Comair Process

[Anaconda]

i don't ever remember being told in class i couldn't jumpseat. i went through class back in august and sept. i also don't remember getting offered any passes to go home on, either. frankly, if you have time to go home on the weekends you are a better man than me!

you get your id on the first day of class. that should enable you to jump as far as i know. i did it with no problem on the longer breaks.

i commute to and from reserve with no problem. all comair asks is that you make it to work on time. they also have a commuter policy in the new contract now, but that will pretty much only apply to lineholders.

the comments about pay are right on as you would expect.

leather jackets are a new item. paid for with your dime of course, but they are very nice. about $340 to $360...

overall comair is a great place to work. i left another regional to come here and i'm glad i did it. i'm very happy here...

oh yeah, fax is the best way to send in a resume. reference the human resources section of www.comair.com for the number.

good luck to everyone!

 

[atpcliff]

Hi!

Thanks a lot for the info. It's very helpful.

To all of you out there like me who are frustrated:
Things are bad if you're furloughed or looking for a job. Hang in there!
I applied in '91, which was terrible. The normal time to get hired then was 3-4,000, with 500+ ME. Things picked up, and I eventually got a job.

Things will pick up again for us. Be patient, and fly as much as you can. If you can't fly, fly a simulator/your computer and stay in the books, keep those apps out, so when you finally get called for an interview, you'll be ready.

You can do it!

Cliff
GB,WI

PS-You can choose to be a disgruntled, unhappy furloughed/not hired pilot, or you can choose to be a happy, contented furloughed/not hired pilot. It's up to you. (I know it's hard, sometimes I slip into the first category.)

 

[AF01]

Comair bases ?

Hi !

I have heard that Comair might open a base in DFW ?
anybody has any info on that , when that might happen ??

how hard would it be to commute from DFW to CVG while on IOE ? reserve ? or on line ?

Anaconda > what is the commuter policy for the lineholders you taked about ?

what is the typical schecdule days ON / days OFF ? while on reserve ? on line ?

thanks a lot for all the info.

 

[js31pilot]

Upgrade Times @ Comair

Just a quick question............

What is the upgrade time @ Comair since 9/11. I am currently a Captain on a JS31 (junkstream) w/ 3300 and 500 turbine PIC. etc. I know my current time means nothing when seniority is concerned. Just wanted to show that when my number was called I'd be ready to upgrade. Thanks in advance for your time.............



js31pilot

 

[Anaconda]

comair opening a base in DFW is one of the stronger rumors i have heard as of recently. at this point, it is just that, a rumor. allowing for this rumor control, the earliest i have heard that it might happen is this summer. others may have heard differently.

i don't know how hard it would be for you to commute between DFW and CVG since I don't travel on that route. my first recommendation is to always live in the city where you are based. i realize of course that not everyone can do that. each and every route is of course different, and depends on the frequency of flights, number of seats, etc. i commute BNA to MCO, which is a popular destination as you can imagine. it has been easy so far, but i have 911 to think for that. recently the flights have been getting more and more full.

your best bet is to talk to someone that commutes the route you are looking at. keep in mind that jumpseat rules have changed and make it that much more difficult to commute these days.

commuting on ioe...depends on how far in advance they give you your schedule and how often it changes. mine was not given very far in advance and it changed a couple of times and i didn't get to go home.

commuting on reserve...doable, but you only get 10 days off right now and may have to spend some of your off days commuting. as long as you show up for work you are good to go.

commuting on a line...no different than any other company, just show up for work on time.

i don't have the contract with me now, but the commuter policy in a nutshell is that you have a chance to list for two flights and if you can't get on one you can call scheduling and let them know. then you have to show up when you can. something like that, anyway. obviously you have to have flights on which you can list. this policy isn't particularly unique, i understand a lot of companies have them, but it helps. i don't believe the language specifically denies reserves the use of this policy, but i think it makes more sense for lineholders. i have ample time to get to MCO without invoking this policy.

right now, we get 10 days off a month for a guarantee. 4 movable days off, and two groups of three "hard" days off a
month. in july (i think) that goes to 11 days off, with one group of three and one of four hard days. 2003 it goes to 12 days off a month in 31-day months. i don't remember the breakdown.

typical schedule...well, we don't have hard lines, except for the continuous duty lines, so nothing is typical. you can bid for the trips and days off that you want and seniority determines whether you get it or not. i usually work six days, day off, work a couple more, then have four days off, and repeat. that's just me. you can bid any combo you want. there are one day, two day, three, four and five day trips. the possiblities are virtually unlimeted based on your imagination and seniority...

as for upgrade time...last i heard the company was advertising 18 to 24 months at the most recent interviews. i believe this is probably based on the number of aircraft we are expected to get along with all of the crews needed to fly them.

let me know if you have any more questions!!!

 

[AF01]

thanks a lot for the info.
one more question : how long is reserve ?

thanks again.

 

[back]

SCHELDULES

QUICK QUESTION ON THE 10 DAYS OFF MIN. DO MOST OF THE PILOTS GET JUST THE MINIMUM OR ARE THERE TIMES THAT YOU GET MORE THAN THE MIN. OG 10 DAYS OFF ?

 

[Anaconda]

Regarding the question about how long reserve is. Hard for me to answer because I don't work in CVG, where all of the new-hires will be based. I'll never see a line, except a CD line if I'm lucky, in MCO. From the post above I see that the one guy is way junior to me in CVG and he is holding a CD line in CVG, which is a good sign. I have a hard time touching them in MCO.

Recently on another board I heard the company was advertising 6 - 8 months on reserve. Again, I can only think they are saying this because of their projections for hiring and aircraft deliveries. Realistically, I have been talking to CVG-based pilots in MCO that have been on reserve for over a year, sometimes close to two. Those that have upgraded at the earliest opportunity have been sitting reserve for an additional couple of years.

Ten days off is the number of days guaranteed to be off for reserves. I don't know of any reserves that get more than this, I don't think they ever do because Comair loves to have reserves. You would never have less than 10 as a line-holder, and depending how you bid, you can always try to get more.

Also, continuous duty lines are built to ten days off as well.

 

[back]

what does continous duty mean ? is it same as duty rigs ? also the 10 days off a month min. question was more geared to a person holding a line. I t sounds like a complicated bidding process but i am sure you can (with enoff seniority end up with more than 10 days off a month )

 

[Anaconda]

continuous duty, aka CD, means you never come off duty. you show up for work say at 2100, go fly, then go to a hotel for five hours, then fly back to your base, then get released, say at 0800. you are on duty for 11 hours continuously.

a CD line is when you pair up three of these in a row with two days for example, and you do that the entire month.

yes, it is a coplex bidding process, but i think in the end it provides you with more flexibility than the "hard lines" that a lot of other airlines use. you get to pick and chose what you desire to fly and when you want to fly it, or what days off you have.

you will never have less than ten days off a month here. or 11 or 12 as the case may be in the future

 

[back]

thanks for your reply, all of my flying has been corporate and am trying to compare the lifestyles between the two. I guess it comes down to senority in the long run. I am hopeing to interview soon with comair and just trying to get a feel as to how a monthly scheldule would look like.

 

[piperpilot2001]

Minimums

What are the minimums to apply to a company like Comair? In other words, what do you need to be taken seriously??? Just curious....Thanks!

 

[coex]

If you want the latest interview gouge on Com Air or any other airline go here!
http://www.aviationinterviews.com

Good luck!

 

[Anaconda]

oh yeah, seniority rules everything in the airline world. you can never have enough!

i don't know what your lifestyle is like as a corporate pilot, but i've heard a lot of bad stories about constantly on call, tied to a beeper, etc. oh, wait, that kind of sounds like my lifestyle here at comair!

seriously, though, until you get enough seniority to hold a line you won't have much of a lifestyle on reserve. the only thing that i can think of that would help you in that are is to actually live in the city where you are based. commuting is one of the worst aspects of the job, esp. in the post-911 world.

piperpilot, the mins at comair are listed on the human resources section at comair.com. realistically, however, that will probably find your resume in the circular file these days. i hear through the grapevine that they currently have no shortage of resumes from people with 3000-4000 and a load of multi time, not to mention crj flight time.

that being said, if you even come close you be out nothing but the cost of a fax by sending your stuff in. you just never know...

 

[xrjpilot]

I've got an interview on Wed. Any last minute gouge. I've heard about the Cog test. Did you take it last year? Remember what it is like? Heard anything about it? How much longer will they have the EMB-120?

Do you use a computer program to sort out the pairings for the bidding? (not that I'm putting the carriage in from of the horse)

If you put your self on the don't fly list for reserve, what are the chances that you'll get called?

I know lots of questions, but I appreciate your time.

Thanks in advance