The plan going forward
07-05-2024, 01:44 PM
#211
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jan 2018
Posts: 2,336
Yes, highly qualified applicants do go to AA.
Still doesn't change the fact that their pilot group is severely disfunctional.
As far as AA pilots coming to Spirit? Of course not, but that doesn't mean AA is head and shoulders above everyone else.
Not trying to start a fight, but I know quite a few south florida based pilots who during this last hiring boom chose to commute to DL/UA over driving to AA in Miami.
Still doesn't change the fact that their pilot group is severely disfunctional.
As far as AA pilots coming to Spirit? Of course not, but that doesn't mean AA is head and shoulders above everyone else.
Not trying to start a fight, but I know quite a few south florida based pilots who during this last hiring boom chose to commute to DL/UA over driving to AA in Miami.
The disfunction is mainly from multiple bankruptcy mergers and everyone getting screwed at some point. Most of them will be retired within the next 5-10 years and it will all be American hired pilots. On a day to day basis, you don’t notice any difference. The average captain age is probably 10-20 years older than at Spirit, but mostly everyone I’ve flown with is cool.
AA has its warts, but it’s a lot better than Spirit in nearly every way, outside of schedule flexibility.
07-05-2024, 02:13 PM
#212
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jul 2023
Posts: 343
Lol I don't know if you're trolling or serious. This airline is in a metric f*ckton of trouble. Yes, we haven't filed bankruptcy yet, but that's because they're still trying to refinance the $2 billion in debt due next year. Hate to break it to you, but the odds of that happening are slim to none at this point. They still aren't cash flow positive, and I doubt the new 'plan' is going to sway the banks. Scott Haralson leaving for Hertz was not a good look. If they fail at renegotiating this debt, bankruptcy WILL happen....not maybe, not possibly...but certainly. We are the most leveraged airline in the country by a WIDE margin.
You trashing somebody for leaving here to go to AA or any other airline just makes you look like you have your head deeply buried in the sand.
You trashing somebody for leaving here to go to AA or any other airline just makes you look like you have your head deeply buried in the sand.
It blows my mind you’re giving out this information for free, this right here needs to be behind a paywall.
07-05-2024, 03:00 PM
#213
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2013
Position: A320
Posts: 726
Yes, highly qualified applicants do go to AA, but that still doesn't change the fact that the barrier to entry at AA has in recent years been lower than the other legacies. I mean come on man, Mesa had a junior captain taxi into a 757 and cause seven figures worth of damage. During the FAA audit it was found that he wasn't even qualified to be a captain to begin with, and even with all of that the guy quit and still managed to get hired at PSA with the flow thru.
Also, their pilot group is severely disfunctional.
As far as AA pilots coming to Spirit? Of course not, but that doesn't mean AA is head and shoulders above everyone else.
Not trying to start a fight, but I know quite a few south florida based pilots who during this last hiring boom chose to commute to DL/UA over driving to AA in Miami.
Also, their pilot group is severely disfunctional.
As far as AA pilots coming to Spirit? Of course not, but that doesn't mean AA is head and shoulders above everyone else.
Not trying to start a fight, but I know quite a few south florida based pilots who during this last hiring boom chose to commute to DL/UA over driving to AA in Miami.
...and if somebody that lives in MIA wants to commute for the rest of their careers, that's their choice. I personally think its idiotic. You can't put a price on the ability to drive to work. The difference between the legacy carriers isn't that drastic when calculating commute vs. drive.
Last edited by Judge Smails; 07-05-2024 at 03:12 PM.
07-05-2024, 03:45 PM
#215
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Sep 2014
Posts: 503
07-05-2024, 06:13 PM
#216
Bent over by buybacks
Joined APC: Feb 2017
Posts: 782
07-05-2024, 08:32 PM
#217
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2007
Position: Airplanes
Posts: 1,395
IMO anyone in the top half of NK's seniority list would be kind of crazy to start over at AA. UA or DL would be much more solid options, but AA? My bet is that they end up falling behind the other legacies quite significantly over the next 10-20 years.
Their pilot group is way too divided, APA sucks, and much like Spirit they have become the "second chance" airline of the legacies by hiring/flowing pilots who traditionally never would have made it to a legacy. Nothing against those pilots, but there will definitely be side effects felt from that later on down the road.
Lots of "well it's better than Envoy/PSA/GoJet" types over there.
In fact AA and NK merging would be kind of fitting...we could be a large b-scale legacy combining our bites of the apple mentality with their 16 different bitter and PO'd pilot groups.
Their pilot group is way too divided, APA sucks, and much like Spirit they have become the "second chance" airline of the legacies by hiring/flowing pilots who traditionally never would have made it to a legacy. Nothing against those pilots, but there will definitely be side effects felt from that later on down the road.
Lots of "well it's better than Envoy/PSA/GoJet" types over there.
In fact AA and NK merging would be kind of fitting...we could be a large b-scale legacy combining our bites of the apple mentality with their 16 different bitter and PO'd pilot groups.
07-06-2024, 07:48 AM
#218
It's 5 o'clock somewhere
Joined APC: Oct 2020
Posts: 2,156
I'll second what Macjet said in a previous post...how many pilots have left AA to come to Spirit? ...and the "much like Spirit they have become the "second chance" airline of the legacies by hiring/flowing pilots who traditionally never would have made it to a legacy" quote is absurd. Tell that to the retired Air Force, Navy and Marine pilots that go there in droves, and go check out Instagram and Tik Tok to see some of the quality DAL and UA hires.
07-07-2024, 07:21 AM
#219
It's 5 o'clock somewhere
Joined APC: Oct 2020
Posts: 2,156
07-07-2024, 07:50 PM
#220
Gets Weekends Off
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Joined APC: Oct 2017
Posts: 3,232
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