Great Lakes Folks, Confirm 1st Yr. Hourly Wage?

[dueguard1]

Just recently went on Airlinepilotpay.com, and it showed First Year F/O pay at $15.00 an Hour for Great Lakes...............................Someone please, And I mean pleeeeease tell me this was a typo................................Geez I'm getting $35 an Hour just doing Freelance instructing. If it is indeed true I hope you guyz are surely doing it for some sort of light at the end of such a dissmal tunnel (i.e. quicker upgrades than folks at other Regionals).................By the way what are the upgrades running at over there??????

 

[labbats]

You know what? Disregard this whole big useless post I just made. Nothing is going to convince you that some things are worse than instructing. Nothing would have convinced me back then either.

 

[Sandstorm]

If it makes you feel any better its really $15.30 per hour. Second year you move up to $17.22.

 

[T-prop]

They do have rather fast upgrade. appr. 6-18 months. Then the pay goes to $26.

 

[Paul R. Smith]

Just recently went on Airlinepilotpay.com, and it showed First Year F/O pay at $15.00 an Hour for Great Lakes...............................Someone please, And I mean pleeeeease tell me this was a typo................................Geez I'm getting $35 an Hour just doing Freelance instructing. If it is indeed true I hope you guyz are surely doing it for some sort of light at the end of such a dissmal tunnel (i.e. quicker upgrades than folks at other Regionals).................By the way what are the upgrades running at over there??????

Now I'm not saying that GLA is agreat place to work but consider this...
UPS starting pay rate 27/hr
CAL sarting yearly salary around 25K/yr
I could go on but you get the eye-deer


Both are reputable companies...
Starting pay will probably always suck. You are not officially under the union umbrella and are not paying dues. Perhaps the sarting pay is there to wipe the newhire-koolaid-swilling-rose-coloured glasses off. Just a thought
Off the record I have never heard anything good about GLA and would reccomend not going there. But if your happy with your CFI pay then stay where your at.

Is GLA unionized? I have had a few friends that went there but never heard em speak of unions, just how much they wanted to go elsewhere.

 

[wheelsup]

Now I'm not saying that GLA is agreat place to work but consider this...
UPS starting pay rate 27/hr
CAL sarting yearly salary around 25K/yr
I could go on but you get the eye-deer

You can't really be serious. At those companies you'll be close or top 100k within 3-4 years, even as an f/o.

I do think it is crazy that as a captain you're making $26/hr. But its turbine PIC right? Just live with your fellow pilots! HA!

~wheelsup

 

[Paul R. Smith]

You can't really be serious. At those companies you'll be close or top 100k within 3-4 years, even as an f/o.

I do think it is crazy that as a captain you're making $26/hr. But its turbine PIC right? Just live with your fellow pilots! HA!

~wheelsup

Yeah and were also talking about comparing flying Heavies and Etops ac to the Beech 1900 and Bra-dildo as well. It was just a parallel. Shheesh.!

A.Flying heavies ie the DC-8 for 27/hr
B.Flying the Beech 1900 airliner with many features for your comfort and safety for 15/hr

either way...

But back yo the guys original qqq.
I hear the upgrade time is low but the FOs don't throw the gear so don't worry about being stuck in the right seat throwing the gear all day. The wouldn't trust you with that.

 

[Captain Overs]

Just recently went on Airlinepilotpay.com, and it showed First Year F/O pay at $15.00 an Hour for Great Lakes...............................Someone please, And I mean pleeeeease tell me this was a typo................................Geez I'm getting $35 an Hour just doing Freelance instructing. If it is indeed true I hope you guyz are surely doing it for some sort of light at the end of such a dissmal tunnel (i.e. quicker upgrades than folks at other Regionals).................By the way what are the upgrades running at over there??????

Don't complain guys. Remember you fly for the fun of it.

 

[Flyingdutchman]

C'mon captain, kidding right?

I love flying, but got bills to pay you know..

Did I mention my girlfriend, car, apt. rent, insurances and my 65K (Euro) studentloan?

FD

 

[gt1900]

Ya, pay sucks, and the company isn't great by any means. If you are looking for a nice cushy regional job, Lakes isn't the place for you. If you want to build PIC turbine time fast, and get one of the fastest routes to AirTran, Southwest, America West, or Alaska, then by all means, go to Lakes, suck it up for about 4 years, and then get the hell out. The company isn't as bad as people say, usually the people talking smack have no idea about the real culture of Lakes. The company sucks, but the people you fly with are great. As far as being unionized, Lakes is Teamsters (what a friggen joke). But since we have a republican president and a republican mediation board, Lakes aint' getting realeased anytime soon. I guess a 100% strike vote and a 100% vote turning down the most recent contract wasn't enough to get released. After almost 5 years, you would think we could get released, but nope. The only way Lakers will get a new contract anytime soon, will be illegal job action. And there are too many who won't stand up to the company to get that to pass. BTW. Upgrade is running about 1 year right now. First year Cpt pay is about $26 hr and second year is about $28 (I could be off by a dollar or two but I think I'm pretty close).

 

[Captain Overs]

C'mon captain, kidding right?

I love flying, but got bills to pay you know..

Did I mention my girlfriend, car, apt. rent, insurances and my 65K (Euro) studentloan?

FD

Don't worry about the girlfriend. I just had to add "flying for the love of it". It seems like every once in awhile someone on this board will try and justify crappy pay by saying "I just love to fly".

 

[dueguard1]

I beleive I could suck it up For an Entire Year to Make Capt. that quick................But man oh man would I certainly miss what I was pulling down as a Freeelance instructor compared to those pay rates.............................

 

[Clyde]

Now I'm not saying that GLA is agreat place to work but consider this...
UPS starting pay rate 27/hr

Yes, but do you know what the pay does after year one?

First year FE, I made a little over $27K that year. Second year FO, I grossed $98K that year. Not bad, huh?

 

[crashpad]

It's a lot like being in a rock band. You do it with hopes of fame and fortune, then when reality sets in you get a 9-5 and call it quits.
Of course, you might get lucky and be signed by a big name label, but by that time the illusions have faded.
Capt. Over is correct, you have to love flying to succeed!

 

[HMR]

It's a lot like being in a rock band. You do it with hopes of fame and fortune, then when reality sets in you get a 9-5 and call it quits.
Of course, you might get lucky and be signed by a big name label, but by that time the illusions have faded.
Capt. Over is correct, you have to love flying to succeed!

Great analogy. Another FlightInfo'er and I did just that. We signed to a big name label (well, a subsidiary anyway), got paid to travel the world for a few years, got dumped from the label, then took what little money was left and used it towards our ratings. As a pilot (PT91 Corp.) I have a way better QOL than any of my famous friends (just not as many vacation homes).

OK, sorry to interrupt. Now you can get back to your low-wage, GLA bash-fest.

 

[AdSo81]

So just out of Curiosity, does anyone have an opinion on on whether or not Lakes was a good choice? Anybody have any thoughts on experiance with post GLA guys?

 

[gt1900]

Lakes was the best choice I have ever made. I have buddies that got hired at Horizon at the same time I got to Lakes. I will probably be a captain at AirTran about the same time they will see the left seat of the dash or RJ. I also know people who left lakes after 2 or 3 years to go to Air Wisconsin because they thought it would be a good career move. Most of those guys are now stuck in the right seat of an RJ with no upgrade in site. If you are young and can stick it out, Lakes is about the best place to go (or anywhere else that has a really fast upgrade). If you are married with kids, you might think twice, the quality of life kinda sucks. Remember, airlines higher Captains, not FO's, if you don't have PIC turbine time, you won't get hired by a major airline (there are a few exceptions). If your goal is to get to the majors as fast as possible, go to lakes.

 

[Cardinal]

AdSo, have faith. You fly great, so ya wont have a problem with upgrade if you study hard. You're young and single, it'll work out. I had a few doubts back in the day, when the flight school buddies thought I was nuts for not sticking around and flying PIC on a wrung out C402. Now, consider the crew room banter, it's people angling for their target major. How about the guy that checked his voicemail and was offered a Line Check Airman position, an America West interview, and a Southwest interview simultaneously?