F/O's stay away from COMAIR, 5 Year Upgrage!

[whaleroast]

Does that woman know you're big bald ugly head is next to her pooper?

 

[DX Rick]

Come to RAH

And you can fly the "Heavy" for the same pay.

 

[Garritto]

So the comair upgrade is 5 years for people hired 5 years ago. You're projecting 4 years for someone hired 2 years ago. So then it would be less than that for someone hired today, right? Comair had been downsizing for years, and even furloughed. And even after that the longest upgrade was 5 years. Now that we're done shrinking, things will pick up. I've moved up about 300 numbers since hired 10 months ago.

 

[DrewBlows]

'It is what it is...'

Comair is different things to different people. Keep in mind that everyone's perspective is different and while it may be appropriate for one person to 'wait it out' it may also be entirely appropriate for someone else to 'jump ship'.

Those of us who were hired before bankruptcy were hired with the understanding there would be a long upgrade. I can only speak for myself when I say this was an acceptable trade off for decent pay (even as a First Officer) and a retirement plan that would make Comair a 'career airline' if one wished. All of the things that made Comair a decent place to work as an FO are now gone thanks to bankruptcy.

Comair has openly hostile management and a dilapidated scheduling infrastructure that can make life difficult for it's pilots. Quality of life varies day-to-day for line holders and is pretty bad all the time for reserves. If you live in CVG or NY life can be good though.

I suspect a lot of people who were hired at Comair who were open to the possibility of making it a career have changed their minds. I certainly have. At the same time there are many people who are content at Comair which is why upgrade is still so slow. For anyone hired now, upgrade won't be five years. If I had to guess, I'd say someone hired tomorrow will upgrade in three to four years. It could be longer if there is any growth, but in my opinion any growth on the 76 seat side will be at the expense of the 50 seat side.

I don't see Comair growing to it's pre-bankruptcy size for six to eight more years. This is based on 15 76 seaters a year slowly phasing out 50 seaters before growth aircraft arrive. The good news is the 76 seater pays more than the 50, so everyone will make more money going forward.

I don't believe someone's decision to stay or go is a right or wrong decision. It's an individual decision based on one's own situation. There are many reasons one should stay and many reasons one should go, the goal is to make yourself happy and if you accomplish that you are doing very well. Of course not everyone will make the right choices because we can't predict the future, after all, if we could predict the future we'd all be stock brokers instead of pilots.

 

[flyboyike]

I've moved up about 300 numbers since hired 10 months ago.

Did you now? I only moved up 151 and I was in your class!

 

[RiddleEagle18]

Did you now? I only moved up 151 and I was in your class!

well split the difference. If not leaning more towards garritos number.

Those hired in December of 06 would have mid 1500 numbers when hired. (1520-1570) In June when the new seniority list was released those same December 06 hires had numbers from 1380-1430. Thats 150 numbers.

Since then I have kept track of all of the pilots listed as quit in all of the bid packets. Delete those pilots from the excel list and excel puts there new seniority number from 1340-1390.
So 200 numbers.

Personally knowing pilots who have quit it seems to take at least a month if not 2 to be listed as quit on the bid packet. So take the average of 30 pilots quiting a month (20 of those being senior to the Dec 06 class) and that puts the Dec 06 hires at around 240 numbers higher than when hired.

This also puts them 375 numbers away from the most junior capt. award. (Granted not yet trained)

 

[CRJ puppy]

Been here 2 + years and upgrade not in site! Still about 2 more years. Only doing about 30 upgrades first part of next year. One good thing is you will get a line either in CVG or JFK. Anybody interview here recently, whats HR saying? I am trying to jump ship right now!

Who on earth told you it would be otherwise? Or what were you drinking!?!

 

[AWACO]

So what is an upgrage? how do I know I even want one?

 

[superfreight208]

What the **** you think I am putting this post out for!

Were you smoking crack they have never said otherwise and it has never been a secret that upgrade is slow at OH, yet you took the job?

So I can maybe shed some light on the subject to new hires to go to CHQ or somewhere else! I admit I did not do my homework!

 

[DX Rick]

Comair is different things to different people. Keep in mind that everyone's perspective is different and while it may be appropriate for one person to 'wait it out' it may also be entirely appropriate for someone else to 'jump ship'..

I came here because of the higher pay, and heard from many other that Comair was "the place to be" ....well at one time. And for what it was, it would be THAT bad of a career place to hang out. But I'm also not a person to go jumping company to company to find "happiness and bliss" or in search of the holy PIC time.
Many outside of the airline laugh at some of our Captains, refering to them as "Old" or "Militant" ....fine so be it, but it shows that the employees wanted to be there. It's a damn shame that the management wants to turn us into another Mesa.
Everyone who I have flown with who has been here less than 7-8 years, do nothing but complain the whole entire time.
Hopefully when negotiations come around, there is no stalling (but I'm sure there will be for atleast 3 yrs) and we get our payscale above what they used to be, especially since we're phasing out the 40/50's.

 

[captainv]

Don't pay any attention to what the recruiters tell you about upgrade times.

When I came in, we were getting 30+ aircraft deliveries and upgrades were projected to go pretty low (i remember hearing under two years). It never got close.

We've gone from 176 aircraft to about 130. The size of our pilot group has shrunk as well. We haven't had growth in years. But anything could happen. Open up a new base and upgrades could go junior. (although it's tough to imagine a base people would avoid more than JFK) Get a new aircraft and upgrades could go junior.

 

[EMB170Pilot]

And you can fly the "Heavy" for the same pay.

Duh, that wil be changed with our next contract

 

[wmuflyguy]

Duh, that wil be changed with our next contract

He'll be a captain here by that time.

 

[acarpe3448]

Comair sucks anyway! Go somewhere else! Anywhere else!

 

[Hovernut]

Comair sucks anyway! Go somewhere else! Anywhere else!

As much as I dislike this guy's attitude towards my good bretheren at Comair, I'm afaid I'm in agreement with this Delta goon Comair-Hater and say, "stay away!"

...I'll regret this in the morning and I still won't love you...