CommutAir

[lowlycfi]

Anyone who flies for CommutAir know what the hiring situation is there? Any plans to start interviewing in the near future? Thanks for the info.

 

[B-J-J Fighter]

I heard from a firiend who works there that they are getting Saabs soon.

 

[bizicmo]

In theory.

 

[Machdog1]

Thats funny when I worked there 6 years ago the same exact rumor was going around. I guess things haven't changed much there. But this time it is for real right???
LOL

 

[CoolSidePillow]

We just took over the Commutair hangar in albany

 

[lowlycfi]

We just took over the Commutair hangar in albany

Who is we?

 

[NEDude]

Wouldn't put much stock in CommutAir being around much longer in recognizable form. I left not too long ago with news of a December 30th announcement looming of new financing and a new cost plus contract with Continental for Saabs out of Cleveland. According to friends still there deal got delayed. And a week later it totally fell through and news was that Raytheon was fed up with the default on the lease payments for the 1900s. Apparently they came within a day or two of having the planes repossesed before Raytheon gave them until sometime in February. And news from The Business Review of Albany had this to say the other day:

"...CommutAir owes the Albany County Airport Authority about $1 million."

Hard to figure out how a company with a cost plus contract in Cleveland and EAS contracts out of Boston can't pay its bills.

Too bad though, good group of people over there. I just don't hold out hope for a bright future.

 

[lowlycfi]

Thanks for the info.

 

[Beech_boy]

Regarding that story about commutair owning Albany airport all that money, is there a link to that article? I'd be interested in reading that.

 

[NEDude]

Regarding that story about commutair owning Albany airport all that money, is there a link to that article? I'd be interested in reading that.

Hopefully the following link will work. If not, go to yahoo news and type in 'Commutair', it will come up. The article is from January 15th.

http://rds.yahoo.com/S=53720272/K=commutair/v=2/SID=e/l=NSR/R=2/SIG=12v8ur4nk/EXP=1137968434/*-http%3A//www.bizjournals.com/albany/stories/2006/01/16/story7.html?from_rss=1

 

[NHaviator]

commutair debts

http://www.bizjournals.com/albany/stories/2006/01/16/story7.html

same story, different link but i guess ya beat me to it

 

[CA1900]

That article's so full of factual errors about the airline, I wouldn't put much stock in anything it says:

At its peak, CommutAir... used a gate and maintained a pilots' waiting room at the airport.

Actually, we were the exclusive tenants of three gates.

But the cost of fuel went up, the small airline's Cessna's were not competitive and the airline refinanced...

"The small airline" does not operate Cessnas, and never has. And the misplaced apostrophe is really bad grammar for a "Business Journal."

I don't doubt that we owe the airport money, but I'm real suspicious of the specifics, based on the other stuff in this article.

 

[AutoBus]

That article's so full of factual errors about the airline, I wouldn't put much stock in anything it says:

At its peak, CommutAir... used a gate and maintained a pilots' waiting room at the airport.

Actually, we were the exclusive tenants of three gates.

But the cost of fuel went up, the small airline's Cessna's were not competitive and the airline refinanced...

"The small airline" does not operate Cessnas, and never has. And the misplaced apostrophe is really bad grammar for a "Business Journal."

I don't doubt that we owe the airport money, but I'm real suspicious of the specifics, based on the other stuff in this article.

Actually, they owned several cessna's. A cessna 425, two citations, and a 172 all personal toys of management

 

[CA1900]

Actually, they owned several cessna's. A cessna 425, two citations, and a 172 all personal toys of management

HA! I forgot about the owners' toys -- they were filling one of them up from the airline's Jet-A truck the day the furlough announcement went out in mid-2001. (The one that mentioned their cash-flow problems. Grrr.) I guess I didn't think of those as operated by "the airline." You know, since we're all employee-stockholders and all. uke:

 

[walkthasky]

Thats funny when I worked there 6 years ago the same exact rumor was going around. I guess things haven't changed much there. But this time it is for real right???
LOL

ahh memories...

 

[beech1900kid]

What financial woes? Used to work at coomutair...just curious what happened with lease payments to Raytheon...

 

[CA1900]

Anyone who flies for CommutAir know what the hiring situation is there? Any plans to start interviewing in the near future? Thanks for the info.

A follow-up to your original question: The company's gearing up for a new-hire class in the near future, and has asked company pilots to forward resumes from people we know well and would recommend. So if you're close with a CommutAir pilot and want to work here, now's the time to call in that favor.

just curious what happened with lease payments to Raytheon...

It had us nervous for a bit, but it looks like we got financing from Laurus Funds to the tune of $37 million. So maybe, just maybe, we'll actually see something bigger.

But I'll say here what I say to the guys I fly with: Don't make any career plans based on airplanes we might get. We're a 1900 operator until a new airplane is parked on the ramp.

When another type shows up, painted in another airline's colors with the logos peeled off, then we'll know it's ours. You know, something like this.

 

[Sig]

When another type shows up, painted in another airline's colors with the logos peeled off, then we'll know it's ours. You know, something like this.

ROFL. Pretty sure PDT is getting the parked 100s to replace the mighty deuce; trust me- you don't want 'em. Get the 300s- lots of fun, two packs, quiet and easiest landing model we fly. Great little FMS, rooooooooomy cockpit, FA can hide in the galley... Configured 1050/15 it lands like a slowtation.

I wish we could fly the 400. If the progression between models is the same, it has to be a riot to drive.

 

[Quillpig]

For anyone who is interested, there is a message forum for CommutAir pilots at http://commutairpilots.proboards22.com. While most of the activity is in the sections restricted to current CommutAir pilots, there is a public section where anybody can post.

 

[onionluvr]

Anyone who flies for CommutAir know what the hiring situation is there? Any plans to start interviewing in the near future? Thanks for the info.

Looks like there should be a newhire class in May. If everything goes the way it's supposed to....and that's a big IF.........there should be a lot of hiring in the coming months.

 

[350Capt]

I miss all of this.