Mesaba?

[Grey Ghost]

What is the word on the street on them?

 

[Future Furlough]

Any word on how many furloughs are coming back? I've run into quite a few who said "no thanks".

 

[OttoPilot]

Any word on how many furloughs are coming back? I've run into quite a few who said "no thanks".

None. We don't have any pilots on furlough. Anyone who wanted to come back is already back.

 

[Positive Rate]

Heard they are lowering there mins even lower....to fill the seats.....talking 700 new hires..by next year....

 

[coonass]

86 out of 220 came back from furlough. and they are looking to hire 350 as of right now. They are looking for 2 classes a month with 20 per class till the end of the year. If mesaba some how gets PCL 17 CRJ then that number will increase. mins are 600 tt with 50 multi most are going straight to CRJ 900. if your going to try to get on you better hurry. The longer you wait the further you are down the seniority list.

 

[OttoPilot]

86 out of 220 came back from furlough. and they are looking to hire 350 as of right now. They are looking for 2 classes a month with 20 per class till the end of the year. If mesaba some how gets PCL 17 CRJ then that number will increase. mins are 600 tt with 50 multi most are going straight to CRJ 900. if your going to try to get on you better hurry. The longer you wait the further you are down the seniority list.

Looking at the vacancies, very few have gone to the 900 yet. If I remember correctly, 32 new hires on the SAAB on VN 07-03 and 15 more on VN 07-04.

 

[Andrew_VT]

This is going to sound like a stupid question, and it is, but anyone here is probably more informed on Mesaba than me.

Here goes... (its a good one!)

If I got hired in June how long until I upgrade?
and
Is this a better choice than PCL (upgrade + upgrade stability important)

Normally I would reply 3.147259 half years to this, but I would like some rough estimates by those in the know...thanks for not picking on me

 

[afpilotselect]

Mesaba

Does anyone know the upgrade mins for mesaba?

 

[Ridgeback]

This is going to sound like a stupid question, and it is, but anyone here is probably more informed on Mesaba than me.

Here goes... (its a good one!)

If I got hired in June how long until I upgrade?
and
Is this a better choice than PCL (upgrade + upgrade stability important)

Normally I would reply 3.147259 half years to this, but I would like some rough estimates by those in the know...thanks for not picking on me

It's hard to say how long to upgrade but you can do the math. At 5 captains/plane and 49 Saabs+36 900's=475 Captains + 50 Instructors.MGT pilots, Union pilots ect. I'd say roughly 525 Captains once all the 900's arrive, 18 months. Currently we have around 585 pilots on the senority list. If you can get hired in the first few classes I would say you for sure COULD be a captin in 18 months or less.

Is PCL a better choice? That depends on the person you are. If you are a Backpack toting, revos wearing, slickback gel hairing, thinks being a pilot will get you chicks then please go to PCL we neither want you nor are you welcome. Safety is a culture here that took 60 years to create. Anyone of the above traits puts that in danger. FE, BH, RL, BJ, JT, SK, and others have worked very hard to weed out the above type, so please save yourself the trouble and move on if this is you. The day I was hired I was told they can teach anyone to fly it's the 23+ years of upbringing that can't be taught.

 

[Andrew_VT]

thanks, that is the info I was looking for. Normally its impossible to get numbers like that over the "goto the first regional that says yes, they all suck anyways" and the "might as well guesstimate how many guys Anna Nicole's been with"

As far as the spiky haired backpack thing... I got my 1200hours as the sole instructor within 50 miles while getting a B.S. business degree. Therefore, I only get to see a mall once a year so my hairstyle is always out of date:bawling:

 

[WMUSIGPI]

86 out of 220 came back from furlough. and they are looking to hire 350 as of right now. They are looking for 2 classes a month with 20 per class till the end of the year. If mesaba some how gets PCL 17 CRJ then that number will increase. mins are 600 tt with 50 multi most are going straight to CRJ 900. if your going to try to get on you better hurry. The longer you wait the further you are down the seniority list.

I believe 86 was the number that said they were returning (sent the yes fax) but it was closer to 70 that actually showed up for class.
Either way, word is that the first new hires into the CR9 will start the end of May.

 

[saabservant]

Andrew VT - You will need that sense of humor to put up with working the nwa plantation! Anybody with eyes wide open, a high mgmt. BS tolerance, and a humble attitude is welcome. Silver-spoon, SJS sell-outs not welcome, no matter your experience. Those of us who have seen our careers destroyed here, and who probably won't be moving on, have no tolerance for attitude.
Neither do the check airmen...
I still cannot figure why anyone would come here, since with only 36 aircraft orders and a senior group, upgrades will take years. And guess what? In five years we will be negotiating for three years for the next contract, while nwa decides to draw down/replace the saab fleet. Get it?

Anyway, if you have a good attitude and a sense of humor, come on in...
They are desperate to find pilots, like most others.

By the way, the saab is the harder aircraft to learn, and to fly, but it is the airplane you will upgrade in...

 

[FOrever85]

It's hard to say how long to upgrade but you can do the math. At 5 captains/plane and 49 Saabs+36 900's=475 Captains + 50 Instructors.MGT pilots, Union pilots ect. I'd say roughly 525 Captains once all the 900's arrive, 18 months. Currently we have around 585 pilots on the senority list. If you can get hired in the first few classes I would say you for sure COULD be a captin in 18 months or less.


Captain in 18 months??????????

Or a better answer would be, you probably won't upgrade for a long time. If there are going to be 530 captains and we will just say your seniority number is 620, guess what, you are still going to be an FO. Even if there is a mass exodus and you do upgrade, you are still flying a saab, on reserve, sweating your ass off in MEM. At most the other regionals you will be making at least $15,000 more a year to fly a jet, holding a line.


Go to Skywest, Republic, Expressjet, even frickin Mesa, is better than here, unless you want to be a career regional pilot, in which case Mesaba is ok.

I won't let any of my friends come here.

 

[saabservant]

A hearty second to that!....

 

[Ridgeback]

Captain in 18 months??????????

Or a better answer would be, you probably won't upgrade for a long time. If there are going to be 530 captains and we will just say your seniority number is 620, guess what, you are still going to be an FO.
quote]


There will be several FO's that will bypass the upgrades, that's why if he is 620 he could upgrade once the full 36 900's arrive. Since when has the upgrades gone right down the senority list?

 

[gnx99]

I seriously doubt upgrade for a new hire will be in 18 months or less. I think the most junior captain right now is 7 years. But I guess it'll depend highly on attrition.

 

[Andrew_VT]

Thanks guys, reading some other posts I almost thought I was missing out on a gold rush or something. I didn’t know Mesaba was like Eagle in that department.

I also need to read up on the NWA and NWAirlink relationships. The NW system is appealing to me because of the easy commutes to BTV and PWM (home and girlfriend respectively), but I guess the price is stability.

 

[CptMurf]

I also need to read up on the NWA and NWAirlink relationships. The NW system is appealing to me because of the easy commutes to BTV and PWM (home and girlfriend respectively), but I guess the price is stability.

If stability is an issue, get outta the airline business. I don't think ANY airline is stable.

With that being said, it is usually better to get on with an airline at the beginning of a new contract or delivery schedule. Chances are you will move up the seniority list fast enough to survive a down cycle, and there will be a down cycle, the industry has proven it over and over. So if a red tail is in your future, I would recommend Mesaba, then Compass, and then PNCL. Why? Well my take on it is that Mesaba and Compass both have contracts, ASA's, and aircraft orders in place. Nothwest owns both Mesaba and Compass now, and whatever their futures holds, it will most likely invovle more aircraft orders, and a IPO or straight out sale of the airline. Compass ranks lower for me though because it is a COMPLETELY new airline. New airplanes, crew, management, Feds, etc. That leads to some uncertainty in my mind. May put you at the top of the list of a great new airline, could leave you unemployed. PNCL is in the middle of protracted contract negotiations, and has an ASA that although not in jeopordy itself, there are provisions in it (that have already been met) to take aircraft away from them. (On a side note. These ASA's aren't worth the paper they are written on because they Will terminate/renegotiated them as they see fit...ALA Mesaba's previous ASA) PNCL has proven so far, not to be a bad choice because of their high attrition rate for both CA's and FO's, but there is no guarantee that will always be the case. Before the PNCL guys come on here bashing....I'm just stating the current situations that we are all in.

 

[Grey Ghost]

Thanks guys, reading some other posts I almost thought I was missing out on a gold rush or something. I didn’t know Mesaba was like Eagle in that department.

I also need to read up on the NWA and NWAirlink relationships. The NW system is appealing to me because of the easy commutes to BTV and PWM (home and girlfriend respectively), but I guess the price is stability.

Colgan has bases up around that area.

 

[Andrew_VT]

Colgan is what I've been planning on for months now. My only hangups are the horror stories I read here on FI (and not just by SAABrowski) as well as knowing that in two years I'll want to commute to MLI (quad cities) alot and thats going to be a 2-3 leg commute at Colgan... a minimum of 3 legs if I'm outstation based.