Originally Posted by mathteacher

Couldn't express it better! I actually loved UAL when I came back in 2014. I was certain I'd get furloughed again because of the same incompetence at the management level but the last 5-years have been great. Flying to the Islands on the 75s has been a vacation every weekend. Coming in over Malibu as the sun is coming up into LAX is about as pretty a view as one would want. UAL is a lot more fun to come back to than to be at.

I just ran the numbers for myself yesterday and I'll be better off leaving UAL than staying, though I'm 5000 from the bottom...so like you said, life won't be fun if I'm not furloughed anyway. I can make more on the outside that I think I'll be paid to sit reserve on the Bus and then do the 4-legs to the Omaha layover. Yesterday I called the CPO and said bye and mailed in my iPad and vest. The CPO was sort of amazed a guy would check out early and gave me the "hang in there together" speech. But in good conscience I can't sit knowing I'm taking a job from someone that needs it. I wish all you guys luck. I do have a couple First Officer hats still in the bag if anyone wants one!

Originally Posted by blizzue

Amateurs.

The secret is I’m always drinking.

Originally Posted by MagooFlew

They say when the time comes to hang it up, you’ll know it. Best of luck to you.

Originally Posted by APC225

Where were you in 2002 when I needed to hear this.

Also, since furloughs cost money, they may incentive COLAs in some way as a way to save money. I think LCAL used pass privileges or something like that to make COLA more attractive.

Originally Posted by nopac6

Nobody should be on here gloating about being right but you guys have brought it on yourselves to a large extent. A number of you have been in total denial for weeks now and whenever more senior people, who've actually lived through this before, tried to open your eyes to what you were obviously shutting out, you didn't just disagree, you were downright nasty about it. There's nothing more appealing than a junior guy who already knows everything and can't be told anything. You reap what you sow.

Originally Posted by CousinEddie

And then the whipsawing begins. Some win.

Originally Posted by captsurf

Word of mouth, but this info apparently originates from inside flight ops leadership (Q&A with LCAs). To summarize:

-The company currently does NOT plan on actually displacing (read training) 4500 pilots. It is merely just the first phase of a worst case scenario battle plan to have in their back pocket
-Displacement training cycles will start June 01 from the button up. As/if the recovery improves they will cancel displacements from the top down (or on the contrary, create additional displacements)
-There are four furlough plans: 0, 1000, 4000, 8000. Still way too early to determine which is most realistic
-4500 displacements absolutely does not mean 4500 furloughs
-Anyone who’s junior and has had training cancelled does not mean they will be furloughed. The company is just trying to maximize displacement training throughput and doesn’t care if there will be “not qualled” pilots on junior fleets, since there will be such a surplus. If they have to go to the sim anyway (QMV/QLOE/landings), they’d rather kick that can down the road and re-qual them when they become needed and use the current sim slots in the near-term for Qualification courses as a result of displacements. A requal would just be a warmup, maneuvers validation, then line check.
-The current furlough breakeven estimate is 6 months based on the structure of the displacement (not 18 months as previously believed). While this may make it easier to justify furloughing X number of pilots, it is also that much earlier a pilot can expect to returning to the line should things really improve, IF a furlough even happens

Originally Posted by mathteacher

Very nice of you. Even with the 2 furloughs its been a super nice job with great folks. What other job pays you to spend 25 hours in Hawaii and work another job, or two on the side? To all, never believe you can't do far better financially outside UAL than inside. As pilots we tend to have a really good work ethic and pick up things like programming (and NURSING!) really quickly. For the guy thinking about nursing,,,absolutely...there are two Nurse Practitioners in the distinguished class of 2172 that I know of. Both are loving their lives...they do UAL T-Th then work hospital gigs over the weekend. Before you know it you'll have your own start up going, or working as a Charge Nurse, whatever. Plus no one gives you a dirty look when you don't wear a hat! Be well...

Originally Posted by Papa Bear

true that...but hey what do us old guys know...

funny story quick...

brand new FO <25 age(flt inst, cessna 402, airbus) telling me in the crashpad two months ago how he was going to be number two at B6 when he retires...I looked right at him and laughed...I said hey man are you serious...Ive been doing this for 17 years and have 5 hats in my closet( corp, RJs, 74, 73, 320) You are thinking of retiring at jetblue... i dont even know if jetblue will be around ten years from now.
i was way off ...maybe next year i should have said;(

Part of the airline wave