ACA or ASA career advice

[acaTerry]

InHot,

I think what you said about 121 flying being such a great/fun job is why management gets away with what they do. They know we love flying, and that we'll put up with crap to be able to do it.
And even though there is ALPA, we have a tough time getting what we're worth because the press and the public are generally against the airline employees. After all, if we don't work, everyone suffers. Then good ole management says "look at what they are doing to the travelling public". Everyone finds it easier to just get mad at us than to look deep into what issues pilots have to face and deal with. The public has no idea how rules can be manipulated and twisted to push us harder. My favorite is "you're only allowed to work 8 hours a day!". Oh boy....

 

[Boxer]

If this helps... my experience with ASA:

I' ve been with the company since last summer, also at the tail end of the last hiring phase.

Placed as CRJ DFW FO. Training was excellent. The instructors were fine and I made many friends, both new-hires and among instructors. The whole process took about 3 months from BI to conclusion of IOE. No surprises, professional, and most seem very happy to be there.

I have an easy commute to DFW, so that has worked out for me as well. I have held a line, either regular or relief since IOE, so I have not had to sit reserve or even on a nap line since I've been there. Next month will be the first month for me on reserve and that is due to E-120 FO's moving over to the CRJ in front of me, and the reduction of DFW lines next month. I missed a hard line by 2 spots. ATL FOs, however, have been on reserve since hire, so I've been very lucky in that regard. With hiring resuming, and jet deliveries, reserve status for me shouldn't be more than a few months. No problem.

So far, I haven't been junior manned, and only extended once, which was subsequently cancelled, so I received 1 1/2X pay for nothing.

All of of the captains I have flown with (30 or so) I have gotten on fine with and virtually all, for the most part, are happy at ASA. The CRJ700 arrivals this year should clear out about 120 or so people on 50 seater lists, so that will help as well. This, combined with the 40/50 deliveries, new hiring, and the E-120 count levelling off at around 30 aircraft in the fleet, should provide a decent quality of life for new hires in the near future, however, it won't be like it was just before I was hired (1-1/2 yr jet upgrades, 15 day off schedules with 6 months with the company, and so forth). All in all, a great place to work, but again, my experience has been unique. My ATL buddies have been on reserve since the get-go.

I don't know anyone at ACA, so I don't intend this to sound biased. This is simply my experience here at ASA. So far, so good. The future looks pretty good as well. Hope this helps.

 

[acaTerry]

Some of you have posted about bad interview experiences here at ACA. Well, a new interview panel has been assembled and hopefully that will put a stop to some of the BS that was going on before. Hopefully, it will also be a sign of overall improvement in company realtions with employees. After all, if you treat potential employees like dirt, you will probably (and do) treat your active employees poorly as well.
I hope this is a step in the right directioin. Things have really deteriorated here and I sure hope that we bounce back to some semblance of the great airline we used to be.
I will be applying for the next round of interview Captains when the expansion comes. In the meantime let me extend apologies on the behalf of those of us at ACA who really are not out there to make things lousy for you potential pilots. Good luck
Terry

 

[LearLove]

acaTerry - seen it before

"Crew Scheduling is exceptionally bad and our new sick policy is ridiculous. "

"Upgrade comes pretty quickly, but sometimes you have to really put your foot down, and hard, over dispatch. And schedulers who are seemingly deliberately trying to find ways to violate the contract make it no fun"

"Lines suck. Our poor guys who build them (pilot volunteers) are often overridden by the company. It's pathetic. Top 30% of our seniority list and I get 11 days off with 80 hrs block"

acaTerry,

The guy you hired from Allegheny (i won't say his name) to head your sked. dept. did the same crap to us. Your complaints are all to familiar to us at Allegheny. Hope you make the best of it.

BTW: I see your in the 41. How's Oscar, still up too his old tricks. I herd he was and instructor. I can't see him yelling at people. Cursing well thats another thing. EEEEEEEEEZZZZZZYYYYYYY

Happy Flying

 

[Cappy]

ACA is the only airline i've been hired by but the experience was horrible. By the time i finished training with them i hated them so much i left the company. Call me a fool but i believe you oght to be happy where you work! Go to ASA !

Didn't you say on a previous thread that you quit at the end of training thereby not finishing it? Unless you work for ASA how can you know what it is like? After looking at your training date with the current ACA seniority list, I came to the conclusion that you are(were) only 6 months from 328Jet upgrade. It is such a waste that you quit when there are others here that would have stuck through the training no matter what.

My previous offer stands...you send me your name via private e-mail and I will post the results of my investigation as to why you "quit" at sim 11.

ASA is a good company to work for via some close friends...I do not believe they hire pilots that walk out at sim 11.

Post Safely

 

[acaTerry]

Flying500agl,
Yes, our skeds manager is a real case. I really can't say enough about how this person has managed to destroy morale.
Yes, Oscar is a J41 instructor/check airman. He's a hell of a guy. I really wish we had nothing but Oscars here. I think they'll be displacing him soon, as the 41 is on the way out. I think he's going to the DoJet. Hey, try to keep that Dash out of our way! We haven't got all day! (LOL) Fly safe.
Terry

 

[FRDOG]

Man, I've never heard much bad come from ASA pilots, mostly praise. But these boards are always full of people shi##ing on ACA.
-Dog

 

[LearLove]

DASH slow = paid by the hour

acaTerry,


I’ll get the Dash out of your way when you shut that noise maker of an airplane you fly off. Between you guys and Trans states in BWI I'm going deaf. (lol)

Happy flying

PS - Now get out there and hand spin the props, wouldn't want your engines to corrode and fall off - then it would be real quiet.


Why fly a fast airplane, the passengers paid for an airplane ride didn't they?

 

[acaTerry]

I can't tell you how many times people tell me that spinning those props will "set off" the mags!

 

[Waiting]

rogerroger,

I have been with ACA for five years and it's a great company to work for. I highly recommend it.

I'm not management, I'm not in the training department, and I do not drink the Kool-aid. I just happen to like my job and the company I work for. ACA is going through some growing pains and some middle management people stink, but the company as a whole is moving in the right direction. For those so unhappy and miserable, go back just three years and compare how much things have improved.

As a captain for the last 3.5 years my decision to go/no go has never been questioned and no one has lost thier job because they made a decision on the side of safety. Yes, as a captain, sometimes you do have to put your foot down. Thats why you make the big (relative term) bucks. Yes, it is our responsibilty to know and understand our contract and fly it to the word.

As for the interview process. I have been on the interview board for two years. It's by no means perfect, but when I see the pilots that I've interviewed on line, they all say that ACA was a good interview experience. I have a feeling the people talking bad about the interview at ACA are people that didn't make the cut. Also the recruiting department must be doing something right. Even the few unhappy and miserable pilots say the pilot group is very good.


Good Luck Rogerroger

 

[AirBoard]

I'd also like to say how happy I am at ACA. Just like others have said it has its problems but they are growing pains. If I was a senior captain in the top 1/3 of the list I'd be pi*sed too about the Do-jet schedules but as a new hire you may never see a reserve month. Things are changing everyday here. They just confirmed a new CVG base for the Do-jet by May. This was part of the problem about the schedules - we were trying to run CVG out of LGA and no trip pairings looked good resulting in low block. CVG should really satisfy this problem. So if you're a commuter you now potentially have IAD, ORD, LGA, BOS, and CVG. Plus the Delta side will finally get United WYO's.

All in all this company is going places. You're going to hear complaints but all pilots are mastering the art of bit*hing everyday.

 

[House_X]

People who complain about ACA need to hit the streets and behold the furlough carnage sprawled out as far as the eye can see.

House

 

[acaTerry]

The CVG base, unless I read an announcement with a typo, actually opens today. It will be on the DAL side.
Now if we can get some confirmation on the vicious rumor about DEN.......
Any ACA people out here, check the ALPA boards about our chief pilots conversation with a crew on the way to BOS. Sounds like there IS a light at the end of the tunnel. Having dealt personally with our system chief pilot, and finding him genuinely concerned about pilot issues (after all, he is ex-Eastern), I can believe what was posted. Let's hope the ball is rolling.

 

[Patriot328]

I usually don't post here, but I think I'll stand up for my company. I've been at ACA for 3 years, and like my cohort, am not an instructor, am not in management (and have NO desire to do so), and definately do not drink the kewl-aid.

Believe me, I'll bitch about this place as much as the next guy. But then when I talk to my friends at ASA, Coex, Eagle, and Mesa, they bitch about things I'd never even dream of happening at ACA (getting questioned about a safety of flight issue? gimmeabreak).

Things are turning around here, with plans to hire several hundred this year (interviews start in a few weeks). With the new CVG base, the lines in LGA should improve (but there will be a shake-up in base seniority lists in the short term). Delta guys just got UAL WYOs so we're back to having one of the best travel benefit packages in the industry. That "sick policy" will never hold. It comes out every year or so this time of year and is shot down. It's practically illegal (so I'm told, I'm not a lawyer).

Training time has improved dramatically and will hopefully be so during the new hiring phase. I've never flown the CRJ, but apparently they've done away with the 10,000 memory item checklist and now have a QRC and QRH like the rest of the fleet types on property.

Plus, and I know this is the last thing to (actually you shouldn't even) consider, but it's a nice feeling to lower the nose to 4500fpm so you can let the plane accelerate to 250kts.....


Patriot

 

[acaTerry]

Patriot328,
I too lower the nose of my 41 to 4500 fpm to get 250 kts.....but I have to lower it to a DESCENT!!!!
Finally got to check one out (a 328). What a plane!