Somehow, this summer is almost at its end. Once again, I am shocked at how quickly it went by, but am always excited for the Fall to show up. This summer was different for me as I was at home in California for most of it instead of traveling around the country spending my summer in different cities four or five days a week. In summers past, I would fly all over the place and when I finally made it home, I was too jet-lagged to truly enjoy where I live. Although unemployment is not the most enjoyable thing, I do appreciate the strange gifts it has given me.
I am now well into my third month of unemployment and am proud to say that I have no idea if there’s anything good on on daytime television. Aside from a minor identity crisis and the aggravating toll that job hunting takes, this time off has been very rewarding and completely needed. The most surprising part of this experience for me has been how crazy busy I have been. I haven’t even begun my preconceived list of things to do once unemployed…you know, file those piles of papers, clean out the closets, finish the wedding photo album that was started a year and a half ago, etc. Instead, I am pleased to report that I am outside and exercising on a much regular basis now as well as spending time with loved ones and friends that I never had the time to spend before.
Life could definitely be worse!
With only two days left in this journey, I am facing a bit of an identity crisis. This blog, I’m afraid, has been a bit neglected simply because what do I do with a blog from an airline pilot’s perspective once you strip away the airline pilot? Officially, my new title becomes “Furloughed Airline Pilot”….does that leave me with a nugget of my former identity?
The big question is now “In what direction do I take this blog?”. Is a travel-less travel blog appropriate?
Ideas? Anyone?
Today, 57 of my fellow pilots were let go. Let go in a crazy world of corporate greed and bailouts. A world where there are no jobs unless you want to outsource yourself overseas. I feel for them and their families, and yet I sit here crossing my fingers and praying it won’t be me next.
I have spent the whole of my adult life chasing airplanes all over this great country, so now the question has to be asked….How far am I willing to go to chase airplanes? What other skills do I possess? Should I go back to school? If so, what for? I ask myself these questions, and inevitably end up crossing my fingers and praying that at the end of the day, I will keep my job.
Today is the first day of yet another new life. With the airlines cutting flights across the board, this means that the passengers’ options become very limited, and the airfare for the flights that are left will skyrocket. To the employees, this means less commuting options, a much worse quality of life, and yes, several thousand of us will be furloughed (a nice way of saying “laid off” because a furlough implies that you will actually return one day).
So my new life for the immediate future means that my schedule gets reduced to what is called “Short Call Reserve”. Now I have to go to my base and sit there for five days waiting to see if I get called out to go fly anywhere. I must be able to get to the airport within a two hour call-out. Seeing as I live in California and my base is in Phoenix, this is quite a considerable pain in the butt! (Could be worse, could be commuting to the East Coast!)
I am very fortunate, and have wonderful friends here in Phoenix who have set me up with a room and an old beater airport car I have named “La Bamba” (so much fun to drive it around and get funny looks!) . All this for a fraction of what any other crash pad situation would cost me.
So here I sit in Phoenix, reading and writing just waiting for the call. My new life until the next new life!
They say that every airline pilot lives through at least one strike and one furlough. I came within minutes of going on strike about five years ago, and yesterday the mailman was kind enough to deliver THE certified letter from the company stating that “due to economic times, high fuel costs, blah, blah, blah” that I will be furloughed sometime in the next eight months. EIGHT MONTHS????? They’re kidding, right? I realize that corporate America somewhere along the way has lost any heart (ethics) or loyalty (integrity) towards the “cost units” down on the bottom rung of the corporate ladder, but “sometime in the next eight months?”. I’m having trouble wrapping my head around that. “We don’t think we want you, but we don’t want you out there finding another job either.” Wow, it feels like a few relationships I’ve had in my time!
My next task is to frame the furlough letter and hang it proudly on my “ME” wall because now, I am a REAL airline pilot.
How often in our lives does it feel like everyone in the world wants money from us? This would be in addition to the daily struggle we face to not be completely torn apart in every direction. Perhaps my awareness of everyone wanting and expecting money from me is heightened solely because of the non-recession recession that we are in at the moment.
On top of all the usual suspects, I have noticed in the last week alone three requests for donations to various causes (very noble causes, I might add!), the hotel van drivers being more expectant than usual for their dollar tip (one actually started following me to make sure I gave it to him), as well as various other union and legal causes all wanting donations too. There are more, but thinking about them is too daunting!
What do we do- what do you do when you feel like the world is grabbing at your pocketbook?