saab2000

Better to be on the inside on third year pay than outside looking in. Just sayin’….

ZapBrannigan

I don't know. I ran into a guy commuting from a city in eastern North Carolina to Oakland the other day. He's been doing it for a couple of years and he is rightfully miserable.

Wishes he was still at his previous company. Applying to American because even JFK/LGA/PHL (and certainly CLT) is an easier commute than Oakland for him.

While we all understand that anything can happen when we take a job like this, I think we can agree that "just happy to be here" only goes so far.

I left my last company (another major) after 6 months of an untenable commute, only to get here and get OAK right out of the box. Just as bad if not worse. I would have had to apply elsewhere again had I not been fortunate enough to have been hired during a time when a stay in OAK was only a couple of months long.

I definitely get what you're saying, but I also feel a lot of sympathy for the folks who have been stuck with a transcontinental commute to reserve for 2+ years.

flyguy81

On the other foot there’s guys who were hired here in the mid-2000’s who commuted to OAK rsv for years because the recession and age-65 killed all movement.

This job is 100% timing. That NC guy will prob be able to get BWI by late Spring if he’s still here. Doesn’t matter where you are…being at the bottom when the music stops sucks.

ZapBrannigan

Yeah. You're not wrong. I was in the group that had been furloughed from my first major for 5 years when they suddenly raised the retirement age to 65, adding years to our furlough. Turned out that going back still would've been a smart move - but when you've been out that long eventually you just move on.

Timing seemed great when we were hired in 1999. Who knew?

I would have given my left arm to be commuting to Oakland if it meant I could still be flying a Boeing instead of languishing on furlough, hopping from job to job every few years. Crazy business. They weren't kidding when they called it the Lost Decade. That's time pilots in our generation will never get back.

flyguy81

For sure! No furloughs here but spent over 10 yrs being displaced all over the east coast for a Regional when bases kept closing. Never applied at CAL, NWA or the Tranny due to low pay and bases…had I done so I’d prob be in the left seat for years already (except for the Tranny…I’d just be a little more Sr…lol).

usernamehere

Sorry man. Sucks! What I meant was it’s not like some places you hear about being super senior. Assuming we’re hiring like they’re saying I think everyone getting on and you will be where you want to be in under a year. But it’ll take a few months to get the wheels turning again.

Crockrocket95

I agree, once the new hires start showing up people should be able to get where they want within a few months. My guess is by April everyone is back to their bases they want and new hires should be able to see most bases within 2-4 months.

Spark

Is 1,000 new hires the target for 2022?

Beech Dude

1,500 was discussed by WN leadership. Of course, shoot for 1,500 and if you get 1,000, that's still a solid year for hiring.

Spark

Agreed that would be solid. I thought the latest from planning said TBD, I didn’t know if the there were new numbers.
Hope they do 1,000+!