Air Wisconsin

[WolfManPack]

Hello everybody!

I'm a pilot on furlough from another carrier and have applied to Air Wisconsin. Unfortunately, I do not know that much about the company, contract, work rules, moral, etc. so I was hoping that some of you who have either recently worked there or currently work there could give me some insight into the company from a pilot's perspective.

First glance it looks like a pretty decent place to work all things considered and since I'm from the Carolinas originally I was wondering if it would be a long wait to get to the RDU base or maybe even ORF.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Hobit]

http://forums.flightinfo.com/search.php

 

[meyers9163]

Are there still talks of closing RDU?

 

[Ralph Cramden]

Hello everybody!

I'm a pilot on furlough from another carrier and have applied to Air Wisconsin. Unfortunately, I do not know that much about the company, contract, work rules, moral, etc. so I was hoping that some of you who have either recently worked there or currently work there could give me some insight into the company from a pilot's perspective.

First glance it looks like a pretty decent place to work all things considered and since I'm from the Carolinas originally I was wondering if it would be a long wait to get to the RDU base or maybe even ORF.

Thanks in advance!

Usually the morale improves as the morals slip. Think of it as an inverse relationship. (Sorry, couldn't resist!)

 

[WolfManPack]

Usually the morale improves as the morals slip. Think of it as an inverse relationship. (Sorry, couldn't resist!)

Good one!

Never was a good speller actually.

 

[CX880]

One Air Wisconsin guy on here a few threads back was saying how much he hated flying for them. Do a search.

 

[WSurf]

One Air Wisconsin guy on here a few threads back was saying how much he hated flying for them. Do a search.

I am sure you can find one person at every regional airline that hates flying for their company. There's a bunch of people that hate flying for GoJets, so Whats you're point?

 

[Ralph Cramden]

To counter the spoil sport, I spent 13 years at MVA & Air Wisconsin and while enduring some battles, had a really great time. The morals were low and the morale was high back in the prop days and midwest winters, especially during the early years when we flew under our own name.

How it is there now I haven't a clue, but was a good place to work back in the day.

Good luck finding work WolfManPack. Furlough sucks (been there more than once), but you've kept your sense of humor so you are doing well.

Ralph

 

[J and E's Daddy]

I have been here four years. For another regional (This is my third) it's not a bad place to work. It is not Utopia, but it's not hell either. We have our quirks like all other airlines. Industrywide, there is little movement and expect to be RSV for a while. We have a good contract, but our schedules can be a little better. As for RDU, the past two vacancies had no backfill for RDU or LGA. RDU did go fairly senior for
FOs. I live 2:25 from RDU but did not want to be a junior line holder.
A positive attitude can go a long way here. Like every airline, you have those who like working here and those who will fill your ears with their hatred and bitterness towards the company. We need people badly, so good luck! Training here is very user friendly as long as you study and are ready and willing. The training dept. is willing to help pilots get through, unlike my last company.
PM me if you have any further questions.

 

[Drill Sgt. Dad]

Oh Please. Air Wisconsin management threatens you if you call in sick or fatigued. They threaten you if you try to refuse a junior manning assignment. Our planes are filthy and we have many pissed off and angry pilots here. We operate in the Northeast and we can not seem to handle irregular ops. And we have no future beyond 2015 and our management thinks we are overpaid.
If you can tolerate the BS here, then this place is for you. First chance I have to get out of here, I will.
With all due respect, JB, I have to disagree on alot of your post. I hope you did not have the cyanide laced kool aid

 

[One Wing Low]

Drill Sgt. Dad.
You claim it is so bad at Air Wisconsin, just leave for God's sake. You come on here, and post only negative about this place, and yet, it must not be that bad because you put up with it. Do you honestly think that Air Wisconsin is the only place that you would deal with the BS that you mention? I am willing to bet that other airlines, both bigger, and smaller deal with the exact things you mention, and yet have worse work rules on top of that.

To the OP. While I disagree with Drill Sgt Dad constantly raking AWAC through the coals, he does bring up the point about the future past 2015. Also, if you do get on here, look for a bitter and long contract negotiation coming up in the near future. You can expect to be on reserve for quite a while as there seems to be little movement, however, the contract is a good one, and if you take the time to learn it, you will be able to stand your ground with a lot of the above mentioned unpleasantries. Pay is decent for a regional, you get a yearly uniform allowance, decent 401K match, headset allowance, and the joy of flying in and out of PHL on a regular basis (a little sarcasm). I wish you luck.

 

[Skyguy]

2009 has been a busy year through a large amount of issue forms and grievances for Air Cheese.

2009 Statistics

Number of Issue Forms filed: 150 (up from 87 in 2008)

Grievances filed: 9 (1 less than in 2008)

Cases pending as pre-grievances: 25

Current open 2009 Grievances awaiting settlement or arbitration: 5 (and the wage adjustment case is ongoing from 2008). The 2009 open cases include 2 discharges, 1 case pertaining to whether the monthly guarantee can be reduced when a pilot calls in fatigued, and 1 case pertaining to the application of the trip guarantee.

Arbitrations held in 2009: 1 discharge and the wage adjustment case.

Section 19 hearings/investigations: 23

yep a wonderful place in deed.

 

[n757st]

This place is not perfect. The pay is good for a regional ( I made about 50k as a senior FO on 5th year pay) but management can be an issue. Just fly the contract and have a good attitude and this place can be a lot of fun. If you have a crap attitude from the start and you are lucky enough to make it through probation and training, then you will hate it here. Like DSD, I am outty at the first opportunity to move up the latter, but that is only because I do not have a ton of faith in the future of this company.

DSD: Tone it down a bit dude, you will give your self a heart attack. This place is not THAT bad.... Our airplanes are filthy... uh huh... so are most of the regionals at airways. I commute on republic a lot and those old mid atlantic 170s are filthy. We cannot handle irrops? I don't understand. There were times when we absolutely could not, but they have improved. All those cancellations on the board during storms in PHL come straight from US Air saying "cancel a crap load of flight cause we are taking the slots anyways". The only time I saw this place implode was during the valentines day storm a couple years ago, and we were not the only one. (Jetblue fiasco anyone?)

 

[DASHDRIVER]

I really liked my time at AWAC. I was there for 4 and a half years. Was there bad times? You bet. I ultimately left because of the commute to PHL and the poor quality of life it brought along with it. But the crews are great. The work rules are not bad unless your on reserve. FO pay isn't too bad either once you get off first year pay. If your looking for a place to weather the storm its not a bad stop. I just don't think that AWAC has a desire to continue being around. They complain about the pilots making too much but they are far from the highest paid 50 seat operaters in the country. Thier problem is they are an old company with a lot of senior people. Not just in the flight crews, but everywhere. ATW has lots of people in the building that have been with the company since the 70's. They are too small to be competitive in the open 70-100 seat market these days.

Good luck in finding a home.

DD

 

[WSurf]

DSD: Tone it down a bit dude, you will give your self a heart attack. This place is not THAT bad.... Our airplanes are filthy... uh huh... so are most of the regionals at airways. I commute on republic a lot and those old mid atlantic 170s are filthy. (Jetblue fiasco anyone?)

And have you ever ridin' in a Piedmont Airlines Dash 8? Rockin' in the mid's 80s baby!

 

[n757st]

And have you ever ridin' in a Piedmont Airlines Dash 8? Rockin' in the mid's 80s baby!

I often commute to another city only served by Piedmont... the interiors might not be desirable, but the crews are fantastic. I have always enjoyed riding with you guys.

 

[ALIMBO]

You enjoy ridin guys?

 

[WSurf]

You enjoy ridin guys?

"If I was going to give you something you really need, it would be mustache wax and a t-shirt that says One Cock At A Time. "

 

[tataki]

For those who work at Air Wisconsin. Is it disqualifying not to have finished a 121 training, even if after that, went to another airline, passed the training and checkride first try.
Thank you

 

[blingair]

I heard they are calling people for interviews, anybody get a call recently?