United, Delta or American?

[schnitzel2k3]

If ou live in Canada and work in the states, you will have to file taxes in both countries. Hiring a cross border accountant is very expensive. US/Canada cross border taxes are very complicated. If you're a green card holder living in Canada, US immigration will take it away if they find out you are not present in the US ( someone mentioned a commuter status for green card holders. I could be wrong). Also, the IRS will come after any TFSAs and mutual funds you have in Canada since they are tax free account. Both countries will tax you on dividends earn in your stock portfolio.

Lastly commuting isn't fun. You're QOL will diminish rapidly. You're wife if married will start to hate that you're gone. You'll be junior will a shit schedule at a regional or mainline carrier stuck doing pairings with two to three days of in between. That's enough time to fly home wash your clothes and go back to sit standby all day to commute back to base somewhere in the US.

If you have good seniority at AC, think hard before you exhaust yourself commuting. You will rarely see your kids. Pilot have some of the biggest divorce rates. This will not help.

Respectfully

With all due respect m8, I believe you are incorrect on everything. 3 to 4 years in a U.S major, with an early bid to the first available Captain spot (at YR 2) you will have exceeded your max pay at AC with another 25 years to go, not factoring for differences in taxes or COL. Sad but true.Tax treaty only makes you pay 1 of the higher taxes, i.e Trudeau's Vacation Fund. It's worth the commitment to go full American.

You'll be busy, but is it any different commuting with AC without a commuting policy. Pretty sure EVERY U.S carrier has one as standard...

AC is so far behind the progressive employment curve it's hard to defend. AC barely exceeds regional levels in the U.S for new employees. They are so big, so protected and so arrogant (the management at AC) that normal rules for business don't apply to them.

Sad.

[WellThatAgedWell]

Funny how all the rhetoric is anti-American in this country. We hate American healthcare, we hate American freedoms. We love socialist Canada and our shit care and shit pay! NOT!

Nurses, pilots, dental hygienist, etc, etc. everyone wants the hell out of here. I guess it’s socially unacceptable to be an evil conservative who wants more pay and better healthcare right? Looks like most of us are more conservative than we think.

I heard being a nurse in America can be a shitty stressful job. Same as being a nurse in Canada. The only difference about the shit job in America is being a nurse pays 3x as much there and the cost of living is not astronomical.

So I have a question, why do we vote for liberal clowns and why don’t we just improve where we live? Canada is just going to become more socialist as you all leave. This is something we should actually fear is the erosion of our democracy with more socialist authoritarian government.

[JHR]

The socialists are here to stay. The voters love handouts.

[newlygrounded]

Hey Folks

I am on the verge of quitting AC and relocating to the States to continue with my career. Was wondering if anyone who has recently moved to the States can provide some info on the following questions.

1. Converting my Canadian ATPL to FAA ATP
2. Taxes — If I decide to keep my house in Canada and My Wife’s and Kids (strong ties to Canada) decide not to move to the States would I have to pay income taxes both in the States and Canada?
3. Do I have to go work at the regionals in other to get into the Major in the states?
4. Which one of the Majors is the best to work for?

My experience is as follows:
Green Card: Via Family Stream and not EB2-NIW Visa
Age: 39
Total Time: 3500hrs
3.5years Medevac/Corporate
2.5at Jazz
2.2years at AC(including furlough)

This is a bit off, I assume money and QOL is something your worrying about or just something else. Please do a favour this is my suggestion, rethink the decision that your making if your not comfortable at the main carrier look at others that suits your needs. Moving to the US especially in times when crime rates are increasing and the fact that there is no garuntee that your days are numbered is a very big risk. Career can also be made in many different places, even in Canada. I'm not aware of what your goals are neither do I have to involve in it again its just a suggestion, it's your wish on what you decide. Goodluck

I’d chance the crime rates you speak of for a shot at earning double or triple what an airline pilot earns in Canada. Oh and pay less tax, and live somewhere you can go outside in the winter. The list it endless! If you have a green card get outta here to whoever calls you first and don’t look back!

US and Canadian crime rates aren't directly comparable. Almost all the crime in cities like chicago or NY happen in area's you'd never visit.

[Winnikegger]

This is a bit off, I assume money and QOL is something your worrying about or just something else. Please do a favour this is my suggestion, rethink the decision that your making if your not comfortable at the main carrier look at others that suits your needs. Moving to the US especially in times when crime rates are increasing and the fact that there is no garuntee that your days are numbered is a very big risk. Career can also be made in many different places, even in Canada. I'm not aware of what your goals are neither do I have to involve in it again its just a suggestion, it's your wish on what you decide. Goodluck

All good things, but I would caution you on one huge issue. The pension plans at all these companies are not privately held like they are in Canada. Go back in history to the days when at least Delta (and others) declared chapter 11 bankruptcy and the pilots lost every dollar of their pensions. I some cases it was nearly a million dollars per pilot. Gone with the wind and never recovered. Airlines being airlines in the states and with a coming recession I would gamble very carefully with my career, and weight that heavily before I left all because "they pay so much more". I flew with more than a few ex Delta Captains overseas as they were out of work after 911 and the company was restructuring under Chapter 11 and broke. They lost it all. Remember Frank Lorenzo?

Good luck though.

These two posts are comical

The Canadian rosey glasses are thick here

US pilots retirement plans are all based on percentages of earnings and it is their money.

Bankruptcy has zero bearing on it

I reckon its worth at least twice and probably triple what an AC pilot will make on their B level pay CWIPP plan

[21cdnflyer]

I have a buddy at DL, he’s going to clear 200k USD as a new hire with all the overtime he’s flying.

[schnitzel2k3]

I have a buddy at DL, he’s going to clear 200k USD as a new hire with all the overtime he’s flying.

It's the same thing at most U.S operations. Throws you off seeing starting salaries between 70-100k, but then guys are actually clearing mid 150s without too much extra effort. I was following forums for the Netjets guys, listed starting salary is around 70k. FIRST QUARTER 2022, one new hire reported clearing just north of 50k with some normal overtime.

200k is impressive first year at DL with a listed starting salary of 97.5k.

How AC is still collecting talent in any capacity at 56k just shows how brainwashed pilots become early on, coupled with the lack of diversity and competition here.

[BigQ]

For those who might be interested: Atlas Air (amazon) is currently, and rumour is Frontier will soon, offer sponsorship of work visas to Canadians.

Remember that there are at least 7 states that are considered "freedom states" and boast, among other things, no state income tax.

New Hampshire (no tax on wages, but taxed investment income): Can be very close to BOS which is a base for DAL, JBU, and a few others
Florida: Multiple bases available for multiple airlines
Tennessee: Nashville base for a few regionals, TYS for AAY, MEM for FDX
Texas: IAH for UAL, DFW for AAL and NKS, DAL for SWA, HOU for SWA
Wyoming
South Dakota
Nevada: LAS for AAY, FFT, NKS
Alaska: ANC for UPS
Washington (but it's not really considered a "freedom" state because of Seattle's influence on the state). SEA for ASA, DAL,

[WellThatAgedWell]

Freedumb states! Who wants freedumbs?

We want more taxes, more masking and lower wages. Also healthcare so shit you go to the freedumb states for your health needs. I love Canada so much I would fly a plane for less than TTC bus driver wage. All you suckers leaving here for freedumbs going to regret it when you have better healthcare, better wages, better climate and better pensions. Why would you want better! You should strive to be Canadian and work for less!

[RRJetPilot]

Freedumb states! Who wants freedumbs?

We want more taxes, more masking and lower wages. Also healthcare so shit you go to the freedumb states for your health needs. I love Canada so much I would fly a plane for less than TTC bus driver wage. All you suckers leaving here for freedumbs going to regret it when you have better healthcare, better wages, better climate and better pensions. Why would you want better! You should strive to be Canadian and work for less!

But how can I get fucked daily by my all powerful all knowing dear leader Trudeau if I move? He needs to guide every facet of the country with ultimate power or else the racist misogynists will take over.

[radio]

I’ve been working in the USA for a while.
Convert your license ASAP with your type ratings. If you have education, do an equivalency evaluation from NACES.

If you have the chance to work for a major take the first offer and don’t look back and try to pick the best one. All of them are picky ne they all have their way of hiring, some might be quick other might be an eternity to hear back. You will have to explain the resignation from AC, so maybe keep your job until you get and offer.
They all have good and bad side.
AA might go bankrupt in the next few years, Delta hired 3k new pilots this year and a lot of young new hire in the past years, united has an ok situation but still hired a lot.
Regional pay great now, but their survival is not assured and the pay might not stay the same.

Want to make it quick and not pay for the atp conversion ? Go to a regional for sure, but get ready for a toughs schedule.

Commuting back to Canada is hard ie no physical jumpseat access, but doable and can become pricey.

Get an accountant for taxes.

[flymore]

Amazing that you have the most important asset in the works ie the green card. For many others (like myself), it is a distant dream. Make full use of it and get out of this mess of a country. Perhaps you and many others leaving will also be the catalyst for our carriers to improve work conditions. Win-Win.

For the ATP conversion: here’s a guide.

tc to faa atp licence conversion.pdf

(648.68 KiB) Downloaded 80 times

I’d go straight to a major if you have the chance, unless you do one of the regionals that give you a seniority number (I think one of the AA feeders). Even the other non-legacy carriers all are better than AC.

In terms of choice (if you have one), I’d lean towards AA or UAL just because they have a lot of seniority movement. 10000 pilots being hired in the next 10 years by each carrier, whereas I think Delta has around 6000 to go. Another very important factor is where you want to live. I think Delta has the best contract, but the others have started matching it to avoid attrition.

For taxes, if you want to avoid paying Canadian taxes, you have to claim non-residency. This means
- no primary home in Canada
- your spouse can’t live in Canada
- you cannot be in Canada for more than 183 days of the year
PS: you can own rental properties. Just not your own home.

https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency ... anada.html

Just my 2 cents.

[rudder]

Amazing that you have the most important asset in the works ie the green card. For many others (like myself), it is a distant dream. Make full use of it and get out of this mess of a country. Perhaps you and many others leaving will also be the catalyst for our carriers to improve work conditions. Win-Win.

For the ATP conversion: here’s a guide.
tc to faa atp licence conversion.pdf


I’d go straight to a major if you have the chance, unless you do one of the regionals that give you a seniority number (I think one of the AA feeders). Even the other non-legacy carriers all are better than AC.

In terms of choice (if you have one), I’d lean towards AA or UAL just because they have a lot of seniority movement. 10000 pilots being hired in the next 10 years by each carrier, whereas I think Delta has around 6000 to go. Another very important factor is where you want to live. I think Delta has the best contract, but the others have started matching it to avoid attrition.

For taxes, if you want to avoid paying Canadian taxes, you have to claim non-residency. This means
- no primary home in Canada
- your spouse can’t live in Canada
- you cannot be in Canada for more than 183 days of the year
PS: you can own rental properties. Just not your own home.

https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency ... anada.html

Just my 2 cents.

Thx. That conversion summary was one of the best ones that I have seen. Straightforward. Step by step. My only question is if you already have US TSA file from previous US based sim training, must it be repeated? I would think not..

I already have a US ATPL (from the 1980’s when licence conversion was simpler but I did have to do a multi-IFR ride). I would encourage others that want to be at the front of the line when legitimate opportunities present themselves south of the border to have their US ATPL already in hand. Front of the line.

[flymore]

Thx. That conversion summary was one of the best ones that I have seen. Straightforward. Step by step. My only question is if you already have US TSA file from previous US based sim training, must it be repeated? I would think not..

Thanks.

You always have to apply for the TSA Clearance before initiating any new sim/flight training (even if you have past TSA clearance). The only difference is you will not be required to undergo fingerprints again.

[lee123]

In terms of choice (if you have one), I’d lean towards AA or UAL just because they have a lot of seniority movement. 10000 pilots being hired in the next 10 years by each carrier, whereas I think Delta has around 6000 to go. Another very important factor is where you want to live. I think Delta has the best contract, but the others have started matching it to avoid attrition.

This is big.

Delta has already hired all their widebody Captains for the next 30 years. 1800 this year, most being between 25-35.

If you're older than 35 and haven't been hired yet, there's a very good chance you will never see widebody CA. Same at the other two. It really is a race against time if you're on the wrong side of 30 and haven't made it on a major seniority list by the end of 2022.

[Hysteria]

One thing to consider..

If your main goal is wanting to get widebody earliest, United has more WB than Delta, American combined - or around this figure last I checked.