American Airlines

Good benefits (free flights, hotel deals, car rental discounts) were provided, and I was compensated fairly well. I worked in a group that allowed me to have a 7 on/7 off schedule. I was sent to yearly offsite training at Boeing and other vendors.

I was stuck working the midnight shift for about 5 years. At first, I enjoyed it, but as I moved into my mid to late 20s, it got old fast. I only managed to make it to the daylight shift by threatening to quit.

My immediate management was fantastic. They were attentive to our needs and knew what challenges we faced, but our directors and above were completely lost. They didn't know what their people did or what they needed to efficiently do their jobs. Resources and tools were constantly taken away while you were asked to take on more responsibility.

The corporate culture took a significant nosedive once the US Airways - American merger was completed (I started out with US Airways). Legacy US Airways employees had a great working relationship that only aimed to get the aircraft fixed and flying on time. Engineering, MTC, and MOC all understood what the others had to deal with and respected the others' choices. AA only cares about pushing planes out as fast as possible, and they don't care who's toes they step on to get it done. AA management is also only concerned with making sure they look good, to the point of blaming other groups, stations, or managers to avoid being blamed for a delay.

Let your people do what they need to do, and listen to your lower-level managers, since they know what their people need.