ATA/??

[Maryann16]

Got here from a link on skychick.com - great site
I'm just getting serious about a F/A career - I'm currently a RN in critical care; I need to be based out of Chicago--does anyone have any insite? I'm thinking ATA (they fly out of South Bend, IN where I reside) and reserve should be short from what I've heard; What do you think the future holds for them? I never see their name listed when there is merger talk; is it a good company to work for? I know the $$ aren't great but that's ok, I just want to have fun (for a change!) I was accepted by UAL in the 70's!! but got pregnant before I could start training - so this is a lifelong dream--any help greatly appreciated, thanx a bunch
good luck to all I'm open to any suggestions at this point

[skyhi]

Let's see....ummm....

NWA has a base in Chicago. Don't know what the future holds for that base.

United - big, big base in Chicago. Corporate headquarters located in either Rosemont, Des Plaines or Mt. Prospect (get all those suburbs mixed up)

American has a base in Chicago

Hope it helps!

[Future_Flight_Attendant]

United has a hudge base in ORD and they are putting their new-hires there. If you go to work for United you will get un-limited pass travel and you family gets these benifets after 6 months of your career.

You will attend a six week traning course...all expences paid.

You will fly some training flights, one will be an international trip. A friend of mine did ORD-BRU while in training in July.

At United starting pay is $19.50 per hour for a guarenteed 75 hours of flying. If you speak a foreign language, you can make more per flight.

After training, you will be assigned to reserve. It will last about five years depending on your seniority. Its not that bad. You get experence for everything.

After one year you can become a qualified wide body purser and run the show! You chances of getting off of the reserve tripple.

If fun is what your after go to work for Great Lakes Avaition/United Express. They have a crew base in ORD. Regionals are great. A lot of short hops, but you get to sleep at home most of the time. The attitude seems to be a lot better at Regionals than at mainline.

[Mangos]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Arial, Verdana ">quote:<HR>Originally posted by Maryann16:
Got here from a link on skychick.com - great site
I'm just getting serious about a F/A career - I'm currently a RN in critical care; I need to be based out of Chicago--does anyone have any insite? I'm thinking ATA (they fly out of South Bend, IN where I reside) and reserve should be short from what I've heard; What do you think the future holds for them? I never see their name listed when there is merger talk; is it a good company to work for? I know the $$ aren't great but that's ok, I just want to have fun (for a change!) I was accepted by UAL in the 70's!! but got pregnant before I could start training - so this is a lifelong dream--any help greatly appreciated, thanx a bunch
good luck to all I'm open to any suggestions at this point <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

MaryAnn ... you want a longer and lasting career? Go with UAL! What are your chances of getting ORD as your base out of training? Big, because ORD will always accept new people and transferees. Should you not be lucky enough to get ORD, then within 6 months you can come back. As for being on Reserve, it may take awhile and especially with this proposed Merger with US SCAREWAYS, a lot of us would not see the daylight out of Reserve! ATA is a fine company and especially if you are not counting on that as your primary income. Like you, I am an RN on call for 2 hospitals and currently specializing in ER. With lets say AA and NW ... I know that AA has ORD based FAs but does NW too? It'd be great to work for them too. Hope I kinda helped you with my input ... Good Luck and anything I can do for you ... email me.

Regards and Safe Flying - MANGOS!!

[GalleyHag]

I work for NWA, based in Detroit - but I live in Chicago. Here are your choices:

United. Huge airline with homebase at ORD. There are 20,000 FAs, so if you want to get lost in the system, go ahead. Commuting to South Bend might be troublesome, though. I think it's United Express from O'Hare. A friend that just graduated from their Training facilities in unincorporated Elk Grove Township (I know I'm being technical, but I grew up in incorporated Elk Grove). Out of training, she had a choice of San Francisco or Newark! (She chose Newark - easier commute.) She has to be based there for 6 months before she can get back to Chicago. FAs will write each other up. I had been working with NWA for three months when I applied at UA. The interviewer was an FA who had been flying for 3 years. I had already done more international flying then she'll see for 7 years! Besides, she was wearing a chartreuse skirt-suit and pumps in September!!!

American. Also huge. Sky Nazis! Corporate is in Dallas, but ORD is their second base. I don't know about their flights to South Bend. It might be American Eagle. There are narcs and plants in the training classes and on flights. I know! I hired one at Kenneth Cole in Chicago for his part-time job.

American Trans Air. A decent smallish airline. I have heard from ATA FAs that it's fun to work for them, but the pay sucks. They have a Chicago base, with flying from both Midway and O'Hare. In the paper the other day, It was announced that they are going to build a huge training center by Midway. It will give Chicago many jobs. They also have a small base in Detroit.

Southwest. Eeeeew! Midway is the base, and all flying would be from there. You would wear an outfit that makes you look like a volleyball coach and serve the scum of the Earth.

Northwest. The fourth largest airline. Pretty decent, and a whole lot of fun. Training is 5 weeks in Minneapolis, where they put you up in nice, completely furnished apartments. Much better than the ratty old "dormitories" that United has. They give you $15 a day for food.
We have a base in Chicago, but it is very small - 130 FAs! The base will not close! We fly into both Midway and O'Hare from DTW, MEM and MSP. 99% of Chicago-based FA trips originate from O'Hare. If it is Midway, they give you a limo to use from O'Hare.
I think Detroit would be the better base for you though, with all of the flights we have to South Bend from there. Plus, on reserve in Detroit (which you would be for about 1 1/2 to 2 years), you can be called for ANY trip. So you could have a Bismark layover in one trip, and a Beijing layover in the next trip. No language qualifications are necessary (we have interpreters!). You will only need a new passport upon hiring so NWA can put Chinese and French working visas in them.
Internationally, we fly to Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Seoul, Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei, Kaohsiung, Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok, Manila, Kuala Lumpur, Mexico City, Cancun, Ixtapa, Coasta Rica, San Juan, Dominican Republic, Montego Bay, Cayman Is., Sint Maarten, Amsterdam, London, Frankfurt, Rome, Paris, Gaum (boozefest!), Saipan and what else?
We are the largest US carrier in Asia and the largest US carrier in Canada (ever been to Saskatoon? I have, it's fab!)
The DTW base has around 4,500 FAs. It is the largest base, and has the most flights. Next december, we will start DTW-Shanghai, DTW-Seoul (again!), and DTW-Hong Kong. DTW-Beijing is long enough!
Our flights to South Bend (from Detroit) are half Northwest Airlines and half Northwest Airlink (Mesaba Airlines). So your commute home would be very easy! Jumpseats can be reserved 10 days in advance, and a more senior FA can't take it away from you! It's yours!
As for pay, after our latest contract, I now get paid more than my United friends who have been flying for three years - and I have been with NWA for a year and a half.

NWA is the shit!