DLax85

HEAR, HEAR!!

The "December Business Update" by TWO VPs with the same job title was one of the best examples. Before "signing off" on Dec 22 (....3 days prior to Christmas), they made sure to thank YOU, then reminded YOU that many folks will get to settle down with their families over the holiday season, while many of YOU are away from home delivering on OUR commitment to OUR customers. They were appreciative of all YOU'VE done, and look forward to the meeting challenges WITH YOU in 2023.

Hmmm - what exactly is MY/OUR motivation ??

UnusualAttitude

Considering that our system bidding is the worst in the industry this advice rings hollow.

TacoTuesday

On a positive note almost everyone I have flown with recently is awesome and the new hires I've been flying with have been great no matter what background they are from. So if you are new here and reading this thanks for that, and my hope is the pilot group here changes for the positive. Maybe over time we can beat this tribalism... from my point of view I see glimmers of hope in that department. Been here close to 5 years, too many people hired under me to consider leaving now...feel very lucky to have struck it right as a new hire and have upgraded quickly... I get that a new hire today has a very different landscape to consider and I hope anyone on the edge asks themselves the most important question: What is best for your family and your health in the long term... Nothing else really matters. I am on this ugly purple ship whether she is floating or sinking... but I'll tell you one thing: I am sure not interested in anything but an industry leading contract with no concessions.

C2078

I was just going to post something like this. Even AA with all its problems, 4 years is a lot of people under you to give up. Unless you live or plan on living in MEM or OAK or ANC, jumping to Fedex was probably a very poor choice. You would be a NB Captain by now (if desired), or close to WB FO making a good living. One or two years in is entirely understandable, 4-5 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🙄

EMBFlyer

That's a pretty bold statement to make for someone that doesn't work here.

I jumped from the same carrier as the OP, with more time under my belt there and way more people underneath me and I think it's been an excellent decision.

I know things aren't perfect here and that there's tons of room for improvement and I plan on fighting for a contract that brings those improvements. However, I don't think my move was a poor decision.

opt0712

Probably a 777 CA. The new toolbox.

Adlerdriver

Yup - there's a lot of lag time in our equipment bids. We often have to lead turn our bids to account for the long cycles or accept our current status far longer than we want if we aren't willing to jump and bid the "bird in hand". A well known variable long established by FedEx management. I'm not saying I like it or agree with it (or even understand why they do it) - but if someone came to FedEx unaware of our incredible few and far between bids and the long training cycles they create, that's on them.
Some of these complaints aren't rooted in reality. If you got here a year ago and expect ice-cream cones, unicorns and BJs, give me a break. Welcome to the cyclic nature of the airline industry. 20+ years ago, our pilots were spending 5 years on the 727 panel before they could touch a right seat. Now, some pilots hired in the last 7 years are 777 Captains. The instant gratification crowd may feel some pain while hiring and progression slow down. If you're on the property, you know the pros and cons. It might take a while, but you'll get to the niche that suits you - whether that's international or domestic DDHs, domestic day flying or holding your home town layovers.
My main point was, expecting everything to fall into place at the one year point is a bit unrealistic. Give it a little time.

Noworkallplay

Cheers to that!

Noworkallplay

Distastefully written letter for sure!

What are we or what have we done about it over the past 14 months?

We all knew what was being asked of US during negotiations by the union. Instead most verbalized frustration and when the phone range (analogy) they answered it almost every time for personal gratification and greed.

This played perfectly into the companies hand.

Rinse and repeat at every turn when we had the leverage. Now, we must hope for a pro labor NMB to HELP us out. A very embarrassing moment for us as a pilot group.

We couldn’t do it on our own like a STRONG pilot group would do.

JohnWick757

Good responses. Many have been very informative and I am appreciative of that. It helps hearing others experiences both positive and negative to better put things into perspective. Yes I left American Airlines. Overall I really enjoyed the job, schedule, and the crews were great to fly with. The pay and overall quality of life worked well for my personal situation. I didn't leave because of the job, but Fedex is where I thought I wanted to be. Just wanted to hear from others with similar situations. And about that seniority number that I gave up, that's a very sensitive subject for me lol.