ASA Classes

[~~~^~~~]

Several of our "Delta" new hires did not last very long - they found better jobs almost immediately. Several are not even planning to return to Delta.

Obviously most of the Delta furloughees are highly qualified pilots. Why do they want to stagnate on reserve at ASA for 19K a year when most of them have been typed in something and can earn 65K plus flying corporate, or overseas somewhere until Delta calls them back?

ASA's management is not very pilot friendly at the moment and this can actually be sort of a dangerous place to be career wise while the Company sorts out the process of self - reporting to the FAA.

The George and John days have returned....

 

[exeagle]

At a meeting last week at the GO, it was stated that ASA will begin hiring 24 pilots per month starting in March 2004. They will hire 24 per month for the rest of 2004.

Sleepy, how is this possible (I hope it is!!!) with only 15 new jets next year?

 

[General Lee]

Yeah, how many planes are you guys getting? I thought you were going to get 15 CR7s?



TIM47SIP,

The guys I know that are now at ASA are very thankful for the job. Again, thanks for allowing that to happen.

Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[asapilot]

Sleepy, how is this possible (I hope it is!!!) with only 15 new jets next year?

I outlined this in an earlier post, but here's how it breaks down, at least hypothetically...

The company plans 5.75 crews/airplane. So, for 15 jets, that means 86.25x2(1 Capt/1FO) which is 172.5 pilots. So, that will deplete most of the reserves. In addition, we're getting back something like 37 flights from SKYW/CHQ in DFW by year's end. So, I heard that will increase lines by about 15. That's what we know. So, if we end up adding new service or increasing existing service, who knows what we could need.

 

[jetflyer]

END THE BAD BLOOD NOW

The guys I know that are now at ASA are very thankful for the job. Again, thanks for allowing that to happen.

General and other angered Delta pilots and furloughees,

This has been on my mind for a very long time and just decided now to say these things.

I along with all of the current and future Comair pilots that want to fly for Delta in the future strongly wish you could be thanking us too!! I know you are all mature enough and will not hold a management's decision against us when we apply at Delta in the future.

Besides all you would be hurting are the Comair pilots that are totally against management's decision. You WOULD NOT be hurting those that were in agreement with management's decision like you would like to. THEY WILL NEVER APPLY at Delta. So why bother and why boycott the entire bunch when it wasn't our fault!!! You would only be hurting those of us at Comair that shouldn't be hurt at all.

For all Comair pilots I'd like to apologize. I apologize in behalf of hundreds of Comair pilots for Comair's decision to not hire Delta furloughees. They could have changed their RETARDED PROVISION that they don't want to hire furloughees without resigning their seniority number, just this one time!!! They didn't and for this too we're sorry. I along with hundreds of other Comair pilots would have accepted you guys with open arms and been happy to have you walk our halls and fly our planes. We as a pilot group would not have let any conceived retarded CRM problems become an issue. We are all adults and would have been mature enough to handle this. Once again I apologize and wish there were no Delta furloughees at all. It is horrible that there are still a thousand families out there struggling and I wish it would end now. They should all be recalled immediately.

Please accept the apology and can we bury the hatchet now?????

Geeze, General you've become like a broken record on this site about how much you hate Comair pilots!!! Please end it now. I wonder sometimes if you just CUT AND PASTE the same insults about Comair pilots and Delta supporting us during the strike stuff into every post you do on FLIGHTINFO.COM. It's very aggravating that you're holding this grudge WRONGLY! We work for the same company and treat each other like cr-ap. We need to figure out a way to put the past BEHIND US, and figure out how we can work together better now and in the future.


The bad blood is pathetic, and you General, many Comair pilots and other Delta pilots have let MANAGEMENT divide us and we need to find a way to form some SOLIDARITY. This working relationship is going to go on for a long time and we need to stop these pathetic quarrels.

LET'S END THE BAD BLOOD NOW
Jet

 

[General Lee]

Jetflyer,

Thank you and I think the furloughs on this board appreciate that some of you at Comair actually care. And, I also have continually said that I do not "hate" the average Comair line pilot, I just dislike some of your MEC members and their cronies. It is my opinion that they are leading you down the wrong path, but that is my opinion on this opinion board. I also will not be the one interviewing, unless I retire 18 years early, and then get that job.
But, the image in some of the Delta line pilots' eyes has been tarnished, and I don't know what exactly that will do eventually. Let's face it, the arguments between our two MEC Chairs has not helped relations. If I were you, I wouldn't be that concerned, but ready if you do eventually get an interview down the line sometime, to answer the tough questions about how you felt about it. I don't know if they will screen out particular pilots, but the interviewers will be aware of the lack of help---but hopefully by then we will be on the recovery track and the hard feelings might be on the side. In the mean time, try to see what you can do about reversing that policy----some of those furloughs may still want to work for you at the bottom of your list--even though ASA has been more friendly. Thank you again.

Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[jetflyer]

---but hopefully by then we will be on the recovery track and the hard feelings might be on the side. In the mean time, try to see what you can do about reversing that policy----some of those furloughs may still want to work for you at the bottom of your list--

General Lee,

I too hope we can resolve the differences and end the petty quarrels. I've said for a long time and have a ton of friends at Comair that wish we could reverse the policy and make an exception for Delta pilots. Maybe if more comair pilots like us speak up something can be done. Let's hope so.

You mention also that some at Comair are taking us down the wrong road. I somewhat agree but mostly disagree. They do want to make Comair an option to be a career airline, which is great for many. Maybe they have lost sight that not all of us are sure if we want to retire at Comair. I truly hope and don't think this is the case though. I hope they'll just try to make it better for all even those that aren't sure if we want to move on one day.

I think they just want us all to upgrade faster, grow our fleet, get better pay, better work rules, and be treated fairly by the national ALPA. I just hope while they're in the process of making Comair better they don't bulldoze down too many bridges on the way, especially Delta's bridge which I personally have always had a desire to cross one day.

Personally though I don't know if I'll ever leave Comair, but if the right opportunity came along I'd be a fool to pass it up. Comair is an awesome place to work and would be very happy to retire here and thank our MEC for making me and many others feel this way. I'm very appreciative for those before me that have made this place so great. I just hope we can find a way that Comair can become better at the same time Delta and ASA become better.

Can't we all just get along and get better together?
Jet

 

[sleepy]

I hear that we may be getting some additional CR2's next year that were not originally planned on. That is a possible reason for the additional hiring. Of course, it could always change, but I hope not.

 

[Data]

All a company has to do is up utilization on an aircraft (or fleet of aircraft) and the need for additional pilots is immediate. With the additional 700s and an increase in utilization, 240 pilots is not that big of a stretch, throw in the rumors of even more 50s and things look much better.

 

[btflyer2]

Tim47SIP or anyone in the know . . .

Could you please tell me more about the "pool" of Delta furoughees you mentioned, and about their preferential hiring, once it starts? There are several of us that have been monitoring this board, that have been in the pool for almost one year. We have seen those get hired last Dec/Jan that were in our interview class. The assumption is that we are next on the list to get hired. Preferential hiring of Delta furloughess which could result in us not getting hired would be very detrimental. I am not saying that we should get hired first, it's just that if there is much more delay in getting hired, it could mean that one might have to give up flying as a career altogether for reasons such as age, poverty, debt, family separation, OR may have to stay with the bottom feeder we are with and upgrade to captain, heaven forbid.

So please tell me more, or anyone else with knowledge chime in.

Also, I received a letter in early '03 to let us know that the hiring was on hold. Does anyone know if any other notices are planned to let us know if we are still in the pool, been dropped, etc. I had heard a rumor on here that the pool was possibly going to be cleaned out and a new group brought in. ( Maybe because those swimming finally drowned????)

Thanks for any info.

 

[sleepy]

Give up your career due to poverty? Have you seen our first year pay ($19.02 per flight hour). I made $17,000 my first year at ASA, now that is poverty.

 

[Tim47SIP]

btflyrdood

As I stated in earlier posts, there are Delta furloughed guys who will get priority, but NOT ALL AT ONCE. Maybe 2 out of every 5 or so. They just cant have a whole group of them get recalled at the same time or in very close succession of each other. I am sure the pool is still inctact as it would not make sense to dump it and get a new one. We are getting our 15 70 seaters next year which will open up arround 172 positions or 86 cpt and 86 fo slots. From what I am seeing, we have close to that number in extra FO's now between ATL and DFW due to the E120 phase out. What this means is that the 86 cpt's slots will be filled by 50 seat cpt's and fo's. The current extra fo's will move into the remaining 50 or 70 seat slots, which will require an additional 80 plus new hires. The next 70 seat classes for the new aircraft will be in the end of Nov or beginning of Dec. As far as hiring, I would guess around March time frame because that will be when the number of extra fo's will start to dwindle and training takes around 2 months to complete.

Remember, this is just a guess as to the numbers and when. The training department is putting out some larger numbers for new hire classes next year, but since they cant substantiate the additional requirement I wont publish them. So these numbers I have should be at least the min amount required.
I know it is not much, but I hope it helps a little. Tim.