Is Pinnacle a decent airline to work for?

[a-v-8er]

Your days off per month depends on your schedule (i.e. seniority in domicile, but also global) and have little to do with which airline you work for! Some people sit reserve for a long time when hired, others move up quickly and get good quality of life sooner. It's the same for every airline you'll work for... minor differences in schedules, but overall, seniority = better QOL!

 

[Lear70]

An F/O with any more than 6 months seniority should EASILY be able to hold 14 days off. If he is holding less than that, it's his own choice (probably because of a difficult commute).

I detest MEM and dislike being there much at all, but I'm staying in that domicile because the trips are built commutable for the most part. I can hold an extra day or two off in DTW or even MSP but half the trips are uncommutable so I'm back down to 12, 11, or 10 days off... no thanks.

Additionally, as someone mentioned, more flying in DTW and MSP that needs covered so as a MEM pilot I can routinely trip improve into a DTW trip, thereby flying more hours over the same number of days and being in less of a "Greater Northern Mississippi Flying Club" mentality.

The Association (union) isn't fantastic, but there is a SLOW changing of the guard taking place to get rid of much of the "senior guy's mentality"... but as proven by recent LOA's, the progress is VERY slow.

Don't count on a lot of things they may tell you, such as:

1.) Quick contract resolution. Not bloody fu*king likely.
2.) More Aircraft. Again, not a likelihood when you do ANY research on the NWA family of regionals and the "whiplashing" that goes on every few years.
3.) New aircraft on a new certificate. Sure, it's possible, but we won't be flying them and will spend a year or more in grievance against it a' la' Mesa / Freedom - TSA / G0 Jets.
4.) 14-day off lineholder. You're coming in at the end of a LOT of growth, which means you could get stuck on reserve for a VERY long time in what is considered the WORST airline reserve system in the world.

Upsides: good crews, good coworkers, decent aircraft, good maintenance, and good pass / medical benefits (as compared to many other regionals or charter/corporate alternatives).

Good luck!

 

[pilotpayne]

when i said stable,I meant financially. read the context. The company is making money so its as stable as you can get. As opposed to AWAC, SKyway, and I am sure there are others.

since when is awac not making money....we have more than most.

 

[pilotpayne]

Bad compared to what we are used to at CHQ. Average of 16 days off per month right out of training. Guys are getting up to 18 day off per month lines right out of IOE. Reserve is basically non-existant.

I guess everything is perfect at chautauqua.....Don't want to hijack this thread but what is it with you guys. I was on the bus the other day to the g gates in dulles when this female chq fo asked me where I was off to. I said I have a standup she had no clue what it was so I explained and she said, we don't have those your company kind of sucks huh......and than she says she needs to get a new hat but she will just wait the six months till she upgrades to get a new capt hat. Look I know life is great with your Ejets but really, and if I have one more chq guy tell me to leave awac and apply there I think I am going to scream.....ok rant over sorry

 

[RP170]

I guess everything is perfect at chautauqua.....Don't want to hijack this thread but what is it with you guys. I was on the bus the other day to the g gates in dulles when this female chq fo asked me where I was off to. I said I have a standup she had no clue what it was so I explained and she said, we don't have those your company kind of sucks huh......and than she says she needs to get a new hat but she will just wait the six months till she upgrades to get a new capt hat. Look I know life is great with your Ejets but really, and if I have one more chq guy tell me to leave awac and apply there I think I am going to scream.....ok rant over sorry

I guess we are just proud of where we work and happy we chose to work here. It seems to be a very content group of employees. By the way, we had an AWAC guy in our class. Figured you'd appreciate that.

 

[Spinplate]

I guess everything is perfect at chautauqua.....Don't want to hijack this thread but what is it with you guys. I was on the bus the other day to the g gates in dulles when this female chq fo asked me where I was off to. I said I have a standup she had no clue what it was so I explained and she said, we don't have those your company kind of sucks huh......and than she says she needs to get a new hat but she will just wait the six months till she upgrades to get a new capt hat. Look I know life is great with your Ejets but really, and if I have one more chq guy tell me to leave awac and apply there I think I am going to scream.....ok rant over sorry

What a snotty little biatch! Uh Oh my god, my daddy will buy me a new one!

Shes a biatch no matter who she flies for!

 

[dondk]

The scary part to the thread are the comments on who is better....

I remember threads on this 5 years ago... Back then Piedmont, Allegheny, AWAC, and Horizon were the "chosen" few you WANTED to be with. A few years later they have attrition to carriers like Pinnacle, CHQ (republic), TSA and COEX.

The point.. each of those are a regional... They may be good now, but lets ask the same question in a few years. If you talk to PDT guys/gals they will tell you 5 years ago it was a great place to work at/for. CHQ 5 years ago guys/gals were bailing there to get on with the PDT, AWAC and the top tier regionals.

We are all regionals, and maybe (god I hope not) MESA may even be considered a top tier regional. Look at the industry, it is very possible. Who else would have figured majors to become LCC's.

Back to Pinnacle as that was the orginal question. Lear 70 is quite knowledgable. He is on the money with everything other than holding 14 days as an FO within 6 months. With upgrades stagnating the movement amongst the FO's is slowing. MOst of the FO's I fly with have a year or more on the property and they are holding 12 days on average. It all depends on planning and staffing. If we evere get this airline staffed properly, then maybe 14 days or better.

For the RP170 comment about great days off. When Pinnacle first got the "new" jets on the property everyone was enjoying 16+ days off with 90 hour lines, there was no concept of reserve. Once staffing exceeded equipment the lines went down it took about 2 - 2 1/2 years for the lines to become crap. Companies don't start new equipment with crappy lines, they start with good lines until they can figure out a way to make them crappy and more profitable for them and less QOL of for you. That is everywhere at every company, regardless of regional or major.

 

[RP170]

That doesn't make much sense with the whole new fleet thing means more days off. Our EMB 145 guys also have 15-18 days off per month as line holders. Even the junior ones. Doesn't seem to matter what you fly or how junior you are. With our pref bidding system everyone seems to have about the same amount of days off when it all shakes out. Sure, if you a very senior you are going to have 18 but everyone else seems to be at a min of about 15 all the way up to 18 off.

 

[sweptback]

That doesn't make much sense with the whole new fleet thing means more days off. Our EMB 145 guys also have 15-18 days off per month as line holders. Even the junior ones. Doesn't seem to matter what you fly or how junior you are. With our pref bidding system everyone seems to have about the same amount of days off when it all shakes out. Sure, if you a very senior you are going to have 18 but everyone else seems to be at a min of about 15 all the way up to 18 off.

I really don't understand PBS, as I've never used it, but I just don't see how this is possible.

I just have a couple questions though. Where does reserve coverage come from? At my airline we try to have the number of reserve pilots equal 10%-ish of the lines (try being the key word because we are horribly understaffed). Since CHQ has no junior manning/extentions you figure that they would probably want to be fat on reserves. How then can guys only be on reserve for 2 days? Do people intentionally bid reserve to not fly, artifically inflating the relative position of new hires? Or does CHQ just not staff reserve and hope they never have to use it?

 

[RP170]

I really don't understand PBS, as I've never used it, but I just don't see how this is possible.

I just have a couple questions though. Where does reserve coverage come from? At my airline we try to have the number of reserve pilots equal 10%-ish of the lines (try being the key word because we are horribly understaffed). Since CHQ has no junior manning/extentions you figure that they would probably want to be fat on reserves. How then can guys only be on reserve for 2 days? Do people intentionally bid reserve to not fly, artifically inflating the relative position of new hires? Or does CHQ just not staff reserve and hope they never have to use it?

Using PBS everyone has certain preferences that they select before bidding, ie weekends off, max hours, commutable lines, max days off, etc. Works pretty well in rewarding what you request. Of course if you are more senior you will most likely get what you request. As far as I've seen though most guys end up with about the same amount of days off. That's just how our PBS works. There isn't much in the way of reserve right now because we are understaffed due to the amount of growth. Hence, most guys are given a line right out of IOE to cover all of the flying.