Atlas vs United
04-16-2023, 01:49 PM
#41
Line Holder
Joined APC: Oct 2016
Position: DHC-8 FO
Posts: 28
I still love flying. I keep some planes that are terrible investments because they separate the job from the work. The work at Atlas and United is similar: fly a mix of wide and narrow bodies to domestic and international locations. Occasionally go someplace unique.
The job isn't comparable at all. United has a retirement and benefits program that blows us out of the water. Free market economics don't apply to United. They have and will continue to be bailed out during bad times, which means a UAL seniority number may see furloughs but isn't going to expire into nothing. The same can't be said for Atlas. Now I like Atlas. I've become senior enough and comfortable enough that I'm probably staying here until the wheels fall off. But let's not pretend we're in the same league for someone who's starting at year 1. True, a pilot hired in 1997 would have eaten it. So did USAir and TWA pilots. I'll wager most of those guys took their recall notices and didn't stay at Atlas.
I feel like our desire to justify our decisions to stay verges on providing skewed gouge to people with real decisions to make. We aren't lesser aviators for being here, and they aren't greater for being there. If you accept this, then we can acknowledge the real differences in jobs and provide a better picture for our brethren.
I like it here. This isn't a bad place to wind up. Still, you wind up here. You go to something that's too big for the government to let die.
The job isn't comparable at all. United has a retirement and benefits program that blows us out of the water. Free market economics don't apply to United. They have and will continue to be bailed out during bad times, which means a UAL seniority number may see furloughs but isn't going to expire into nothing. The same can't be said for Atlas. Now I like Atlas. I've become senior enough and comfortable enough that I'm probably staying here until the wheels fall off. But let's not pretend we're in the same league for someone who's starting at year 1. True, a pilot hired in 1997 would have eaten it. So did USAir and TWA pilots. I'll wager most of those guys took their recall notices and didn't stay at Atlas.
I feel like our desire to justify our decisions to stay verges on providing skewed gouge to people with real decisions to make. We aren't lesser aviators for being here, and they aren't greater for being there. If you accept this, then we can acknowledge the real differences in jobs and provide a better picture for our brethren.
I like it here. This isn't a bad place to wind up. Still, you wind up here. You go to something that's too big for the government to let die.
04-18-2023, 05:44 PM
#42
Line Holder
Joined APC: Nov 2012
Position: B-777 Captain
Posts: 99
12 year Atlas guy here and I’ve loved most of it. The thought of flying for any legacy sounds like work to me. I did the crashpad (ran one) and commuting thing for years at other airlines and looking back it feels like a prison sentence. I now live in base and bid mostly day trips or two day turns (767). I’m currently in the middle of 19 days off (not vacation). This month I had only day trips so I didn’t spend a night out of my own bed. I get two months off a year and to be honest I don’t work very hard compared to my legacy brethren. Everyone has a different situation and different priorities. After 5 years on the 747 having only 4 days off between trips would seem like nothing to me. The retirement is better at United but I’m aggressive about maxing out my Atlas 401k every year and take advantage of other retirement options as well.
Based on guarantee alone my pay isn’t that far off from a United captain. It’s the soft pay rules that give them the advantage. But pulling in the 250-300k range, I feel compensated enough to stay where I am. If I ever chose to move or if my base closed (unlikely) commuting would be a non-issue at Atlas with Gateway. Thinking back to when I had to list for 4-5 flights to get to work on my day off and usually had to take the early morning 6am flight because it was the only one open….yeah…no.
But at United you get to walk through the terminal in your shiny uniform and get a 15% discount at Starbucks. You also get to watch ghetto trash fist fight each other at 35,000 ft.
Based on guarantee alone my pay isn’t that far off from a United captain. It’s the soft pay rules that give them the advantage. But pulling in the 250-300k range, I feel compensated enough to stay where I am. If I ever chose to move or if my base closed (unlikely) commuting would be a non-issue at Atlas with Gateway. Thinking back to when I had to list for 4-5 flights to get to work on my day off and usually had to take the early morning 6am flight because it was the only one open….yeah…no.
But at United you get to walk through the terminal in your shiny uniform and get a 15% discount at Starbucks. You also get to watch ghetto trash fist fight each other at 35,000 ft.
04-18-2023, 07:20 PM
#43
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jun 2019
Position: B747 FO
Posts: 1,261
12 year Atlas guy here and I’ve loved most of it. The thought of flying for any legacy sounds like work to me. I did the crashpad (ran one) and commuting thing for years at other airlines and looking back it feels like a prison sentence. I now live in base and bid mostly day trips or two day turns (767). I’m currently in the middle of 19 days off (not vacation). This month I had only day trips so I didn’t spend a night out of my own bed. I get two months off a year and to be honest I don’t work very hard compared to my legacy brethren. Everyone has a different situation and different priorities. After 5 years on the 747 having only 4 days off between trips would seem like nothing to me. The retirement is better at United but I’m aggressive about maxing out my Atlas 401k every year and take advantage of other retirement options as well.
Based on guarantee alone my pay isn’t that far off from a United captain. It’s the soft pay rules that give them the advantage. But pulling in the 250-300k range, I feel compensated enough to stay where I am. If I ever chose to move or if my base closed (unlikely) commuting would be a non-issue at Atlas with Gateway. Thinking back to when I had to list for 4-5 flights to get to work on my day off and usually had to take the early morning 6am flight because it was the only one open….yeah…no.
But at United you get to walk through the terminal in your shiny uniform and get a 15% discount at Starbucks. You also get to watch ghetto trash fist fight each other at 35,000 ft.
Based on guarantee alone my pay isn’t that far off from a United captain. It’s the soft pay rules that give them the advantage. But pulling in the 250-300k range, I feel compensated enough to stay where I am. If I ever chose to move or if my base closed (unlikely) commuting would be a non-issue at Atlas with Gateway. Thinking back to when I had to list for 4-5 flights to get to work on my day off and usually had to take the early morning 6am flight because it was the only one open….yeah…no.
But at United you get to walk through the terminal in your shiny uniform and get a 15% discount at Starbucks. You also get to watch ghetto trash fist fight each other at 35,000 ft.
Love our Atlas flying, and I haven’t seen a ghetto fist fight at 35,000 just yet in the last 10+ years.
04-19-2023, 12:21 AM
#44
Gets Weekends Off
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Dec 2009
Position: B777 LS
Posts: 143
Great insight, ACMI guym, thank you.
We, as pilots often tend to fall into the 'grass is always greener' paradox about the places we could or would have been.
Very valid point about the pension scheme, there are a lot of ways to maximise one's net worth through proper investment, diversification, real estate, etc.
How is the medical (including Family) coverage at Atlas? Is it on par with the majors?
Thanks again,
Dom
We, as pilots often tend to fall into the 'grass is always greener' paradox about the places we could or would have been.
Very valid point about the pension scheme, there are a lot of ways to maximise one's net worth through proper investment, diversification, real estate, etc.
How is the medical (including Family) coverage at Atlas? Is it on par with the majors?
Thanks again,
Dom
12 year Atlas guy here and I’ve loved most of it. The thought of flying for any legacy sounds like work to me. I did the crashpad (ran one) and commuting thing for years at other airlines and looking back it feels like a prison sentence. I now live in base and bid mostly day trips or two day turns (767). I’m currently in the middle of 19 days off (not vacation). This month I had only day trips so I didn’t spend a night out of my own bed. I get two months off a year and to be honest I don’t work very hard compared to my legacy brethren. Everyone has a different situation and different priorities. After 5 years on the 747 having only 4 days off between trips would seem like nothing to me. The retirement is better at United but I’m aggressive about maxing out my Atlas 401k every year and take advantage of other retirement options as well.
Based on guarantee alone my pay isn’t that far off from a United captain. It’s the soft pay rules that give them the advantage. But pulling in the 250-300k range, I feel compensated enough to stay where I am. If I ever chose to move or if my base closed (unlikely) commuting would be a non-issue at Atlas with Gateway. Thinking back to when I had to list for 4-5 flights to get to work on my day off and usually had to take the early morning 6am flight because it was the only one open….yeah…no.
But at United you get to walk through the terminal in your shiny uniform and get a 15% discount at Starbucks. You also get to watch ghetto trash fist fight each other at 35,000 ft.
Based on guarantee alone my pay isn’t that far off from a United captain. It’s the soft pay rules that give them the advantage. But pulling in the 250-300k range, I feel compensated enough to stay where I am. If I ever chose to move or if my base closed (unlikely) commuting would be a non-issue at Atlas with Gateway. Thinking back to when I had to list for 4-5 flights to get to work on my day off and usually had to take the early morning 6am flight because it was the only one open….yeah…no.
But at United you get to walk through the terminal in your shiny uniform and get a 15% discount at Starbucks. You also get to watch ghetto trash fist fight each other at 35,000 ft.
04-20-2023, 05:56 PM
#45
Line Holder
Joined APC: Mar 2023
Posts: 42
05-01-2023, 01:50 AM
#47
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: May 2013
Position: No Hats No Jackets No PAX
Posts: 1,581
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