APCbot

Because i dont want my friends/former coworkers to work harder for less money?

I haven't even said anything mean, like some people. I just want to grab you guys and shake some reality into you... leave for the love of God!

Whatever man, I'll shut up.

And for the record, part of the reason I feel so strongly about it is... I used to be you. I was going to stay at Kalitta. "It's not that much better at brand X." I told myself....

God I was wrong... so horribly wrong.

But you do you man, enjoy your career.

Cleared4appch

The question for you is, why does it bother YOU so much? He’s not you. You’re not him. Why do other people’s career decisions affect YOU? Really strange if you ask me. Why can’t you just do you, and let him do him? lol

SinkRatePullUp

Everyone's situation is different but I currently really enjoy working here. We have some really long days no doubt but overall our job is pretty enjoyable. With the pay gap that we are currently seeing I also would recommend people go elsewhere if they don't mind commuting. We are in contract negotiations and it sounds as if they are going well but that remains to be seen. There are a lot of naysayers who think our mec will under deliver but I'm hopeful and willing to give them a fair shake.

I personally think living in base at a major is really the only better job than what I'm doing. Then again there's not many places that have you fly from new York, to Germany, to poland, to the middle east, Hong Kong, Anchorage, and then New York all in a couple of weeks. The international flying at majors will always be from the US to (insert major foreign city) back to the US. Personally not commuting, not seeing the inside of a terminal except when I go to work or go home, flying double crew long haul with the ability to stand up and use the bathroom without asking permission, being catered for what could feed a small village, operating a heavy in pajamas, and getting to fly to places on the planet that I would have never dreamed of going has been an incredible experience that I will always look back fondly on if something were to happen to this place. If we can get better retirement, better pay, and better work rules I think we would have a job that's very hard to beat anywhere.

My point isn't really that this place doesn't need improvements or that it's perfect but that even at my crappiest aviation jobs I always found myself (for the most part) enjoying coming to work doing something other people would only get to dream of. There are people that spend tens of thousands of dollars turning their living room into what I get paid to do. Whereas every job I've had in this industry there is always a percentage of the pilot group who are impossible to please. I've had many people sit and complain about how bad it is we are taking a delay and how long our day is while we sit in an air conditioned cabin while mechanics and ground crew work for hours outside in crappy weather making a lot less than we do for work that is inarguably much more miserable. Meanwhile there are people in parts of the world that would kill to have their job and be able to feed their family.

I rarely post on here but when I see the forums turn into a diatribe about how awful this place is I find myself needing to speak up. I really don't mean to call you out as I'm happy you're happy after moving on. This job definitely isn't for everyone as it is a long time away from family and friends, but I also just want people to know that it isn't as bad as many people make it out to be.

jhugz

I can only hope that the CBA is so bad that the pilot group finally wakes up, recalls JK & posse, and gets someone in there that knows what the hell they're doing. The worst thing that can happen (and probably will) is another 51% yes CBA, and then pilots are waiting for the next cycle to see if K4 improves.

Boeingthere

Do you guys not also recieve, override pay, profit sharing, loss of medical insurance and several other soft pay items that Kalitta Krew do not? Do you even do min. rest back to back to back? There is zero soft pay here at Kalitta. There are, penalties for calling out sick, penalties for vacation bidding, not getting us home on our last day and bringing us into work on our day off.

dera

Pretty sure every Atlas guy wishes you guys will knock it out of the park this time round, as we will be pattern bargaining off your contract in a couple of years.

Clue32

Short answer is yes. And as Dera wrote, we all hope that you make tremendous gains in negotiations. Long answer follows.
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Only penalty for a sick call is that days pay rate becomes 3.76 Hours, not our CRT 4.85 Hours (1 Hour Pay Credit per 4.95 hours on duty). Same 3.76 Hour pay rate for vacation and training. Unless one is habitually sick, the chief pilot likely won't call asking for a doctors note.

We are actually encouraged to call in fatigued. We have staff at the GCC that monitors and manages schedules with sophisticated fatige risk management software; we may call them any time to help manage our rest or identify higher risk periods upcoming on our schedule.

Minimum rest. It happens. With 3000 pilots I am sure some often see it and some rarely see it. Day after Day after Day after.... Nope.

32 Hours off every 7 Days: Not 24...32. And this is often scheduled every 4 to 6 days just to ensure it is captured.

Profit sharing: If there are profits, then yes. We are eligible beginning in Year 2, prorated for whatever time is left that calendar year.

Loss if Medical along with Short and Long Term Disability. Paid out until Retirement, 60% of MMG I think.

Pay: We earn the greater of Block or CRT Total for the month or MMG. I wish it were a daily calculation, but alas, it is not.

We have Bid Line Guarantee and pay protetion if displaced, this is huge: Take 8 Operating Legs and 1 Deadhead off my schedule, send me home a week early so I have 3 consecutive weeks off in the middle of June? OK. I still earn 72 hours for two legs, about 8 operating block hours, and 3 Alt Travel / Deadheads while commuting from home.

CRT: Our Rig clock runs continuously from Report on day 1 to release on day last. This is how many earn their monthly pay. 95 Hour layover in base earns Rig the entire time. Gotta have 96 hours off in base to be placed on Days Off. Some primary lines are built this way, especially domestic schedules.

Reserves earn CRT from start of period on Day 1 to release on day last, but no BLG. Hotel, Per Diem, and transportation are provided. We an get sent home early, cutting into what we assumed we would credit.

Deadhead pay is 1/2 Credit per Block.

We don't owe the company 17 days of work. We are owed a minimum of 13/14 days off per month. Many schedules have 15-17 days OFF, some 18 or 20.

Soft Pay, some examples are as follows.
Extended into days OFF Involuntarily earns Block /CRT Plus
Day 1=2 Hours, Day 2 = 4 Hours, Day 3 = 6 Hours, Day 4 and beyond = 12 Hours each.
This is not Day 18, 19, 20... This is days off.

Guaranteed Day Off. 4 Days to use annually, but not durring Peak. 12 Hour Credit Plus Block or Rig, Involuntary Extension pay etc. Even if Returned to base 1 Minute into the GDO... 12 Hours +

Ultra Long Range: +16 Hours Block = 125% Pay for the entire leg.

Maximum scheduled 4 Person crew Dutly limit is 18 Scheduled, 20 Max Operational. Article 33 and ULR is 20 Scheduled 22 Max Operational.
For 3 crew, even better, 14 Scheduled, 17 Operational, 18 if operating followed by a Deadhead.

dera

60% of higher of MMG or last years eligible earnings, capped at $10k max. Benefit is imputed so it is paid tax free.
Make 200k and you'll get $10k/month tax free until FAA retirement age.

Pumperpilot

Kind of an unfair comparison due Atlas' fleet size being double that of K4, It almost harkens the question why compare Atlas to Kalitta other than they both are ACMI cargo carriers. With that volume of cargo moved 5 times K4 and the revenue generated from it, the two shouldnt even be in the same ballpark financially when it comes to the company's ability to cough up more money to the crews. Atlas should be miles ahead when it comes to what the company can afford to pay its pilots but I think currently they are relatively close. Just something to think about.

Birdsmash

I’m quite sure Kalitta runs much leaner than Atlas. We have a huge, non-pilot infrastructure of VPs, Sr VPs, Directors, Sr Directors, etc to support. K4 may be more profitable on an apples to apples comparison. 🤷🏻‍♂️