Latest on Hawaiian

[CommanderHoek]

So now that things seem to be going well again, what is the latest? Says on airline pilot central only 39 left on furlough and it says on their webiste they are seeking B767 FO's HNL for recalls only. No new hires yet! With expansion will there be a need in the future? Long time to the left seat though unless there are some retirments? Is Mike Dunkerly still the C.P.? Who is the current D.O.? Future is looking brighter. I wonder with the AWA/USAirways debacle, how many from AWA will go back now. Cheer and thanks.

 

[HAL]

I'll leave more for later when it's not so late, but so far two of us from AWA are back, with two still there. And it's actually 40 on furlough, although there should be a bid around October that brings back another 18 or so.

HAL

So now that things seem to be going well again, what is the latest? Says on airline pilot central only 39 left on furlough and it says on their webiste they are seeking B767 FO's HNL for recalls only. No new hires yet! With expansion will there be a need in the future? Long time to the left seat though unless there are some retirments? Is Mike Dunkerly still the C.P.? Who is the current D.O.? Future is looking brighter. I wonder with the AWA/USAirways debacle, how many from AWA will go back now. Cheer and thanks.

 

[fly4surf]

yeeeeehhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaa.
I can almost smell the plumeria!

 

[HAL]

OK, back again.

The only way we'll get to hiring next year is if we get some new planes. With the current fleet it's just retirements that move people out of the furloughed category, and even with this new flying to Manila, it will probably be around 2009 before we hire again. However, if we add even one additional plane to the mix we'll be calling in the resumes. It all depends on what happens with our fleet in the future.

Mark (not Mike) Dunkerley is our Presedent and CEO. Current CP is Ray Moudy. We used to have an executive VP of flight ops (Norm Davies) and a regular VP of flight ops (Bob Glasgow). They both retired recently, so the company combined the positions and the new Vice President of Flight Operations is Ken Rewick, who until recently was a 717 Captain for us.

Yes, we have a fairly long time to upgrade. It looks like the latest vacancy bid has a few new Captains who haven't been in the left seat before (as opposed to someone who had been Captain, then was downgraded when the company shrank after 9/11). They were hired in late '98 and early '99, so right now we're looking at a minimum of 9 years, and for most of us probably closer to 12 years active service before we see the left seat. Some others who bypassed upgrading on this bid however were hired in '92 and spent only a few months in the left seat before being downgraded again. That gives them essentially 15+ years to make Captain. That's just the way it works at companies where people don't leave, and the company doesn't grow fast, much like American Eagle and Horizon.

If you can get past the long upgrade, and realize that sitting in the left seat is not the be-all end-all of your flying career, HA is a great place to work. We enjoy being here, no matter which seat we're in.

HAL

 

[Stugatz78]

What are the mins for hiring at HAL? Good to hear that things are on the up and up over there! It seems like a great place to work! Thanks for the info.

 

[HAL]

There are no current published minimums, because we haven't hired in a long time. When we were last hiring (2001) I think it was something ridiculous like 400TT, 50ME, Commercial, and FE written. That was because we were hiring a lot of the locals who were sons and daughters of current pilots, or were working as CFIs or cargo pilots on the south ramp. Everyone started out as DC-10 FE's anyway, so although important, razor sharp flying skills weren't paramount. Toward the end of the last hiring boom we had cleared out about every local pilot and the people coming in were much better equipped to fly a widebody. That's not to say that everyone hired early in the boom was a bad pilot, but there were a few that would have raised eyebrows at other airlines.

My guess is that once we do start, it will take a lot more experience to get through the door. But like last time, it will also require a personal recommendation from someone at HA to even get the call for an interview. For obvious reasons, HA is a place a lot of people want to work. And when we have such a small pilot group (just over 300 active pilots on the last bid) there has to be a way to thin out the mountain of resumes that show up; recommendations have become that way. We're a pretty tight-knit group here and there's definitely a 'Hawaiian Airlines type' of personality that they're looking for. If someone here knows you, your way into the group gets a lot easier.

One other thought; most of the HA threads have been over on the Majors board. Although we're officially classified as a National, we have been close to Major status for a while, and this year should have gross revenue over the 'Majors' threshold of $1B. You'll probably find more info over there rather than here. Or, just PM me; I'm always happy to answer questions.

HAL

 

[CommanderHoek]

Awesome

Thanks for the info HAL. Nice to have folks like you on the board. Good luck over there. Always loved Hawaiian. I am sure you are glad your are out of that AWA mess.

 

[Dan Roman]

I'll second what HAL said. In addition, Hawaiian is in three way talks with Airbus, Boeing and the relevant engine manufacturers (sp?) . They are planning more Asian routes and more aircraft. Of course who knows when or how many, but the upgrade time might not be so long in the future.

 

[Hansoma]

but so far two of us from AWA are back, with two still there.

Dude! You just totally outed me!!

 

[mdanno808]

Congratulations on the recall. Have fun in Manilla.

 

[HAL]

Dude! You just totally outed me!!

Ummm, were you ever "in"?

HAL

 

[steveg]

Oh Don't worry. HAL "outed" himself awhile ago (as in the closet)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I too am glad he's out of the AWA mess. We sure miss you though Prez. You must be getting senior and avoiding Phx, if not give me a call.

I think you need to run for ALPA prez. A bunch of us over here would be your biggest cheerleaders! I've been bugging you for awhile about this and am completely serious.

Glad things are working out.

 

[HAL]

Steve! It's good to hear from you. Yes, with people like Hansoma coming back, I'm senior enough to bid mostly for Sydney trips (it cuts down on the commuting). I haven't been to Arizona in a few months though, so I think I'll bid for a PHX just to give all of you monkeys a bad time.

LEC rep maybe, but ALPA prez? What has Carb been giving you to smoke?

Enjoy the sun, and don't let the 'easties' take over your world.

HAL

 

[Hansoma]

I'm senior enough to bid mostly for Sydney trips

Oh sure, rub it in! Paybacks are hell.