How much in the Comair Pool?

[dgarro]

I interviewed since Sept 22 I got the goodnews letter, They told us to expect Jan or Feb classes anybody interview around that time and is still waiting who got a good news letter, I just wanted to find out how much of us are in the pool and how much notice they give you for a class date? All de Breast

 

[Oakum_Boy]

I like to dip my feet in, that's about 6% of me.

 

[Treme]

Rumor is we're losing about 2 F/Os a week. (to other airlines or leaving the industry). So I cant imagine you will be in the pool very long.

Attrition is almost all coming from the bottom half of the seniority list right now.

 

[moscowcfi]

You are needed.

I am starting IOE now and they're telling us we really need FO's. Seems we've picked up a lot of hours from Delta. If nothing changes, you probably won't be waiting long.

 

[chperplt]

Interviews will start again in December. Classes will begin in Feb unless moved up.. 150-200 new FOs next year mainly due to attrition..

My info is current as of last week and comes from someone on the interview team.

 

[cl65capt]

Just curious, where are all these FO's going? I know of some captains at about the 6 year mark that are leaving, but how about he FO's? Just curious, thanks.

 

[Justino]

How long does it take the hear something from comair after u send in the resume?

 

[Treme]

CL65Cpt,

It's a mix. There are some ultra-high-time F/Os who were furloughees from other carriers and are being hired by Southwest, Jetblue, Fedex, etc. I believe there are some of these who have left recently to pursue new educational opportunities and who are leaving the industry altogether. (rumor mill)

There are some ultra-low-time academy types who are jumping ship to go over to Chautauqua and the like where the upgrade is perceived to be quicker. (Despite the lower payscales, Captain at Chautauqua pays more than F/O at Comair).

There are very few Captains leaving which appears to be creating an odd phenomenon within the seniority list -- a kind of "phantom attrition" which generates hiring, but no movement on the seniority list. Attrition from the bottom of the list.

Treme'

 

[chperplt]

Justino

With your times and experience, you'll probably be waiting a long time. The only lower time people being hired are from the academy.

New hires outside of the academy seem to have greater than 2000 hours and are previous 121.

 

[bladeusa]

theres a 26 year old fo leaving this week to go to Quatas to fly a 747/400... so theres one one spot for a poolie..

 

[Knob]

I got hired in June-Sure hope its worth the wait!

 

[Treme]

It is a good job and, generally speaking, a good company. But any time that you have first officers leaving I believe that the company should sit back and ask "why?"

It is certainly uncommon for attrition to come from the bottom, so what is Comair doing that is making the company less desirable for its junior people? Certainly the stagnation (long upgrades, long time on reserve) would play a part.

But also the constant barrage of threats and intimidation. Paycuts, bankruptcy, rumors of furloughs, crewmembers getting called by the chief pilots in their hotel rooms, late bid results, inaccurate bid results, the whipsaw.

Not all of it comes from management either. There are pilots who will tell you that if you were not there during the strike your opinion doesn't matter. You can not express concerns about job security or concessions without hearing, "I was on strike for 89 days and i'm not giving up a penny..."

There are some fundemental problems at the company that will require concerted effort by both the pilots and management to change. It is a culture problem which really needs to be addressed - the sooner the better.

It's still one of the best "regionals" out there. To move beyond that "regional" title though the culture will have to change.

Hopefully the LEC elections (taking place right now) can be the first step in addressing the culture/unity problems within the pilot group. There is no clear avenue, however, to foster change in management's tactics.

 

[Hovernut]

I just ran across one of the interview Captains tonight and in quick passing, he said they're going to ramp up interviews in a couple weeks. I hear we're a bit understaffed right now...I do know they're running the reserves ragged and regularly trying to displace line holders.

One of the FOs in my class left for NetJets. He commuted from Dallas and I'm sure the closing of that hub played in his decision.

 

[SEFlyer]

It is a good job and, generally speaking, a good company. But any time that you have first officers leaving I believe that the company should sit back and ask "why?"

It is certainly uncommon for attrition to come from the bottom, so what is Comair doing that is making the company less desirable for its junior people? Certainly the stagnation (long upgrades, long time on reserve) would play a part.

But also the constant barrage of threats and intimidation. Paycuts, bankruptcy, rumors of furloughs, crewmembers getting called by the chief pilots in their hotel rooms, late bid results, inaccurate bid results, the whipsaw.

Not all of it comes from management either. There are pilots who will tell you that if you were not there during the strike your opinion doesn't matter. You can not express concerns about job security or concessions without hearing, "I was on strike for 89 days and i'm not giving up a penny..."

There are some fundemental problems at the company that will require concerted effort by both the pilots and management to change. It is a culture problem which really needs to be addressed - the sooner the better.

It's still one of the best "regionals" out there. To move beyond that "regional" title though the culture will have to change.

Hopefully the LEC elections (taking place right now) can be the first step in addressing the culture/unity problems within the pilot group. There is no clear avenue, however, to foster change in management's tactics.

Yes, but did the guy on strike also tell you that other carriers union dues and donations went to help support a small income for him to live off of?

 

[ultrarunner]

Saw the first post and just for grins, looked up the pay scale. Looks like a new FO will gross under 21 grand the first year, plus per diem, etc.. Incredible. That's nearly exactly what I made, in 1989 as a first year FO at my first job, 15 years ago.

What was first year pay at Comair 15 years ago?