Virgin interview timeline question

[joevollers]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Typical FI answer, an attack instead of a logical argument. So you make more because you fly more Hum? Guess what? All the pilots that work for the Virgin group fly a lot.

Please answer the question without resorting to nonsense. Why for pilots in the USA it is OK to earn less than what the same Virgin group is paying your counterparts in some of the poorest nations on the planet?[/FONT]

Actually it's b/c we compare ourselves to the rest of the industry in America. First year FO is higher than most places.... As of right now upgrade is running 8 months. So from there it's 95/hr and 5/yr increase after that. Is 95/hr slightly low for the industry for Capt. Yes. However; what other domestic pax carriers can you go to and make that in year one? Personally it would take 500/hr to get me to move to Nigeria....or more like, no amount of money. BTW guarantee is 70/hr

Every pilot here came b/c they think it's a better deal than what they had. Criticize us if you want. The Fact of the matter is that the best Pax carrying job in the US industry (SWA) was created initially by a company with a radically different product with slightly low pay--- but the employees believed in it.

 

[Ralph Cramden]

Hi Dumb Pilot,

I won't attack your English but I think you miss some very important facts.

1. The various Virgin companies are completely separate and structured to the laws, conventions and customs of the countries they are in. Here in the USA the industry is in a recession and there are many pilots on the street. In India and China pilots make a lot more, but then again you have to be willing to live and work there. No offense to any Indian or Chinese pilots, but I prefer to stay in the USA and have to take what I can get work wise.

2. Yes, the pay is low for an Airbus Captain, I was hoping it would rise if/when we started to get the cash flow up. OTOH, it is a supply and demand situation, with supply far greater than demand right now.

3. With Aloha, ATA, Skybus and now EOS shutting down, we do have a very large pool of applicants to choose from. I guess Southwest is still hiring and pays close to the same as us for new hire, but it is a 10 plus year upgrade there versus 1 year here at present. Or, if CAL is still hiring you could make $31/hr and no insurance for your family for the first 6 months. I have no idea how long upgrade is there, but I'm willing to bet it's longer than a year.

4. As for chances of survival, with the price of fuel and the economy in tatters, I'd rather be high up the VA list than at the bottom of UAL, DAL or any other carrier's list. We all are looking over our shoulder right now!

I'm glad you are doing well in your ANA 767. I wish our economy wasn't in the crapper here in the US, but it's a completely different thread to argue why that has happened.

Cheers,

Ralphie

 

[Ralph Cramden]

Woot, 100th post..

Sorry, just had to do it here.....

 

[Dumb Pilot]

Actually your 99th. post was very eloquent but congratulations on your 100th. And gentlemen, my intention was not to criticize you or engage in nonsense FI runarounds. But more as a frustrated comment about how our situation has degraded into a point that as American pilots we have to be content to be paid less than pilots are making in sub developed countries. I understand your arguments and respect them, since some of the same points that you brought up are the very same reason that I had to become an ex pat. But I would like to bring a question in general If I may. If VA would have not found qualified applicants at those salary levels, would they have folded the tents and not go forward with the airline? Or would have they paid more? I'm just wondering if in the process of conformism we are the ones most at fault of currently earning the lowest wages in the civilized world.

I don't agree with the mentality of "it's better than nothing" but I can respect your views and wish you luck

 

[tzskipper]

Back on track....

I am curious... Has anyone who took the VA on-line evaluation the week of April 14th been notified of an interview date?

Regards,

Skipper

 

[fullforward]

Took the online eval. on the 23rd and got the interview email on May 1st. Hope that helps...good luck.

 

[Yuppyguppy]

Absolutely

 

[Yuppyguppy]

disgusting

 

[Freight Dog]

Yuppy, Aloha and ATA were ALPA airlines and Virgin America gave them jobs. Since you consider VA to be disgusting, what would you suggest to pilots who lost their jobs? Which fine ALPA carrier is hiring and pushing for all their union brothers/sisters to get hired there? Should all Aloha/ATA/Champion pilots prove a point by not taking a job with 1 year upgrade? Should every former Aloha or ATA or Champion pilot pack up and go to China just to prove a point? Should we all inundate Skywest with applications now considering UAL's state of affairs? Wait, nevermind, they're non-union, just like VA.
Mesa? Colgan? Oops.. another nonunion... Republic?

Before you start trashing people at VA, stop and think for a minute - if VA existed right after 9/11 when you got furloughed, would you have applied there and taken a job there? How about if UAL folded and there was no UAL to go back to? You don't have to answer me, but think before you embarrass yourself.

Oh, and no, I don't work for VA, but a number of my fellow Aloha pilots went there after losing arguably one of the best jobs in the industry.

 

[spinproof]

disgusting

Yes you are.

 

[Cornelius]

Well I'll be out of a job September, any idea when VA is supposed to start hiring/interviewing??

 

[Freight Dog]

Hey Cornelius, did you have some of your UAL buddies try and talk you out of pursuing a job with VA?

 

[Cardinal]

Hate to drag this thread back on topic, but Applied 1st week of July, did the psych test 3rd week of July, still waiting for a call. With luck they didn't detect my pschizoid, bipolar, or manic depressive tendencies.

 

[Cornelius]

Freight Dog, not at United but its competitor in Den (F9). I did the psych test a week and a half ago for VA and haven't heard anything. No flaming, I just need a frickin job and VA has a slick operation.