Latest on skywest/Coex

[George Jetson]

pickle,
Your attitude is exactly why the interviews should and will be done and exactly why YOU wouldn't be hired at Skywest.

Final MOU language will be approved next week. There will be no interviews on subjective issues. Provided an XJT pilot meets the objective hiring criteria (1000 hours total time, etc), he/she will be given a job at Skywest. Yes, that is a fact..and not one that is based on crew room rhetoric.

GJ

 

[FNB]

huh?

Mcpickle,

You try to sound so important, after all you could get through the CO interview, so of course we will take you. Besides what do we know about anything we just fly those puddle jumpers. If being a major airline pilot means flying as your FO, then I am happy where I am.

 

[Bjet Driver]

FNB-

Pickle has been flying "puddle jumpers" for 5 years+. The last thing we need with this tread is someone throwing around more criticism and rhetoric.

 

[Dr. Hootie]

Cal management isn't responsible for the flowbacks. If Coex pilots are mad about them, they should point the finger right where is belongs, at themselves. The Coex pilots wanted the FTA, they voted for it in their last contract. The flowback provision was a part it. Nobody else is to blame for it, not management, not other airlines.

Any pilots that are currently furloughed from Coex (XJT now of course) did not vote on that last contract. I'm one in those numbers, and when I read the FTA, I was surprised and immediately recognized it as a bad deal - 3 for 1 going up and 100% coming back down. When I was hired in May '01 I also recognized that I would most likely not benefit from that FTA to begin with. As with most things in this industry, individual pilots are affected by things that: a - they have no control over; and b - happen to them by no fault of their own. You just have to ride out the bumps.

Being that I'm furloughed from Coex and I'm sick of flight instructing while trying to update resumes for dozens of companies that haven't budged to hire me, I'm looking forward to the opportunity to go back to work. Meet and Greet/no subjective questions type interview/whatever. I'll be ready for whatever "they" want us to do and I'll be happy and thankful for the job.

 

[nimtz]

Cal management isn't responsible for the flowbacks. If Coex pilots are mad about them, they should point the finger right where is belongs, at themselves. The Coex pilots wanted the FTA, they voted for it in their last contract. The flowback provision was a part it. Nobody else is to blame for it, not management, not other airlines.

NE Dude,

The guys who voted yes for the FTA are pretty much are all still at CAL or very senior back at Express. Almost sixty percent of the seniority list was not here when the FTA was signed. In my humble opinon I always thought it was junk and would not of agreed to extend it under its present form, regardless of CAL furloughs or not. Trust me CAL management has abused the thing to its absolute limits and I'm not even talking about the flowback process.

BTW Skywest guys if the interview process is how you have been indicating, then we are about as content as we can be with this whole process.

 

[Vorleron]

The ironic thing from my perspective is that the "corporate culture" which is actually a misnomer, because what we are really talking about is a "flight crew culture" at Express and Skywest are probably very close to the same.

99.9% of all the people I have flown with at Express are the most helpful and positively oriented people you would ever want to meet or work with. I am sure the same is true for Skywest.

The big difference is that while it appears that Skywest's management has not done anything to inhibit the naturally inherent positive attitudes of it's pilot's, Express management has done so much real damage since 9/11 that moral is truly suffering.

But, I can assure everyone of this: regardless of how any Express pilots get to Skywest, they have to volunteer to go, they are highly motivated to succeed, and will have extremely positive attitudes.

Furthermore, I am sure that any Express pilot going to Skywest will realize the possible opportunity for a secure long term career that Skywest might offer in this current poor airline environment and woud have an attitude and work ethic to match.

And for the Skywest people headed to IAH, don't be too surprised if the Express pilots you meet turn out to be some of the nicest and friendliest people you meet...

 

[maddog805]

Final MOU language will be approved next week. There will be no interviews on subjective issues. Provided an XJT pilot meets the objective hiring criteria (1000 hours total time, etc), he/she will be given a job at Skywest. Yes, that is a fact..and not one that is based on crew room rhetoric.

GJ

It appears you are right and I was wrong. It's gonna be a meet and greet. My bad.

 

[Skyward]

The union guys where in the IAH crew room today, as said above interview will be meet and great. SkyWest will be hiring the same number pilots as positions that open because of IAH flying, ie. if they need a total of 40 CA’s and 40 FO’s for IAH SkyWest will hire 80 furloughed XJET pilots. I guess class will be starting June 19th so if any furloughed XJET guys want to take advantage of this contact Peter Sailer.

 

[WmuBronco]

Hey was wondering what Skywest's current pilot domcilies are?? Couldn't find any except for old ones on the Skywest web site.

 

[maddog805]

Domiciles

In no peticular order:

CRJ

FAT
SLC
TUS
PSP
SBA
DFW (reserve only)
DEN
SMF

EMB

FAT
SLC
PSP
SBA
DEN
MRY
SBP
PDX
SAN
IAH

Did I forget any?

 

[Mookie]

smf emb base...small but still there.

mookie

 

[Vorleron]

The only thing I'm not understanding is why the Express people can't stay at Skywest (or Commutair) if they want to when Express recalls.

It's not like I wouldn't want to go back to Express, but it would be nice to have the option. It would also make going to Skywest feel more like a "career enhancing experience" knowing that all the hard work and positve attitude might possibly mean something in the future, however small that chance might be.

(Instead of just something to do to get a paycheck, accruing no useful seniority, until Express gets enough Kopectate to get the $hit moving again!)

I don't see how CAL paying for our training at Skywest, and then recalling us and paying for our training at Express again in less than a year could benifit them, particularly when they seem to have mainline pilots coming out of their ears. You would think they would be glad to get rid of us?

As I said, I don't understand why we don't at least have the option...but as usual I might be wrong and probably am...

 

[Bluto]

Vorleron, I'm sorry, I just have to rip on you for a minute.

"...knowing that all the hard work and positve attitude might possibly mean something in the future."
Hey, you had me going for a minute there. I thought you were serious! No offense, but wherever you go your hard work and positive attitude mean very little as far as career enhancement. You are a number. Do you think if you'd been just a little more positive you could have avoided the furlough?

"...and then recalling us and paying for our training at Express again in less than a year." Recalls in less than a year? Now I KNOW you're joking! Whatever gave you the idea that recalls would start in less than a year? Anything you hear about recalls is subject to change at any time. There were people who had the letters in their hands only to have class cancelled. Now there are rumors of more furloughs floating around. I'd plan on spending some time at Skywest if you're going.

I do agree though. It'd be nice to have the opportunity to stay at SkyWest. I guess we'll see what happens with that.

Sorry if I was a little harsh, I'm just amazed at the optimism from some people. Guess I'm just jealous. Good luck at Skywest.

 

[NEDude]

I was under the impression that Coex guys could stay at Commutair if they wished.

 

[Vorleron]

Bluto, in defense, "hard work and attitude" I mean in a training cycle, and while on probation. We all know what happens to that when you hit that big second year pay!

And, as for recalls, probability dictates that the longer your furloughed the closer you are to recalls up to 5 years at which point you will not be recalled... Seriously though, Express is saying March, 2004. So that's where I got the "less than 1 year, but I do know they might as well have said "5 years from next tuesday..."

The rumor is that the Commutair people HAVE TO GO BACK. I wonder if they knew that and wonder how Express plans on enforcing it. If you just resign from Express before the recalls, and stay where your at, what can they do?

Or to put it another way: I know how a company can get rid of you, but I don't see how they can force you to come back. Last I checked I was hired, not BOUGHT! (They can't fire me, slaves have to be shot!)

 

[WmuBronco]

I too wish we had the option of staying, although depending on how good this new so-called "enhanced flow-through" turns out, it would make the decision easier. I wonder if they will give us the option after we finish training to give up our Xjet #. I guess it is time to call Neal unless the MOU explains things better. Hopefully we'll see it in the mail soon!

Also in regards to our call back to Xjet, I'm estimating around February or March it will start back up. If you look at the recall schedule prior to the CAL furloughs, you'll see 32 a month starting in August. Well about 150 guys from CAL flow down, so divide 150 by 32 you come up with approximately a 5 month delay in the Xjet recall schedule. I got a feeling that us higher up guys/gals on the recall list might get this pay protection again but now at SkyWest pay rates instead of Commuteair, I guess we'll see.

Oh, by the way thanks for the pilot domcilies info.

 

[Bluto]

Good points, all

WMU, I already talked to Neal about this and he said no-go on staying at Skywest. The way I see it is this: CAL paid for the training at CommutAir and since they arranged the employment they can pretty well dictate how long that arrangement lasts. I agree that it would be nice to have the option to stay.

"I got a feeling that us higher up guys/gals on the recall list might get this pay protection again but now at SkyWest pay rates instead of Commuteair." I very seriously doubt it. Dude, I wouldn't hold your breath.

Vorleron, thanks for not taking me too seriously before! The latest I heard from Neal on recalls is 8-10 months at the earliest. I guess that's pretty close to what you said.

'but I do know they might as well have said "5 years from next tuesday..." ' <---- Well said! Never were truer words spoken!

 

[Dr. Hootie]

Big decision, looking for input

O.K. so here's a question, it's a "what would you do?" question.

I'm a furloughed Coex pilot (hire date 05/21/01). I might have an opportunity to get on with a 135 operator flying Metro's. When talking to the D.O., he laughingly stated that upgrade times were pretty quick (I didn't get a firm time frame).
So the question is this, should I fly for the 135 operator:

(maintenance - average at best; schedule - gruelling; pay - f/o's eating Ramen; managers - crusty; domiciles - let's not even talk about that; you all get the picture - a typical 135 metro job)

and hope to upgrade soon and start getting some Turbine PIC or should I go with Skywest and be an F/O (pt. 121 time) until I can be an F/O again for Coex.

It may seem like a no brainer, but it's a gamble because of the question of how much longer I will be furloughed - it's a 1 year commitment at the 135 job, not to mention the risk of giving up a 121 postition to fly in the aforementioned 135 enviroment.

I know this is a tangent, but I know I can pick up some opinions here on this thread. Thanks in advance.

The good Doctor Hootie.

 

[Bluto]

I'd go with the 135 Gig. It'll be a long time before you can get turbine PIC at XJT. A one year commitment isn't that bad when you think that with your seniority you probably won't see a recall for about a year anyway. If it does happen earlier (anybody want to make a small wager that it won't??) you can always bypass your recall while building turbine PIC. If it's that bad, you can always quit and find another job in the meantime.

 

[embdrvr]

135 Metro job

So let's say you take the Metro position. Will they expect you to extend that 1 year committment if you upgrade. I know of some operators that extend the committment before typing you. I'd ask about that or you may find yourself in a position where you can't upgrade without being able to go back to COex.