Colgan Pilots!!!

[suupah]

With the upgrade taking longer than anticipated we are all stuck with second year pay which is waaaaaay behind industry standards. With student loans coming due many of us can not stay here and no body is going to want to work here. it will costs them mucho money in training.

Has anyone heards anything about any proposed second year pay increases? all my friends at other airlines are making 35 an hour with per diem. they stand to make over 40 k their second year. with the work rules and over guarantee. takes a bit of the sting off the 850 dollar a monhth loan payment.

 

[Quillpig]

all my friends at other airlines are making 35 an hour with per diem.

Then I guess none of your friends at other airlines are flying the Beech or the Saab, are they?

 

[suupah]

Then I guess none of your friends at other airlines are flying the Beech or the Saab, are they?

that is true. they are all flying jets. i thought tprops were more profitable than jets. shouldn't that equate to better wages? or at least the same wages?

 

[Prop2Jet]

we are all screwed.... Doomed, never to make to money again.... FUBAR.... Hey Suupah I will be your pimp so you can pay off your billz.

 

[Guitar Guy]

Usually, the larger the aircraft, the bigger the paycheck at a given carrier and that's usually the trend across carriers, too. Thus, no one would expect a 1900 to pay as much as a 50-seat jet or even a Saab or EMB-120. And the economic efficiency of an airccraft doesn't factor into the paycheck unless you have profit-sharing.

We'll not debate the "flying 70-seaters for 50-seat pay" issue...

 

[BoilerUP]

takes a bit of the sting off the 850 dollar a monhth loan payment.

Good gawd man, how much student loan debt do you have? I thought a had a sh!tload and my payment is half that...

 

[great cornholio]

Wouldnt count on the pay rates going up any time soon. I think as far as 1900s go Colgan actually pays pretty decent (industry average or just above average)

 

[suupah]

this may be true. but i think rates will have to go up considering they lost a huge portion of their employees last year and the training costs for the replacements are going to be very high.

with regionals hiring right now that offer better pay, without the upgrade carrot, it is going to be hard to entice people to come/stay here in the near future.

 

[Pattern-Master]

$850.00 a month is nothing, I know people who owe over $1000.00 a month. And yes, many have defaulted. Just make sure you don't have a co-signer.

 

[ERfly]

this may be true. but i think rates will have to go up considering they lost a huge portion of their employees last year and the training costs for the replacements are going to be very high.

with regionals hiring right now that offer better pay, without the upgrade carrot, it is going to be hard to entice people to come/stay here in the near future.

The Former Asst. CP (lovely individual that she was) told my newhire class they Colgan didn't expect to see any of us there in 3 years. That's what the company thinks of people in it for the long haul.

 

[dh82dvr]

maybe 1900 crews should get the F/A pay as well.

 

[dh82dvr]

pay raise can come by leaving 10 early and arriving on time.

 

[EBE]

colgan

this may be true. but i think rates will have to go up considering they lost a huge portion of their employees last year and the training costs for the replacements are going to be very high.

with regionals hiring right now that offer better pay, without the upgrade carrot, it is going to be hard to entice people to come/stay here in the near future.

How long are the upgrades supposed to be now?

 

[CoolSidePillow]

upgrades are probably more like 18 months and there wont be any pay raises. they have always done things this way. as posted before and I heard it when I was hired a few years ago... they dont expect to see you in 4 years...give them 2 weeks notice and they will wish you the best and if you need a job the door is open. Captain pay is below industry average for the Saab as well. Mesaba and Eagle make more money. There may be some companies hiring but not a lot of them. Most have hiring pools and as you wait for a class date you are still working and they get to use you on the schedule. The low time people wont leave, maybe because of the contract, maybe because they are glad to have a job, maybe they are thinking things will be different when they have a year in, maybe they like where they are based cause they live there. The pay raises per year for an FO are more than for a Captain. 2 dollars compared to 1.50 per year. If they arent worried about Captains leaving they are less worried about FO's. That is just the way it is.

 

[Canadair RJ]

The Former Asst. CP (lovely individual that she was) told my newhire class they Colgan didn't expect to see any of us there in 3 years. That's what the company thinks of people in it for the long haul.

Do alot of the pilots come to Colgan just to get some time and then jump ships to another regional airline?

 

[cx747]

Definitely a stepping stone airline...give them a year and the experience you get will make you marketable at either a reputable regional flying an E170 or doing Part 135 flying. I like it at Colgan, just wish they'd paid more and didn't treat you like a piece of crap when you call in sick. I refuse to be yelled at when I'm sicker than a dog and call in sick for the first time ever (yes, it really happened). Companies can't function like this. Go to a regional that has a union and you wont have to worry about the above issues.

 

[CoolSidePillow]

Do alot of the pilots come to Colgan just to get some time and then jump ships to another regional airline?

There are some yeah. More so a few years ago when the hiring mins were higher for jet operators. Now that Express Jet and some of the others are out of their minds letting kids with 600 TT fly their planes there is less need for people to grab some time and go.

 

[ERfly]

Do alot of the pilots come to Colgan just to get some time and then jump ships to another regional airline?

They were when I was there. Keep in mind that was over a year and a half ago.

 

[GEORGE DUBYA]

I really am sick and tired of these people coming on here bashing colgan who fly the jets. Your overhead panels and memory items are embarassing. Great you fly higher and faster but have no stick and rudder skills anymore. Have fun when the screens go blank. Also have fun when I am captain in less than 2years and you are at American Eagle for ten years in the left seat. What is upgrade and Express jet? Yeah that is what I thought. Probably at least 5 years. All I am saying if you havent worked here then shut up!
PS Embry Riddle graduates are a disease on the airline industry.

 

[suupah]

Definitely a stepping stone airline...give them a year and the experience you get will make you marketable at either a reputable regional flying an E170 or doing Part 135 flying. I like it at Colgan, just wish they'd paid more and didn't treat you like a piece of crap when you call in sick. I refuse to be yelled at when I'm sicker than a dog and call in sick for the first time ever (yes, it really happened). Companies can't function like this. Go to a regional that has a union and you wont have to worry about the above issues.

i called in sick once. no problem at all. i think it depends on whether they have anyone on reserve that day. if they don't, you might get a call.

 

[suupah]

PS Embry Riddle graduates are a disease on the airline industry.

they are the harvard of flight schools.

 

[Prop2Jet]

O my god!!!! Hey George is it true you moved? PM Me

 

[Superpilot92]

I really am sick and tired of these people coming on here bashing colgan who fly the jets. Your overhead panels and memory items are embarassing. Great you fly higher and faster but have no stick and rudder skills anymore. Have fun when the screens go blank. Also have fun when I am captain in less than 2years and you are at American Eagle for ten years in the left seat. What is upgrade and Express jet? Yeah that is what I thought. Probably at least 5 years. All I am saying if you havent worked here then shut up!
PS Embry Riddle graduates are a disease on the airline industry.

Upgrade time now at XJT for people upgrading now its right around 2 years, thanks for asking. Oh and when the screens go blank the plane still flys like an airplane so its all good.

 

[GEORGE DUBYA]

It is not 2 years you have to be kidding me they hired 1900 fo's the last couple of years that is what they told you. I have a friend there he has been there just under 2 years and he said upgrade is no where in sight.

 

[LoneStar123]

How long does it take to hold Houston??

 

[ERfly]

It is not 2 years you have to be kidding me they hired 1900 fo's the last couple of years that is what they told you. I have a friend there he has been there just under 2 years and he said upgrade is no where in sight.

We were at 18 months. The guys in upgrade on this last bid are around May/June 2004 hires. My math ain't too good, but I'd say it's around 2 years.

 

[ERfly]

How long does it take to hold Houston??

Some guys I've talked to recently (within the last few classes) have held it right out training. It's a crap shoot what you'll get in training, but it shouldn't take more than a few months...6 months, tops (depending on how many System Bids we have).

 

[Alchemy]

nevermind.

 

[veneratio]

It is not 2 years you have to be kidding me they hired 1900 fo's the last couple of years that is what they told you. I have a friend there he has been there just under 2 years and he said upgrade is no where in sight.

B1900 FA's should not post in the regional's forum.

 

[BirdCatcher]

upgrades are probably more like 18 months and there wont be any pay raises.

Currently the upgrade is 18 months, but every month that is going to increase. They are only upgrading an average of 4 per month. Considering they hired about 20 FOs a month last year the writing is on the wall. Someone with a mid to high 200 or 300 seniority number is not going to upgrade for a long time unless 1) we expand more (not going to happen anytime in the near future) or 2) attrition. Doesn't seem like FO's are leaving like they used too. If they raise the 2nd year pay for FO's then people won't leave and upgrade will become 3+ years easy. Look at the numbers not the BS the company says.