. It's their right to hire internally, of course, but that doesn't mean one has to go that route...
 
MarkM0228 said:
If DX is what one wants to do, then going with Delta (even in another capacity) is a poor bet. It's their right to hire internally, of course, but that doesn't mean one has to go that route...
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It all depends what your long-term career goals are. If you have your heart set on working in DL dispatch and living in ATL, right now it sounds like the best way to get there is to start at DL in some other capacity and attend their in-house dispatch school when you can. That is putting your eggs all in one basket, but everyone needs to make that call for themselves. (One advantage of this is not having to pay for dispatch school right away.) This is not to say that they won't start hiring externally again at some point in the future, but it doesn't sound like things are going to change there any time soon. You could, of course, end up doing a job unrelated to dispatch for quite a while.

Fortunately, other major airlines and large cargo carriers do still hire dispatchers externally. I would personally recommend going that route instead, to maximize your options....i.e. getting a job at a regional/supplemental carrier and then applying at every major opening that comes along.
 
manniax said:
It all depends what your long-term career goals are. If you have your heart set on working in DL dispatch and living in ATL, right now it sounds like the best way to get there is to start at DL in some other capacity and attend their in-house dispatch school when you can. That is putting your eggs all in one basket, but everyone needs to make that call for themselves. (One advantage of this is not having to pay for dispatch school right away.) This is not to say that they won't start hiring externally again at some point in the future, but it doesn't sound like things are going to change there any time soon. You could, of course, end up doing a job unrelated to dispatch for quite a while.

Fortunately, other major airlines and large cargo carriers do still hire dispatchers externally. I would personally recommend going that route instead, to maximize your options....i.e. getting a job at a regional/supplemental carrier and then applying at every major opening that comes along.
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That's what I plan to do. I don't have my heart working @ DL-not to the point where I'd like to work in another capacity with no sure shot @ getting into DX there.
 
I worked on the ramp for Delta for two years. When people ask me what it was like I just say "the military." I loved being on the ramp and enjoyed the work and still miss it sometimes, but the company is just packed with self-satisfaction, anti-union rhetoric and rank-and-file doctrine. I asked for additional training once (i wanted to learn how to use the scan-gun) and it became a chain email among mid-level managers who thought that was just somethin' else altogether. I got my certificate before they started their own dispatch camp. Left and it has worked out great. I'd still be out there slingin' bags...
 
Guess who is hiring again... once again internal only. And if you applied and didn’t get it within last 6mos can’t apply again.

Anyone know how many spots this time?
 
10-15 more graduates of the world’s best dispatch school. Yesterday they were rampers. Today, better dispatchers than any of you plebs from other schools could ever hope to be.

Just stand in awe and bask in all their majesty.
 
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MarkM0228 said:
If DX is what one wants to do, then going with Delta (even in another capacity) is a poor bet. It's their right to hire internally, of course, but that doesn't mean one has to go that route...
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Don't know about that. We had a guy who was in MX control as a planner he left to go work for Great Lakes as a pilot and got his 1000 hrs TPIC then got back to FX as a planner and is now a line pilot on the A300 he had preference over pilots off the street because he was an internal. Some companies choose internals over externals DL, SWA, and FX are among them. I was a ramper at NWA got my A@P and became a line mechanic at NW I also had preference this isn't always gonna work it's a gamble I get it but if you have no experience and want to work for a major and you are already working there sometimes it works out in your favor.
 
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MT said:
10-15 more graduates of the world’s best dispatch school. Yesterday they were rampers. Today, better dispatchers than any of you plebs from other schools could ever hope to be.

Just stand in awe and bask in all their majesty.
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Good for them. Congrats to the new dispatchers and the rest of their careers.
 
MT said:
10-15 more graduates of the world’s best dispatch school. Yesterday they were rampers. Today, better dispatchers than any of you plebs from other schools could ever hope to be.

Just stand in awe and bask in all their majesty.
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In 18 years of using the product that comes from our dispatchers, I’ve never had a question as to their inability or competence to deliver a quality product. Internals are preferred in all departments. They’re a known entity. The company is currently assessing the feasibility of instituting a gateway for internals who are private pilots to gain the requisite experience to join flight ops as line pilots.
 
Cptnchia said:
In 18 years of using the product that comes from our dispatchers, I’ve never had a question as to their inability or competence to deliver a quality product. Internals are preferred in all departments. They’re a known entity. The company is currently assessing the feasibility of instituting a gateway for internals who are private pilots to gain the requisite experience to join flight ops as line pilots.
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Yeah, good luck getting the regional guys excited to train and fly with the guys that are going to go to mainline ahead of them.
 
FXMXC said:
Don't know about that. We had a guy who was in MX control as a planner he left to go work for Great Lakes as a pilot and got his 1000 hrs TPIC then got back to FX as a planner and is now a line pilot on the A300 he had preference over pilots off the street because he was an internal. Some companies choose internals over externals DL, SWA, and FX are among them. I was a ramper at NWA got my A@P and became a line mechanic at NW I also had preference this isn't always gonna work it's a gamble I get it but if you have no experience and want to work for a major and you are already working there sometimes it works out in your favor.
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I wasn't denying that for two reasons. One, it's a carrier's right as to whom they hire. Two, the internal is a known quantity; even without experience in a new job (e.g. ramper or FA changing to DX), the internal is a known quantity.

My point was that, if one wants to work in DX; if one wants to do DX at a major; then Delta would be a poor bet. Whether it's going to Delta to work in another capacity or trying to get on as an external hire, Delta is a poor bet. If one goes to Delta to work as, say, a scheduler or ramper, there's NO GUARANTEE that person will be selected for DX. If one is an external candidate, then he's SOL, as Delta has gone totally to internal hires. If one wants to DX at a major, then Delta is a poor bet, period.
 
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MarkM0228 said:
I wasn't denying that for two reasons. One, it's a carrier's right as to whom they hire. Two, the internal is a known quantity; even without experience in a new job (e.g. ramper or FA changing to DX), the internal is a known quantity.

My point was that, if one wants to work in DX; if one wants to do DX at a major; then Delta would be a poor bet. Whether it's going to Delta to work in another capacity or trying to get on as an external hire, Delta is a poor bet. If one goes to Delta to work as, say, a scheduler or ramper, there's NO GUARANTEE that person will be selected for DX. If one is an external candidate, then he's SOL, as Delta has gone totally to internal hires. If one wants to DX at a major, then Delta is a poor bet, period.
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Although I'm no expert, I personally would avoid the internal route entirely unless a dispatch support/assistant dispatcher position opens up at a major. Who knows how long it will take to get brought over to dispatch once someone is internal. Could be a year or ten years. Going external allows you to diversify your assets and have a shot at every major carrier not named Delta. Plus you get to dispatch while you're on your way to the majors instead of throwing bags or doing some other non-dispatch internal function. Depending on the airline, assistant dispatchers/dispatch support/FSCs have a pretty good shot at moving over internally in a reasonable amount of time, but it's far from guaranteed. Then again, getting to a major from a regional isn't a guarantee either.
 
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