What

Yup for now, just like for now AMR has confirmed classes for April as well, for now there are 70 guys who turn 65 this year, for now AMR has a big training bubble as the new 777 and Airbuses arrive and for now a combined AA & US will retire around 4,000 pilots or 1/3 of the list by the end of the decade. Things have sucked for pilots for the last 12+ years but at some point the airlines will have to hire because the senior guys will have to retire one way or another and the airlines will not be able to shrink and merge anymore. We are approaching that point and if you are to blind to see it well to bad for you.

Moonwolf

What are you smoking?

1. 70 retire out of 8000+, big whoop. How many will fly past 65? Ex. Cap Bueno.

2.1/3 of the list by the end if the decade? That's 2020 in 7 years. A lot can happen in 7 years.

3. Things have sucked for pilots for a long time, they will continue to suck
because there is no shortage, there is always somebody cheaper.

PilotJ3

I guess you're right.

It's like l-eagle getting new planes. I won't believe it until I'm sitting in one of the planes. Anyway I'm out of here as soon as I can.

What

I bet if AA had 1 retirement this year and you took that spot you wouldn't be acting like this. Yes you would like to see thousands leave but when you add AA and US having 200 or so leaving, then United with 400 or so, then delta with a few 100 and everyone else now we are talking about over 1000 pilots retiring just this year. At no point I said there was a shortage, I said that at some point airlines will be done consolidating and guys will have to retire and it seems like we are approaching that time. You are correct that a lot can happen in 7 years and we shall see but we can only deal with what is happening right now and that is guys starting to retire again in 5 years and the airlines running well over 80% load factors and passing much of the cost to the pax, and United and Delta obtaining improvements in their contracts with AA and US not far behind. At the same times the regionals are getting the butts handed to them and taking concessions.

Fly782

Delta has 56 this year... And improved efficiencies with their last contract.

QuagmireGiggity

AA has stated they will hire 2500 in the next 5 years.
Come on people .. yes all kinds of things can happen but there will be a hiring wave at some point.

As for Eagle vs. Republic be careful what you choose. You might get stuck there longer than you think.
Generally good places to work have long upgrades. People are happy there and stay. That's good and bad. Long upgrades at Eagle. Eagle is most likely going to shrink but at the same time lose a lot of pilots to the flow through. No one knows how many AC we are going to order yet. Republic might grow a little but the upgrade time is not exactly 1 year. The gamble is do you go with what sounds to me like a crappy place to work and maybe get a faster upgrade or go to Eagle and have a longer upgrade and a better place to work if you get stuck? All this talk about Junior mans and ready reserve.. That's a joke really. In 14 years I've been junior manned maybe 3 times and all of them I wanted it for the extra pay. They have called my phone a few other times I just didn't answer. Ready reserve I've done my fair share. It's not a big deal don't disregard Eagle because of that.. that would be silly. I've always had a choice though. I could have stayed senior FO and not dealt with it at all. I was fortunate to be hired in a boom and did not have to be on reserve at all as a new hire. Some people get hired in a downtrend and get stuck on reserve for years. It's like that at any airline. Basically I'm saying someone is making these things out to be a bigger negative for Eagle than it really is. It's not a big deal at all. Many of the things I hear about from the Republic side are a big deal. Yes we had bases close. That happens at all airlines too. I heard at Republic they displace people out of bases with no opportunity to go where their seniority can hold.. the company just puts them in a base.??? What a crock of poop. I can tell by the general conversation around here and jumpseats that Republic is a completely different animal. Cancelation pay is a big deal and even our flight attendants are somewhat protected.
We are getting PBS at Eagle. That will probably be a big blow to our ability to makes a lot of extra cash. Our top payscale Captains make 110-140 K per year. I make 100K (14years) without doing any extra stuff. We have been able to get paid a lot of conflicts during the transition that amounts to a lot of pay for stuff you don't do. Probably not gonna be able to do that in the future. The more senior folks get awesome 18-19 day off schedules with their choice of trips.. 3 days trips.. day trips or whatever. When I had seniority I prefered day trips and went almost a year without staying in a hotel. Now I'm getting 3 and 4 day trips. Some 3 on 4 off weeks... and I'm in the bottom half of DFW Captains. So even without much seniority I get good schedules. Also a lot depends on the base. When I was LGA I got some crappy schedules. Bigger base usually better schedules.. I would imagine at all airlines. SJU and LAX had crap schedules too.
I can't remember flying with any Republic FOs but I have flown with Piedmont, ASA,Colgan, Mesa, Comair and others and they were all glad they came to Eagle.. (except the Comair peeps.. not really by choice) Comair was probably good in it's day.
If I was 23 and all my ducks are in order for a Major airline I would probably go somewhere with a sub one year upgrade.. get 1000 PIC and leave for a place I could stand to stay.

People are getting turned down a lot at Eagle I hear because their paperwork looked fishy, wrong incomplete.. stuff like that. One failed checkride is not a big deal just make sure you disclose all and be completely honest in interviews. Be positive and act like you really want to work here.. goes for any interview. Don't come with a "why should I choose Eagle?" attitude.
THey are having a hard time finding pilots so if you're normal everything should go well.

embraer

+1 to everything said above. Plus I'll add a little:

This past week in ORD numerous flights were cancelled due to weather. Our crew happened to be near a Republic Captain and FO when they found out their flight was cancelled...by checking the flight boards because that is the only way they have of checking. They proceeded to have a meltdown since they do not get paid for cancelled flights.

Meanwhile we checked our crew app on our smart phones, saw that our flight was also cancelled..shrugged our shoulders and went to grab some gyros. Full pay for our cancelled flight.

From what I have heard that is only the tip of the iceberg with Republic.

PilotJ3

I come to work every week and hope that something get cancelled, that way I work less and get more money.

Remember people, being a pilot means "stay on the ground as much as you can, while maximizing your pay".

That way I made 40k last year (yeah yeah, I included per diem).

snippercr

There are people who actually think that L-Eagle is getting new airplanes?

Senior Skipper

40k! I don't know whether to laugh or cry...