ASA - Bottom Line - Would you work there...

[79%N1]

6 years to upgrade??? dude you and i must not work in the same ASA...new hires are holding 3 on 4 off and still in probation. I say 3 year upgrade...hell it took 4 years for me 9/11 and all...and the ATR seems to be way junior. Based on just upgrade time...American Eagle is way worse. Honestly...i think most regionals are the same except for Mesa. is there really a difference besides location? Contracts change...work rules change...in the end, i think its all the same.

Dude, you and I must work for a different ASA.......I have been here 3 years, I cannot even hold a line on the 70, and there are 240 FO's senior to me to upgrade. Thats about 50 more aircraft ASA needs to add until all those FOs upgrade, minus those that pass upgrade or leave, of course. Anyway, upgrade is over 5 years at ASA, based on the numbers I see.

Also, I'm calling B.S on 70 pilots quit last month. I moved up 55 numbers from Jan-Julys seniority ---- and that was when everyone was going around saying 20+ pilots were leaving every month. If so, I should have moved up over 100.

 

[Sinca3]

Most of the pilots leaving ASA are relatively junior FO's. They see greener grass on the other side! I moved up 40#'s in 7 months.
As for upgrade it is just under 4.5 years.....that's a fact! Look at the class dates and awards............

 

[Mmmmmm Burritos]

Dude, you and I must work for a different ASA.......I have been here 3 years, I cannot even hold a line on the 70, and there are 240 FO's senior to me to upgrade. Thats about 50 more aircraft ASA needs to add until all those FOs upgrade, minus those that pass upgrade or leave, of course. Anyway, upgrade is over 5 years at ASA, based on the numbers I see.

Dude, you are on the 70... that's why. He's talking about the 50 seater. Bottom line at ASA the 50 seater guys are generally happy (except for senior capt's who are never happy). The ATR and CR7 guys are always complaining and rightfully so. Crappy schedules on both, and the 70 is way senior (people thinking a few bucks an hour more per hour is worth the crappy lines and sitting reserve for years.. go right ahead!)

It's true, probation pilots are holding 3 on 4 off. Barely, but it's happening.

 

[Bluto]

JDREsquire, for your sake, I'm really hoping those aren't your real initials. If they are it'll probably take the fine people at ASA about 5 seconds to figure out who you are: the CFI with your initials and 1005 hours. Is that post the first impression you want the interviewers to have of you? It wasn't too bad, but neither was it the boot-licking, sycophantic, "I'd like to work at ASA for the rest of my career, sir.", kind of kiss-up drivel interviewers are used to.

Maybe I'm being a little paranoid, but I wouldn't want the interviewers thinking about:

I've heard ASA likes to jerk pilots around, esp. young ones, but what regional doesn't like to get the most from what they have? I might have a really good opportunity at Pinnacle as well, and I don't want to pass it up for an ASA job.

when they ask you, "So, why would you like to fly for ASA?"

Unless you want every post you make available to any interviewer you will face, I recommend changing your screenname. Interviewers often frequent these boards and many consider it a fun challenge to figure out who is asking the questions. Welcome to flightinfo.

 

[79%N1]

Most of the pilots leaving ASA are relatively junior FO's. They see greener grass on the other side! I moved up 40#'s in 7 months.
As for upgrade it is just under 4.5 years.....that's a fact! Look at the class dates and awards............

Yea, Sinca, I dont dispute that.....BUT, those are the people hired in early 2001, hence 4.5 years. People hired in late 01, 02, 03, 04, and 05 I'm afraid will wait MUCH longer than that! Like I said, I've been here 3, and I'm NO WHERE CLOSE. That too could change, but who knows. It could go longer even.

 

[sweptback]

Yea, Sinca, I dont dispute that.....BUT, those are the people hired in early 2001, hence 4.5 years. People hired in late 01, 02, 03, 04, and 05 I'm afraid will wait MUCH longer than that! Like I said, I've been here 3, and I'm NO WHERE CLOSE. That too could change, but who knows. It could go longer even.

Part of that reason is because there were no ASA classes between (correct me if I'm wrong) 1/03 and 3/04. So anybody hired toward the end of 02/beginning of 03 will have a much longer upgrade than those hired at the beginning of the 04 push.

 

[79%N1]

Agreed.

 

[sgwabd]

Take the job at ASA. You can always go somewhere else later.

70 people quitting last month is false. Just look at the prelims or awards.

 

[fsworld]

ASA is a great company. As for the upgrades, they are getting 22 airplanes between now and the ned of 06 and continuing to hire 30+ a month through the end of 06. The seniority list is somewhere around 1,700 with the must junior captain around 1,200. If hiring stays like they say, thats 540 people to the seniority list plus everyone thats leaving. Just because current upgrade time is 4.5 years, that doesnt mean that the people hired today will wait 4.5 years. Just remember, most people only voice their opinion when its in a negative way. Also, as I told someone today... ASA in 10 years... They could have an upgrade time of 6 months and be hiring pilots at 300 hours. They could have an upgrade time of 10 years and be hiring pilots with 5,000 hours. They could not even have a webpage because they are out of business. My point being is that any airline could be like that in 10 years or tomorrow.

 

[av8er2]

Upgrade asap

Yes upgrade is a while. It could improve since there are a lot of unhappy people at ASA that want to leave. ASA mang has a long way to go. They really don't care about the pilots or they would treat us like professionals.

I know some people that have friends at Continental Express and it sounds a lot better with the new contract.

The biggest thing: Upgrade is everything at the regional level. They don't want you to stay around too long and if you don't upgrade asap then you can't move on.

Go where you can be happy and upgrade fast.

There is a lot of luck involved in the airline business. You may think you have made the greatest decision, and it turns out to be a flop.

Good luck, we all need it.

 

[~~~^~~~]

ASA has 147 airplanes with 12 ATR's that probably will go away in 2007.

In my humble opininion ASA would be smart to dump 20 RJ's and bring back the ATR's, or -500's. After all, the cabin is much larger, they are cheaper to operate and burn 1/3 the fuel while going 2/3'ds as fast with 16 more people and a bunch more bags. A jet on anything shorter than ATL-LEX is kinda nuts based on seat mile costs.

If ASA nets a growth of 10 airplanes in 2006 to 2007 that is only 55 Captain slots. If they are CRJ700's it could be 110 slots, ( on 70 seat Capt and one 50 seat to replace them ) but for #1900 on the seniority list those 55 numbers are a l o _ n __ g way away. Even then, upgrading at ASA does not mean you fly the left seat. They regularly use their junior Captains as FO's when they run short on FO's.

 

[~~~^~~~]

ASA is a great company.

Whooo Hooo, HA HA HA HA, Heeeeeeeeee Haawwwww, Snort, Huckle, Chuckle, HAAAAAAAAA!

Tell me, what is your favorite department at ASA? Crew Resources? Scheduling? Human Resources? Payroll? Safety? Come on, please please please tell me.

Man, that was good stuff, keep it coming!

 

[atrdriver]

The 70 leaving last month was from the CP forum. They said we lost 70 and hired 80. Is it correct? I don't really know, but that's the numbers that the CP's used.

 

[Mmmmmm Burritos]

The 70 leaving last month was from the CP forum. They said we lost 70 and hired 80. Is it correct? I don't really know, but that's the numbers that the CP's used.

That's gotta be in the last 6 months maybe? Definitely not in the last month. I know they're hiring approx 32/month now but it was only about 20/month a couple months ago.

 

[Palerider957]

That's gotta be in the last 6 months maybe? Definitely not in the last month. I know they're hiring approx 32/month now but it was only about 20/month a couple months ago.

Hiring and showing up for class are two different things. ASA can't get people to want to stay more than 15 mins. When Coex, Comair, Skywest, etc. ,are hiring--why come here????