Originally Posted by TrinityDawn

If the airlines really are your second career, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt here. Are you familiar with the concept of portability of labor? In every other industry, highly trained individuals have the ability to ask for market wages commensurate with their education, record, and years of experience should they choose to switch job locations or employers. Due to the incomplete deregulation of our industry and the unionization, airline pilots don't have that ability. As you are finding out by switching airlines, one has to start over from the beginning. When you get 5 or 10 years of your life INVESTED in an airline, switching employers isn't nearly as easy as you suggest.

If you really do have previous experience in business, then you of all people should understand that a truly successful business is dependant on happy and productive employees. Unfortunately, due to the adversarial nature of the airline industry as a whole, the inadequacy of the RLA to address modern issues in a timely fashion, and the attitude of US Air and now AAG management toward their own employees, there is a deep rift at envoy between management and the front line employees. CR700's dismissive attitude toward those of us that dare challenge his narrative is a prime example of this. Instead of even pretending to care about the concerns of employees and addressing them, he simply calls us liars. Why do myself and others come on to APC at all? Because we have tried to bring our concerns to management through normal and union channels, and this is the attitude we encounter. We're told that things like QOL aren't really an issue, because "no one is complaining except for the vocal minority" when in reality, the average front line employees have simply given up hope that management is listening. I'm here because I refuse to stand by and let people like CR700 lie through omission to new hires. Anyone that is prepared to invest several years of their life working here needs to understand what they are getting themselves into, and have the whole picture.

I also suppose I have some fleeting hope that I'll push enough buttons that someone at Centerport or envoy headquarters leaves their cubical long enough to talk to the people they are supposed to be leading. Did you know that envoy doesn't even conduct exit interviews to find out WHY employees are leaving?

Originally Posted by Antoine137

Thanks for the info guys. Especially the possibility of parking lot theft, training being broken up, and the ease of having a vehicle.

Originally Posted by MD-11Loader

I am coming from Michigan as well in January and am thinking of bring my car for at least one of the two longer parts down there. I will see what happens when sim time comes. I want to be able to go to the gym and get around a bit.

Originally Posted by Pntbllr233

Transportation to and from training is provided. If you get the Holiday Inn their shuttle will take you to anything within 5 miles. For a night out to decompress or relax you're probably better off with Uber. Split it with a couple other people and you'll pay next to nothing. There's plenty of stuff close by. Food at the hotel restaurant/bar isn't bad. They give you a $5 voucher for each day that you pass on room service. If you want something else there's a Longhorn Steakhouse, Whataburger, and Jimmy Johns all within walking distance. Shuttle can take you to other places. A car would be awesome during training, but all the way from MI would be a long drive. Plus, I was thinking of doing the same thing and a dead heading crew member I was chatting with said that parking lot has a lot of issues with theft. Not sure how true that is because it's a nice area, but you never know.

Originally Posted by 271c

FWIW, the gym at the hotel has free weights and a few cardio machines. That said, I totally get wanting a more thorough workout experience.

As for a car, if you get the 145, you may go straight through, sims and all, in DFW. A car might make sense then. If you're 175, definitely wait till AFTER Indoc as you're likely to have a very long break. Even then, you're not in town THAT long, because you go to St. Louis for sims. A couple folks in our class had cars and they used them some, but they generally still took the group shuttle to the training center. I walked to Wal Mart (a "neighborhood market" variant), and took the hotel van to other places. I did give some gas $$ to catch a ride with the car folks a couple of times, but could've gotten along just fine even if no one had a car. And yes, plenty of Uber options!

One minor thing-- getting an uber from the training center to the airport is simply impossible (the app assumes you're at the airport and makes you pick a terminal for the pickup...)! So if you don't have a car and are trying to fly home during a break (the wisdom of which varies per the situation), be prepared to go back to the hotel on the training center shuttle, and to then take a hotel van to the airport. More info than a new hire probably needs in advance, but it did affect several of us, requiring a bit of planning.

Originally Posted by lakehouse

Just an FYI I believe he means flight safety. Lyft works, but watch out where it tries to go once at the terminal follow the signs.

Originally Posted by 271c

Oops-- I wasn't very clear. The issue we had was at the Envoy HQ during systems, etc. when trying to get to DFW. Uber would only let you choose a terminal for pickup based on being GPS-located "at the airport." And cabs were equally difficult. We didn't try Lyft though -- will try that next time!