A-320 ETOPs ? VA yesterday

[Flyer1015]

Yeah, I think they did. To retire from SWA or Delta and then hire on at VA is sad.

Sorry, but not everyone was as lucky as you to flow from ExpressJet Continental Express to Continental Airlines while still in their 20s.

 

[Q400 Gear Bitch]

..I'm not a big lover of them by any means....

That's not what you said last night! :blush:

 

[HAL]

Love how people are so called experts. According from an internal email from our CEO on 3/15 we have crossed the $1B threshold to be considered a major. I am sure you have a more credible source however..

Chairman
http://www.examiner.com/airline-industry-in-national/virgin-america-makes-dot-consumer-report-debut

Wow, time to switch to decaf Chairman. Dan Roman is right - I was simply telling the previous poster what the official definition of a major airline was. As far as the U.S. government definition, it is more than $1B in revenue in a calendar year. Your CEO may certainly be correct in saying that in the previous 12 months (as of 3/15) the airline's revenue totaled one billion. But as far as the official definition by the DOT, you'll have to wait until the 2012 numbers come out in the spring of 2013 before you can pop the cork. All I did was look at the public financials for 2011 when I quoted the $724M number. It's nothing devious, nothing denigrating Virgin America, and certainly nothing against the pilots there. They've been nothing but great to me when I've jumpseated on them, and I even bought tickets on them last year for my family vacation to California. They loved it, and we're booked on them again in a few weeks. Chill out. Not everyone on this board is out to get you.

HAL

 

[The Victors]

Wow, time to switch to decaf Chairman. Dan Roman is right - I was simply telling the previous poster what the official definition of a major airline was. As far as the U.S. government definition, it is more than $1B in revenue in a calendar year. Your CEO may certainly be correct in saying that in the previous 12 months (as of 3/15) the airline's revenue totaled one billion. But as far as the official definition by the DOT, you'll have to wait until the 2012 numbers come out in the spring of 2013 before you can pop the cork. All I did was look at the public financials for 2011 when I quoted the $724M number. It's nothing devious, nothing denigrating Virgin America, and certainly nothing against the pilots there. They've been nothing but great to me when I've jumpseated on them, and I even bought tickets on them last year for my family vacation to California. They loved it, and we're booked on them again in a few weeks. Chill out. Not everyone on this board is out to get you.

HAL

The jets are purchased for VA by a foriegn billionaire and given to VA illegally. VA then hires pilots that are willing to "fly" them around for 50% below industry averages. Wonder how you will feel when they start flying to Hawaii and undercut the crap out of HAL forcing you to take a major paycut?? And please.....no stupid comments about a superior product or customer service. The only thing that matters to people is the ticket price.

 

[The Victors]

I'm making almost triple what I did at my regional a few years ago. Do you actually do your job "just to get your hands on a big shiny jet?" If not, why would you think others would do the same? Are you somehow superior to every pilot at Virgin? How about our guys who lost their jobs at United, Aloha, ABEX, ATA, Midwest Express? Or the guys who retired from Southwest and Delta and came here when age 65 came to be. Most of whom are now captains and are making much more than they would be if they had gone to Delta in 2008 (perhaps the only other airline hiring at the time)? Did they "just want to get their hands on a big shiny jet?"

Retard.

Almost triple from your regional job?? so what....$15,000*3= $45,000?? to program around an A320 is BS and half what you should be making! You're an idiot and a huge part of the problem we face in the pilot profession these days. I am not superior to anyone, but I would never prostitute myself or my profession either just to "fly" something bigger than my RJ.

 

[IAHERJ]

Sorry, but not everyone was as lucky as you to flow from ExpressJet Continental Express to Continental Airlines while still in their 20s.

Well, You don't know much about me then. I left Continental Express in February of 2002 to fly for Airtran where I then left in 2005 for Continental Airlines. That required 2 interviews from COEX to CAL. No free ride for me.....

Thanks

 

[cameltoad]

no one here should be a proponent of VA. It is quite obvious that without illegal money from abroad that this would never make it, but it's happening which puts a strain on all the rest of us flying for carriers here. Carriers that would never be allowed to do the same back in Sir Dick's beloved UK.

 

[Q400 Gear Bitch]

The jets are purchased for VA by a foriegn billionaire and given to VA illegally.

Well you better call the cops.

VA then hires pilots that are willing to "fly" them around for 50% below industry averages.

I think your math is off.:smash:

 

[Flyer1015]

VA then hires pilots that are willing to "fly" them around for 50% below industry averages.

This is an inaccurate statement, your math is quite off. While under JetBlue and Delta's average, VA is pretty close to dead on with Spirit, and higher than US Air and United for a significant portion of the payscale ladder.

 

[dkwid]

no one here should be a proponent of VA. It is quite obvious that without illegal money from abroad that this would never make it, but it's happening which puts a strain on all the rest of us flying for carriers here. Carriers that would never be allowed to do the same back in Sir Dick's beloved UK.

You assertions are utterly false. Foreign ownership is much more lax in the UK. I am curious what fantasy land some live in. VA has been under the microscope more than any airline in this country.

 

[Dan Roman]

Almost triple from your regional job?? so what....$15,000*3= $45,000?? to program around an A320 is BS and half what you should be making! You're an idiot and a huge part of the problem we face in the pilot profession these days. I am not superior to anyone, but I would never prostitute myself or my profession either just to "fly" something bigger than my RJ.

You work for SWA and some would say you "prostituted" your self by paying for your 737 type (assuming you did). That's not a slam on SWA, I have no problem if someone wants to buy a type, get an ATP, or anything else he thinks will further his career. It wasn't long ago that many bought a Flt Engineer rating to try and get a job. I guaranty there is some legacy guy pointing fingers at a SWA guy for buying a type and yet he bought a FE rating when he was looking for a job. It's just an observation that we all took different paths to get to were we are at. I work for an airline at the top of the industry average now, but at one time we had a very concessionary contract. I would be a major hypocrite to now start pointing fingers at someone working for a LCC carrier. It wasn't long ago that a SWA 737 Captain made what a UAL 737 FO made. SWA established itself with pilots flying more hours for lower rates and forgoing the superior retirement plan that the legacies had. Your little warrior spirit mantra belongs with Tony Robbins, not in the cockpit of a commercial airliner.

We all live in glass houses and the more you point fingers, the greater the hypocrisy.

 

[ackattacker]

This is an inaccurate statement, your math is quite off. While under JetBlue and Delta's average, VA is pretty close to dead on with Spirit, and higher than US Air and United for a significant portion of the payscale ladder.

You need to count the total compensation package, not just the rate. How much is health insurance? Profit sharing? How much do they contribute for retirement? What's the reserve guarantee? Are you going to retire off the A320 rates or B777 rates? etc. etc.

I have run the basic numbers for VA and it's really not that pretty. It may not be 50% below industry average but it is lower than anybody else so far as I can tell, yes that includes US Airways.

 

[Flyer1015]

Edit: not worth it, nevermind.

 

[The Victors]

You work for SWA and some would say you "prostituted" your self by paying for your 737 type (assuming you did). That's not a slam on SWA, I have no problem if someone wants to buy a type, get an ATP, or anything else he thinks will further his career. It wasn't long ago that many bought a Flt Engineer rating to try and get a job. I guaranty there is some legacy guy pointing fingers at a SWA guy for buying a type and yet he bought a FE rating when he was looking for a job. It's just an observation that we all took different paths to get to were we are at. I work for an airline at the top of the industry average now, but at one time we had a very concessionary contract. I would be a major hypocrite to now start pointing fingers at someone working for a LCC carrier. It wasn't long ago that a SWA 737 Captain made what a UAL 737 FO made. SWA established itself with pilots flying more hours for lower rates and forgoing the superior retirement plan that the legacies had. Your little warrior spirit mantra belongs with Tony Robbins, not in the cockpit of a commercial airliner.

We all live in glass houses and the more you point fingers, the greater the hypocrisy.

I did not buy a 737 type. I would not buy a type. Some of us got it elsewhere. I did not work for SWA in the 90's when their rates were low and unacceptable. I spoke with a VA captain one night. He was at least honest about the pay at VA (unlike the other posters here) and how bad it is. I make double what he makes and I'm a FO. Now the complete idiots will say "that's because you work at SWA". This would be funny if it wasn't so dangerous. SWA pay should never be the highest. We fly a FLUF around the US only. The contract we have now should be industry average. Delta, United, American, and even US Airways should be making more. But....these morons are actually defending their lowest A319/320 pay in the industry. How about fighting to increase/improve pay and benefits for the pilot profession? How about admiting that fact and standing up against it? If only the VA kids could learn from the professional pilots at Spirit. But no.....as long as these guys can "fly" an airbus then nothing else matters.

 

[Skank]

SFO-CUN isn't ETOPS. And delivery flights are Part 91, no ETOPS required.

Damn you and your facts! We now return to our regularly scheduled speculation, guessing, and making stuff up...