Just caught this thread and thought I'd weigh in. I'm the Amerijet FO from the cargo thread speaking of the wonders of Amerijet. Here is a recap and some new bullets outlining the experience that is 121 supplimental, Miami style...brought to you by Amerijet;
- No lavs in any airplanes
- Promised 60K per year. Get around 35K.
- Promised upgrade in 3 to 6 months. Not gonna see it for years.
- Required to print my own Jepps at my expense.
- Health insurance costs a little over $700 per month. That's not a typo!
- The atmosphere there is very captain orientated. FOs could never have anything to contribute. (not just me. other FOs from other airlines have noticed this as well.)
- No schedule. You get a bid period with 8 hard days off (which you bid for). After that every work day is a reserve day. You wait by the phone and if they call you you go fly regardless of seniority. If you get called, go to the airport and don't fly for whatever reason you don't get paid. (just your 60hr. guarentee)
- Per Diem is $1.25 per hour.
- You can't fly over 60 hours. They stop schedualing you at 60.
- Training is horrendous. GOS consists of a clueless instructor reading the manual off the wall. Seriously, they plug a laptop into a projector and project the manual onto the wall and then you all read together.
- Instructor doesn't know material. Thought exemption 3585 applied to takeoff alternates. (it doesn't)
- Systems training isn't too bad, however you get no manual and the "internet" manual is for a 727-100. They don't have any 100s, just 200s. They justify this saying they "could get the 100s again someday".
- No read files from the chief pilot, just e-mails that cannot be tracked or retrieved.
- Bunch of scab captains. Mostly ex-eastern guys who crossed the line and now preach of their glory days at eastern. (leaving out the scab bit of course)
- One of these "scabs" had an engine failure on the takeoff roll. Aborted the takeoff and then decided to to run up the vibrating engine to see at what N1 it vibrated the most. After that he taxied back to the gate with just one of the three engines. Can you guess which engine he used to taxi back? You guessed it! The only one that was vibrating.
- Some CAs think when Departure tells you "best forward speed" on the climb that means accelerating to 335 kts at 6,000 ft.
- Some CAs think when your "heavy" (ie, 197K) for take off it's "very important to retract the flaps fast". Doesn't seem to matter that your 20 to 25 kts slow for the next flap speed. (read they try to kill us innocent FOs frequently)
- You earn 1.25 hours a sick time per MONTH.
- If you call in sick you burn 2.5 hour for that day.
- If you call in sick with no sick time they dock you 5 hours from your guarentee.
- If you call in sick within 2.5 hours of departure then they dock you 5 hours from your guarentee.
- If you call in sick with no sick time your sick time counter goes into the negitive. At 1.25 hours per month earned it could take a while to get back to even.
- They have furloughed pilots on the street.
- They have a new hire class in progress.
- 23 and 24 are both happening RIGHT NOW.
- DMIs get "fixed" and immeadatly re-written up.
- There are no over nights (very few). That means if you go to South America you're coming back that day...with stops. Makes for long days. 17 to 18 hours is not uncommon.
- If you stay at a hotel you have to pay yourself and get the company to pay you back. Cab rides are the same.
God, I know there's more, I just can't think of any more. I'm sure that if every pilot at Amerijet with a resume out got hired tomorrow the airline would shut down. Only the Eastern scabs would be left. Speaking of shutting down, ever day I go to work I'm amazed the FAA hasen't shut us down.
Good luck on the Champion vs. Amerijet decission.
