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After just shy of 20 years with first Continental then United, I have retired from the airline. I had been thinking of leaving last year but due to contract language changes when the two airlines merged I lost access to a benefit I had been looking forward too. As a result I decided to stay on. With the spread of the covid-19 virus, and my underlying health conditions that made me more susceptible to contracting it, I first took vacation then medical leave. After 3 months at home in another city, I've been a commuter for 8 years, I decided that it was time to close out my career as a Dispatcher with United Airlines.

I had the chance to visit some really unique places in my almost 20 years with the airline. China, Japan, India are but a few of the countries that I have passport stamps for that I would never have thought I would get to 21 years ago. I've had a chance to meet and interact with a number of really great crews over the years while jumpseating. I will always remember the jumpseat ride into Tegucigalpa's Toncontín International Airport (TGU). Even in solid VFR conditions that is a very challenging approach and it takes a real professional to get it done right. I will also remember my last jumpseat ride back to ORD landing in a CAT1 minimums approach. The break out, acquisition of the runway, and landing went by so fast that I could barely keep up and yet the pilots didn't even break a sweat. I had a chance to observe several CAT2 and CAT3 approaches in my career and those two are challenging events to the unfamiliar but every time the pilots made it look like it was all in a days work and nothing more. My hat is off to them.

I will truly miss a lot of the people I worked with. No one ever got left out in the cold. If there was a problem of any kind, everyone, even folks I was unfamiliar with, would ask if there was some way they could help. If there was a question I was having trouble answering someone would offer with the correct answer. A great bunch of folks that truly worked hard to get through a very difficult time. There were merging pains but by and large virtually all of those have been rectified and left behind. There were far more humorous times that I will remember with a huge smile on my ugly face. I wish my now former co-workers the all the best and hope for calmer air once the current difficult time has passed. Hopefully it will pass sooner rather than later and with minimal further disruption.

I've been tackling 7 years of backed up home maintenance and landscaping since I'm too cheap to pay for anything other than emergency repairs. I've gotten a lot done in the 3 months I've been home but still have a ways to go. But even now I'm looking forward to the next chapter. I may have retired from United but no way I'm ready to retire from life.

Congratulations

Now you can work remotely for Fly By Night Air... Congrats.

Congrats, James.

Hi Jim,
bold move, but one I fully can understand.

A job, as much as it may be loved, and as great as folks at work may be, is just a job.
I may be younger by some single-digit years than you, but incidentally had my 30th anniversary at my employer earlier this month (though there currently is the 4th company name at the gate), and this brings one into category "the older folks". And with no real perspective at work I currently am evaluating my options to change the current setup of "work-life-balance" in the foreseeable future.

Do make the best out of the upcoming time !
-Holger

Congrats Jim, and all the best for your new life

Thanks all.

Going to take the summer, catch my breath, and then see what the job market looks like. Still unsure of a move to Florida so maybe I'll occupy the man cave till spring.

HT-ETNW wrote:I may be younger by some single-digit years than you

That doesn't bother me so much as how much better looking you are!! Still have flying benefits, one of these days I have to get over there, I'll rent a fast car and you can show me how the autobahn works.

Happy retirement, Jim. Good times ahead, I'm sure. Enjoy!

Enjoy it, brutha!!

Happy retirement to you! I envy you, really. In my current job, I've got about 23 years to go.

Well that lasted all of 5 months!! One of the members had posted "Watch for DXing to get another job" and they turned out to be spot on, although for different reasons. My wife's store has filed for chapter 11 BK and liquidation. Since we had gone on to her healthcare plan, don't get me started on why , that is going away too. So as of tomorrow I will be starting a part time job at a big box store for probably next to no take home as anything I earn will go towards the medical plan they offer.

Not too terribly upset. It's part time so I will still have the majority of the week to do whatever I want to. Can't really travel anywhere just yet so not losing out there. The to-do list is down to a few items that are of a landscaping nature and really can't be done till the leaves drop and things go dormant. I also had thought I might join a part 91/135 operator near me at some time either in the late winter or early spring so this just gets me back into the workforce that much sooner. My wife will be getting unemployment plus the $400 extra so her weekly pay really won't change all that much. All in all not much of a financial change, and it will keep me away from this computer which should make at least a few of the members happy!