Why I Left an Airline Pilot Career

Beef didn’t share the whole story. If you were in any base besides SEA you woulda gotten the paid leave. The company was throwing leaves at anyone who wanted them and just retreated to what they knew, Guppies in and outta SEA.
 
42% of the pilots at Alaska just put in a bid to leave up to 24 months. This job isn't all it's cracked up to be.

It kind of seems that people taking a leave from a job that normally pays a bunch of money in order to get a somewhat smaller bunch of money to not work with the option of coming back may indicate that it’s a pretty awesome job.

If my company had offered voluntary *unpaid* furloughs this spring, I would have taken one—not because I don’t like my job a lot, but because it could have saved jobs and given me time at home and I could swing it financially. Pay me 50% For not working? That’s not an offer, that’s an intelligence test.
 
It kind of seems that people taking a leave from a job that normally pays a bunch of money in order to get a somewhat smaller bunch of money to not work with the option of coming back may indicate that it’s a pretty awesome job.

If my company had offered voluntary *unpaid* furloughs this spring, I would have taken one—not because I don’t like my job a lot, but because it could have saved jobs and given me time at home and I could swing it financially. Pay me 50% For not working? That’s not an offer, that’s an intelligence test.

It’s 50 hrs instead of 75hr lineholder guarantee. 2/3 pay to stay home and not work.
 
I think it’s important to start any endeavor with a total game plan. For some people that plan means never quitting no matter what because it’s worth it for them. For others, it’s a bail out plan if goals aren’t achieved within a certain time frame.

I personally had a bail out plan that I didn’t have to pull the trigger on because everything happened within a certain time frame.

Frankly, I don’t know how people handled 20k a year to only then end up regional CA lifers. Especially with the pay/treatment before the past couple of easy years. Some of them only have themselves to blame but some of them surely got the shaft.
 
Beef didn’t share the whole story. If you were in any base besides SEA you woulda gotten the paid leave. The company was throwing leaves at anyone who wanted them and just retreated to what they knew, Guppies in and outta SEA.

Oh great now I’m being attacked over what?

I didn't share the whole story? LOL. OK. Guppies in and out of SEA was where the chips fell when I was hired, in 2018. How am I not sharing the whole story? I was about 500 people short of the ILs and EILs, in my base. Which is where I have been based the entire time I have worked here.

I should have known better than to get involved with a discussion where someone brought an article to bear that implied maybe we don't have the best jobs ever. Because herr derr JetCareers. Now I get to be the focus of personal attacks because I think this career could be far, far better.

We don't have the best job ever. Far from it. The more you have to live for outside of aviation the more you see it. If you don't see it. Well my friends that is pretty self explanatory. My advice is to get out and live.

Next time any one of you is overnight in SEA ask yourself why you’ve never been here. It’s less than 3 hrs from the terminal, including the hike...

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Oh great now I’m being attacked over what?

I didn't share the whole story? LOL. OK. Guppies in and out of SEA was where the chips fell when I was hired, in 2018. How am I not sharing the whole story? I was about 500 people short of the ILs and EILs, in my base. Which is where I have been based the entire time I have worked here.

I should have known better than to get involved with a discussion where someone brought an article to bear that implied maybe we don't have the best jobs ever. Because herr derr JetCareers. Now I get to be the focus of personal attacks because I think this career could be far, far better.

We don't have the best job ever. Far from it. The more you have to live for outside of aviation the more you see it. If you don't see it. Well my friends that is pretty self explanatory. My advice is to get out and live.

Next time any one of you is overnight in SEA ask yourself why you’ve never been here. It’s less than 3 hrs from the terminal, including the hike...

b11ef665ef1f172fdd8e74955420cddb.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I don’t know SEA. All I know is the view coming in on the GLASR1 arrival, passing the mountains and then it comes right over a valley that then opens up to the eastern part of Seattle. That valley, that view is friggin awesome.
 
Oh great now I’m being attacked over what?

I didn't share the whole story? LOL. OK. Guppies in and out of SEA was where the chips fell when I was hired, in 2018. How am I not sharing the whole story? I was about 500 people short of the ILs and EILs, in my base. Which is where I have been based the entire time I have worked here.

I should have known better than to get involved with a discussion where someone brought an article to bear that implied maybe we don't have the best jobs ever. Because herr derr JetCareers. Now I get to be the focus of personal attacks because I think this career could be far, far better.

We don't have the best job ever. Far from it. The more you have to live for outside of aviation the more you see it. If you don't see it. Well my friends that is pretty self explanatory. My advice is to get out and live.

Next time any one of you is overnight in SEA ask yourself why you’ve never been here. It’s less than 3 hrs from the terminal, including the hike...

b11ef665ef1f172fdd8e74955420cddb.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Have you ever considered that you get attacked because of the way you behave?
 
Oh great now I’m being attacked over what?

I didn't share the whole story? LOL. OK. Guppies in and out of SEA was where the chips fell when I was hired, in 2018. How am I not sharing the whole story? I was about 500 people short of the ILs and EILs, in my base. Which is where I have been based the entire time I have worked here.

Did you mean to quote me cuz I wasn’t attacking you at all, maybe something was lost in translation. I know some people on here give you ess but I’ve never been one of those guys, we’re on the same team dude.

By saying “whole story” I was attempting to give a clearer picture that you didn’t get awarded a leave because the company is only over staffed in other bases and fleets. Not because of a fault of your own.
 
Did you mean to quote me cuz I wasn’t attacking you at all, maybe something was lost in translation. I know some people on here give you ess but I’ve never been one of those guys, we’re on the same team dude.

By saying “whole story” I was attempting to give a clearer picture that you didn’t get awarded a leave because the company is only over staffed in other bases and fleets. Not because of a fault of your own.

I should learn how to use multi quotes....

But what I really, really wish I could share is the post on the Alyeska forum. When one of our pilots asked what the best way his kids could get involved with aviation. The responses were so on point. One stood out in particular. Dude talks about how he busted his ass to become a pilot and where he wound up vs. the three friends from his high school that stood in his wedding. Everyone but him wound up retired.
 
I should learn how to use multi quotes....

But what I really, really wish I could share is the post on the Alyeska forum. When one of our pilots asked what the best way his kids could get involved with aviation. The responses were so on point. One stood out in particular. Dude talks about how he busted his ass to become a pilot and where he wound up vs. the three friends from his high school that stood in his wedding. Everyone but him wound up retired.

I had three great friends in high school. Paul, Bob n Ray. All stood up at my wedding. Still good friends.

Paul was our full back on a wishbone offense in high school. Great guy, but a lot of head trauma. Honestly not the sharpest Barely graduated high school. Right out of high school got into HVAC and later truck leasing. Sold out. Retired. Millionaire. Lives in Carmel.

Bob got a 2 year Project Management Certificate from our local community College and worked 20 years in tech. Now owns a small hotel. Retired at 45.

Ray is an electrician. His kid runs his company. Lives on the north shore of Hawaii.

I got a four year degree, got all the ratings and made $5/hr as an instructor then $14,200 a year at my first regional. This is my 10th airline. 6th to fly for and my job is once again tenous. This industry holds a total lack of employment and financial stability, and to a large degree is based on luck.

Yes some kids will avoid the downturns, but on average, not likely.
 
Thanks. Keep in mind everyone, that is just pilots speaking to pilots who work for the same airline talking about if they'd get their kids into it.
 
No, they were generally great. But the problem with the airlines is that your time is never REALLY your time. The entire idea of junior manning and extensions is insane. Spending years on end working crappy schedules. The list goes on. It's just not a good lifestyle. I know some people disagree. I think they tend to be either single and adventurous taking HUGE advantage of their travel benefits, lonely with no social outlet other than work, or unhappily married, though.

Oh, hey Todd.

What amount of this do you attribute to also, essentially, having a high level of representational work related responsibilities versus simply showing up on time to operate the aircraft? Something that some folks may not consider when you mention your burn-out.
 
Oh, hey Todd.

What amount of this do you attribute to also, essentially, having a high level of representational work related responsibilities versus simply showing up on time to operate the aircraft? Something that some folks may not consider when you mention your burn-out.

The last few years I was an EVP, which is a low workload gig. Nah, don’t think that was it. I would have gladly kept doing union work indefinitely. But showing up to monotonously operate an aviation appliance day after day at the whim of how someone else constructs lines and pairings? Pass.
 
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