Bdcarlson1992

So I am in college paying my way through my final two years right now. I was offered this job at about $11/hr for Delta. Does anyone know how much Delta employees use their benefits?

I am curious how easy it is to use my benefits to travel as much as I can when I have a couple days off in between work and school.

Also, I would like to sign up my girlfriend as my travel buddy since she is technically my domestic partner, does Delta allow that?

I was offered another job at Outback as a waiter making about $19/hr after tips, so that job would be my tradeoff instead of enjoying free flights

darthbimmer

Welcome to FT, Bdcarlson. Two issues I suggest you consider:

1) Access to the employee travel benefit is based on seniority. You'll start out at the bottom of the ladder. With a flexible schedule you may be able to find some opportunities, but it's certainly not going to be like some kind of glamorous dream job.

2) As a ready reserve employee how many hours are you really going to get? That job waiting tables starts looking even better if it promises 25+ hours/week and predictable shifts....

B747-437B

On Ready Reserve, you won't usually get the couple days off between work and school and when you do, the last thing you'll want to do is travel. Go work at Outback and earn more cash to pay for confirmed tickets when you really want to go somewhere.

MSPeconomist

Do you have enough time to handle school (and completing your degree on time), a part time job, a girlfriend, and travel? Don't forget too that while you might be able to get flights for almost free, you still have expenses at your destination: airport transportation, lodging, food, entertainment and activities, etc. Exotic destinations can work as NRSA only if you already have the required visas or other travel documents, which can be expensive (and time consuming) to obtain.

FirstInFlight

Is either job relevant to what you would like to do after you graduate? If neither job is in your field does one offer relevant experiences (such as waiting tables demonstrates the ability to work with the public etc). If there is truly no benefit to either job other than the wages and your decision is simply whether to value the potential for free travel against nearly twice as much in wage then, unless there is a disparity in the number of hours offered, the higher paying job seems the better option.

fassy

Also count in the time and costs to get to work. Not sure which airport we are talking about but just getting to your job might take a lot of time (from home to the airport employee parking - check if that is free or costs money, through security, to the loading bays and all the way back). I guess this will be much easier for the Outback.

I would value shorter commute, higher wage and predictable schedules way higher than promises of non-revenue stand-by flights (which might never materialize...).

Earn more money and buy the tickets to places where you want to go.

Annalisa12

US wages are a scandal. I have 14 year olds on the same wage and more on weekends.

fassy

I worked for €7 as academic research assistant in university in Germany during my studies. Actually for less at a gas station.

Now the minimum wage is set to €8,50 (before taxes) by law and I know a lot of people which have to work for that wage.

Not sure if I make friends here but 19$/hr for a job which doesn't require much of an qualification is actually not that bad? That's for a full time employment about $3000 a month.

hscottm

One other small note is that aside from seniority, planes are far more full today than before. 30 years ago my family of 4 would fly under my fathers USAir NRSA benefit without significant worry of getting on. There was usually 1-2 flights each way we knew we would be good on. My mother still has this benefit and just buys tickets instead because the availability is so fleeting and uncertain.

B747-437B

I hire people in Somalia on 1/10th that hourly wage and they literally fight each other for such a highly paid job. It's all relative.

Efrem

If you work 20 hours/week, the income difference is $160 per week before taxes, say $120 per week after. Might be more because you'll probably be in a low tax bracket.

Take the money and buy tickets when you want to travel. When you're on a paid ticket, you won't hear* "sorry, the plane is full, you'll miss your Tuesday morning class." Happens to airline employees all the time. They spend a lot of time figuring out which flights are lightly loaded, so this won't happen, and planning their schedules around those flights. Those flights tend to be the 5:30 am departures, or the ones that route you from Miami to Boston by way of Cincinnati and Minneapolis in a January blizzard.

______________________
*You might hear "the plane is full, anyone want to take the next flight for $300?" In an extreme situation, if they don't get enough volunteers, a few paid passengers might not get on the flight. You can generally avoid that by not being among the last to check in.

Often1

Different markets = different wages. There are places with a minimum wage of $15. Thus, this job likely pays $17-18 at those locations.

But, it's unskilled labor. So, if OP doesn't take the job and someone else will, no reason to pay more.

pinniped

Does this position typically lead into a real full-time, college-degree-required position at Delta? Is this a common path...hire students into these Ready Reserve roles and then move them into higher-paying corporate positions when they finish their undergrad?

That would be the main advantage for this job over Outback. But if that doesn't happen...if there isn't really a professional career track there...I'd probably wait tables.

Like others have said, I would *not* put much (if any) value in the travel benefits right now. Planes are too full for the low man on the totem pole to bank on getting seats.

obscure2k

Welcome to Flyertalk Bdcarlson1992
Please continue to follow this thread in the Delta Forum.
Thanks..
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

Felixishim

Not sure where OP is located but in SEA they are gonna get paid $15 as court ruling makes port of Seattle follow sea-tac minimum wage law.