Mesa 1900 Quick Upgrade or Pinnacle FO?

[BrokeAssPilot]

what ya think?

 

[grog_sit_reserv]

Between Pinnacle and Mesa, Take Mesa...

 

[On Your Six]

I hear upgrade at Pinnacle is fast anyway - not more than a year and you are a Captain on a CRJ. Stay away from MESA - it's the industry punching bag. Who wants to work for JO - don't expect any raises for the next decade...

Go to Pinnacle and don't look back - trust me!

 

[T-Gates]

I hear upgrade at Pinnacle is fast anyway - not more than a year and you are a Captain on a CRJ. Stay away from MESA - it's the industry punching bag. Who wants to work for JO - don't expect any raises for the next decade...

Go to Pinnacle and don't look back - trust me!

Less than a year at PCL? You've been mis-informed.... For a new hire right now I'd say atleast 2-3 years. I don't work there anymore but thats what I gather from what my friends tell me.

Cons also about PCL, no pay/housing in training and kinda crappy bases. Great pilot group though, I miss working with them.

 

[cl65200]

Stay away from MESA - it's the industry punching bag. Who wants to work for JO - don't expect any raises for the next decade...


-------------


Actually, we are going to get a raise in Nov this year and each 18 months after that, as pr contract.

 

[c152]

Wow is that Normal to get a raise every 18 months? That sounds great can I also wear a nice members only jacket with a Mesa patch on my heart..... That sounds like the best place in the world to work. Where do I sign up.

Would I be able to go over to JO's house and wash one of his motorbikes? Is that in the contract also, or do pilots just do it to bound with JO.

 

[Dizel8]

Sure you can go to JO house, he likes new fresh "inmates", but as far as driving is concerned, he will be in the "drivers seat" and you better bring the vaseline!

 

[No2Bttmfeeders]

Flagship all the way!!!

 

[BAe3100FO]

Flagship all the way!!!

And yet, Pinnacle STILL does NOT pay during training and/or offer hotel (single/double occupancy).

 

[grog_sit_reserv]

C152....... What airline do you work for?

Between pinnacle and Mesa, take Mesa.

Between CHQ and Mesa take CHQ

Between CMR and Mesa take CMR

Between TSA and Mesa take TSA


The list goes on and on and on, but I tell you what; I've met a few pinnacle crews out there and very few have been happy. At least at Mesa you get a quick 1900 upgrade, 1000 pic turbine in your book and hopefully out of the regionals much faster.

 

[c152]

Well I am at an airline that keeps getting screwed by airlines such as Mesa. It is painful to see them destroy the way I make my living. When are pilots going to wake up and figure it out they need to stop working for free. It is not all about PIC it is about making a living while I am getting me PIC. I have sold my sole for years for this job..... I was under the impression that is why I was a flight instructor. WAS I WRONG !!!


I was hopefuly that Mesa pilot group and ALPA would have made a stance against the race to the bottom. But we all know that didn't happen........As sad is it is to say; in the future when MESA is back at the table... That pilot group and others with weak contracts will need look to Comair and others for the courage to stop the race to the bottom......I am sick of going back financally every year for PIC. I need to pay the bills. Credit card companys do not take PIC as payment. Maybe JO will work that out with Visa in the next contract!!!!!!!

 

[sf3boy]

If you are looking for opinions......If you want PIC time to move on to a real paying pilot job, I would vote Mesa. If the upgrade time at 9E is around 2.5 years, then that would make you still an FO when they get their last delivery in 2005. Not a good place to be in (just ask all the FO's at Mesaba that got hired in 1999.)

If you are looking for a better quality of life while an FO, I would vote Pinnacle. Of course, I could be wrong in my personal opinions and I am sure that someone here will be telling me why.

 

[Lear70]

I hear upgrade at Pinnacle is fast anyway - not more than a year and you are a Captain on a CRJ. Stay away from MESA - it's the industry punching bag. Who wants to work for JO - don't expect any raises for the next decade...

Go to Pinnacle and don't look back - trust me!

ROFLMFAO!!!

OK, I can breathe now. Boy, was THAT funny! Is that what they're selling down on Nonconnah these days?

Upgrades this year are now at 2 1/2 year seniority dates and are going to probably get down to the 2 year range for Fall effective dates, maybe 1 1/2 years by this time next year, then they'll screech to a blinding halt. Why? Because about that time we'll be in negotiations my dear boy... And we all know what happens then, just look at Mesaba:

No new jets.
Threats to take your current jets away.
Furloughs.
Bad Faith Bargaining Tactics.
Threats to shut the company down without concessions.

By the time upgrades start again they'll be to 3-4 year seniority range pilots who hired on this year promised "1 year upgrades".

Then again, there's working for Mesa... I wouldn't do it personally, but then again I have enough PIC time and I'm all about pay and time off - things no regional has an abundance of.

It was said that there's "very few happy Pinnacle pilots", I'd say that there are, I work with lots of them every day. We just aren't very thrilled about our management group, or the enforcement of our contract; overall we enjoy the airplanes we fly and the people who fly them with us!

 

[Frac Daddy]

PIC,PIC,PIC. How fast is the 1900 upgrade at Mesa, anyway?

 

[BrokeAssPilot]

was told 2-3 months or sooner.

what the hell is 9E?

same as why is america west called HQ sometimes?

 

[Lear70]

yup.

It used to be Express Airlines One, guess EA wasn't available (Eastern), so 9E was given to them. Now they're Pinnacle, but the code remains the same for some reason... wonder if they'd have to reapply?

As far as your original question is concerned, if the upgrade time really is 2-3 months and you don't care about the precedent their contract has set (not that ours is currently much better - hope to see that change in the next few years), go to Mesa. You'll build over 2k of turbine PIC time there before you would ever see a CRJ CA slot here.

Good luck...

 

[sf3boy]

Also remember, whatever place you are working at, they are all regionals. They all pay bad, have bad work rules, and no retirement other than what you can save on your own. Some may be a little better than others, but at the end of the day, the only thing difference between a Mesa guy, a Comair guy, a Pinnacle guy and a Air Whiskey guy is the paint on the plane they rode in on.

 

[bogberto]

same as why is america west called HQ sometimes?

HP is the two-letter code for America West. Kinda like WN for Southwest, F9 for Frontier, ...

Beech pilots can upgrade right out of newhire training, if they want. A buddy of mine has been online for 4 bids and he starts upgrade next bid.

 

[justmeinmsp]

Also remember, whatever place you are working at, they are all regionals. They all pay bad, have bad work rules, and no retirement other than what you can save on your own. Some may be a little better than others, but at the end of the day, the only thing difference between a Mesa guy, a Comair guy, a Pinnacle guy and a Air Whiskey guy is the paint on the plane they rode in on.

As my hero Homer Simpson says, "It's funny because it's true."

 

[grog_sit_reserv]

It was said that there's "very few happy Pinnacle pilots", I'd say that there are, I work with lots of them every day. We just aren't very thrilled about our management group, or the enforcement of our contract; overall we enjoy the airplanes we fly and the people who fly them with us!

I apologize. I agree that those pilots I spoke with enjoyed everything about their job but what you mentioned above.

This is also true of Mesa. Its one of those "once we close the door and get to do our job its great. Open the door and well... you know the rest.

Tailwinds