Mesaba question

[Cargoboy]

What is happening at Mesaba. Are the pilots going to get there new contract or do they feel a strike looming on the horizon. Being from the midwest I was always thinking of Mesaba as a good place for a 121 start. Now it seems they are spiraling around the drain. I understand that Pinnacle is picking up a lot of there ( or should be there planes) and some routes, but I can't imagine that Northwest woudl want Mesaba out since they still have such a controlling interest in Mesaba. Is there hope for these pilots and the pay scale. I understand they are pretty bad. Also, I heard that a lot of pilots are jumping ship to other airlines. With this all happening you would think this would make mgmt a little nervous and maybe try and buck up to the pilots and help them out. I would love to work for them but not in the condition they are in. My friend would love to get me in at Continental Express but who knows when hiring will start for them.
Any Mesaba pilots out there talk to me.
One more question. Let's say you are working for Mesaba and you get the Saab (pretty common I am sure) do any pilots switch to the RJ or does everyone just get the hell out of there and move on?
Thanks for any info.
Good luck to you Mesaba pilots and your contract. Foley......doesn't he have enough money?

 

[av8br]

CB,

Once upon a time Mesaba was a good place to work from what little I know. I was hired there in July 2001 with a class date of Oct.1 2001. Only one problem though 9/11. My class was cancelled but i remained in the pool until last week. I recieved a call from them on my machine. At first I thought great maybe they need some pilots since so many have been leaving. But then I realized with the state there in that it had to bee something else. Well two days later I got ahold of them and they wanted to confirm my address to send a certified letter to me and that they are recinding all offers of employment to all of us in the pool. I think there was about 20 of us or so. Got my letter yesterday. They said the earliest they could forsee any hiring would be late 2004.
Seems like a sinking ship, I wish all the best to those there and hope things turn around. Like you I am from the midwest and was really looking forward to mesaba. I have been sending resumes ever since spring 2002 and have yet to get an interview. I will keep plugging away though, Good luck to you.

 

[HAZ-MAT]

The past few days i've been behind an Avro-RJ on the taxi here in MEM, and they've been going unreasionably slow. I'm wondering if thats intentional, or if they have a long taxi checklist to do, or takes a while to fire up the other 3 engines.

 

[Cargoboy]

av8br

Not sure if this rings a bell but I have been talking with a Scott Lyndsey out there in there HR dept, my god like early 2001. I think he has moved on to bigger and better, but he said he wanted a res from me and I told him I was working on getting the required 75 hours in a three months since I was instructing and didnt' have my 135 job I do now. Also I was getting married in late summer and after the wedding I was set and ready to send it in. Then 9/11. Took me right out of the running right there. But on the lighter side I am sure I woudl of been furloughed if I had actaully gotten the job.
Good luck to ya and like you I am sending those resumes as well. Thanks for the info. I know now if they ever do hire it is going to be a long while before it happens.

 

[ERJpusher]

I have two friends that fly (flew) for Mesaba. One started early 2001 and is 3 spots from the bottom. The other finished class in August 2001 and was furloughed about a month ago along with 100 other pilots. Things are looking dismal there. The acquisition of Big Sky didn't seem to help matters, either.

 

[T-handle]

Intentional?!? No way, we'd NEVER do that The company wants us to operate by the book, so we are. We're not rushing, just taxiing in accordance with FARs, AIM and company manuals. What's the rush? Sorry, the Avro is a little chubby......

ALPA national just pledged $2 million in support of our contract negotiations. The sh!t is going down by the end of this year. We're just waiting patiently for the mediator to release us....... then we'll release the hounds!!!!!

We lose leverage every month (since summer of 2001 when PCL came back to MSP and DTW) when 2 CRJs/month arrive in Pinnacle colors and replace our Saabs. Northwest better hurry and mirror all of the Mesaba routes, otherwise they will still lose money and cities if we strike.

Look us up when we get a new contract unless Bigsky hasn't taken over by then. Don't get bent out of shape because we're the doghouse place to work. EVERY airline goes through this situation. I can name plenty of other regionals that were doghouses just a few years ago. Now they're the top places to work. It's a cycle. Just part of the "business".......

 

[avrodriverj85]

HAZMAT

The after-start and before- takeoff checklist isn't any longer than any other aircraft out flying. Also, we start all 4 engines during pushback from the gate prior to entering the taxiway. Was there someone ahead of the Avro, like a DC9 or an Airbus? Sometimes those guys taxi slow. But. don't jump to conclusions that we are in a work slow-down. The AIM says to taxi at a brisk walk, right?

The latest update on the negotiations is that it is a slow process. NWA continues to whipsaw Pinnacle and Mesaba against one another. That's ok, with the pilot group over here, the feeling is, is that they will lose in the long run. They have both NWA and Pinnacle opening contract talks late this year or early next. But our pilots remain strong and we will not be bullied around by management or anyone else. We are prepared to strike if we need to. AND we WILL.

 

[Cargoboy]

That is what my friend told me at Cont. Exp. Great place to work now but give a few years and all of that could change. Def. a cycle that is why I don't want to count out Mesaba.
Did you start out in the Avro? Still trying to find out if you can transition if you stick around in there. I assume you can but I hate to use that word ASSUME.
I am crossing my fingers for you guys believe me.
Unleash Unleash!

I'd piss on a spark plug if I thought it could help!

 

[Cargoboy]

Hey isn't there a sub paragraph in the AIM after the....you should taxi at a brisk walk......unless you are flying cargo for a co. that doesn't care about you or the plane and only your cargo?
thought I read that somewhere or was it just the co. I work for saying that I can't remember.

 

[ERJpusher]

Last spring Northwest went to the union and inquired about payscales because they were interested in assuming all the Avros ( staffing them with mainline pilots) and reconfiguring them for 100 seats. The union replied that DC-9 pay would be expected. Since then, I haven't seen or heard anything. Any new news on that?

Also, one of my friends started at Mesaba on the jet and is still on the jet. I know that 2 years ago, they were requiring 5000TT to upgrade to jet captain.

 

[Cargoboy]

So all I need is another 2500TT more hours and I should be set. Not a problem

Actually just trying to see if any FO's actually started out on the Avro., or if you have to transition to one.

 

[cl-65link]

Cargoboy, the planes are not Mesaba's or Pinnacle's, they belong to NW

 

[flyn96]

Yea things aren't to hot at XJ, low moral, losing routes. All Fo's are seat locked until upgrade and they share the same payscale. Unless there is a reduction of a fleet (ie wer're retiring saabs) then you can bid to the Jet, unless they furlough your ass before then. We will end up on strike, that is about 99.99999999% done. Thats ok cause most Fo's with ALPA strike benefits and unempoyment will make almost as much as they do while working. Give it a few years and Mesaba will once again be the place to work. Right now Comair is the place to be, but guess what their growth is going to slump eventually. The good thing about Mesaba is that we are last large regional to grown and go all jet. Thats assuming those ass wipers at Big Sky don't do it for us.

Its time to stop the race to bottom for the cheapest pilots and cheap airlines. Otherwise all that money you spent on your education is going to get you no where. Hope you think RJ's are coool cause your gonna fly them for the rest of your career.

 

[T-handle]

cargoboy

When Mesaba was hiring they hired FOs for the Saab AND Avro. It was based on whatever they needed at the time. But "some" Avro FOs will have you believe that they were handpicked to fly the Avro because they had the flight time and flew the interview sim. perfect.

Anyway, since the Avro is very senior, very few Avro FOs upgraded into the Avro because it was at least 3, sometimes 4 years before holding Avro Captain. So it was common for Avro FOs to upgrade into the Saab. I think to those few high and mighty Avro FOs it was a "downgrade", almost an insult.

It's a guaranteed good laugh listening to some of the AVRO FOs around the crew room or employee bus. "Yep.. there I was at FL330.... doing .66 with 4 engines, watching all of the other traffic blow by us..."

 

[Cargoboy]

Cargoboy, the planes are not Mesaba's or Pinnacle's, they belong to NW

I understand that. They are leased from NW if I am correct. that is why NW loves to pit the two against each other and rake the money from them. good busines decision on NW end. bummer for the pilots and the payscales and routes.

 

[Cargoboy]

thanks T-handle.
I thought it might be something like that.

 

[avrodriverj85]

Hey T-Handle

You mean we weren't "hand-picked"? That's what they told me in the interview. LOL Besides, we are normally doing Mach .73 when everyone else is blowing by us. But, who cares we get paid by the minute, right? At least I don't have Saab-ass at the end of a 4 day trip. LOL.

 

[T-handle]

yea Saab a$$ sucks after just one day.

 

[Rook]

Hey Mesaba bros and sistas,

We at Pinnacle are supporting you guys 100%. I walked with you guys in DTW and will walk again when the next picket comes. The whole whipsaw tactic sucks and I won't even get into the Big Sky debacle. But just know that we other 'Linkers are hoping you guys get what you deserve.

Rook(keeping the beer cold)
Pinnacle PR*CK
600' AGL
Autopilot on.
'WHEW!'

 

[Simon Says]

Sorry Mesaba 2425,

Its my turn to bash you for trying to entice a fight. For everyone that doesn't know, this guy is not a Mesaba Pilot. He is a union busting pawn for the company. His posts are usually Flame Bait.

The Mesaba Pilots are over 98% unified on a strike. We are not out to sink the company, but we are out for a fair contract. We conceeded a contract in 1998 to help the company to grow (which also helped us) and with the concessions we were told by the company that we would get an industry leading contract in 2002. Now is the time to reap our rewards for those concessions and the company doesn't know what we are talking about.

To enrage us more the company tells us that we need to save money anywhere we can, and then turns around and gives our CEO a 36% raise! Soon after that our holdings company goes out and buys Big Sky airlines to whipsaw us with. We used to be a a big family here at Mesaba, but it has turned into an us against them philosophy.

Mesaba 2425 you are dead wrong thinking that we will not strike.