Need 411 on Empire Air

[blingair]

Tsky, you totally dodged the Thanksgiving bullet. For me, this makes four consecutive Turkeydays, Christmas', New Years' and birthdays on the road. I haven't seen my family on a holiday or special event since December, 2002. Geesh, I'm depresseing myself. The worst part of spending Thanksgiving away is trying to find someplace to eat. You can either eat a Hot Pocket in the hotel or join the rest of the worlds loser at IHOP. LIVING THE DREAM.

 

[tsky]

Yeah, I totally dodged the bullet-last year thanksgiving was in OAK-that kinda was the pits.

 

[thunderworm]

hot poket mmmmmmmmm. ask chesty if you can go over to her house. that chinese place next to the nugget mall is open been there. usually it is a pizza and a six pack to drown the sorrows. i guess with all your time at the co it still isn't enought senority over the new hires to get the holidays off. maybe xmas

 

[EBE]

Its good to hear from you. Hows Skywest and the RJ treating you? Sounds like skywest is growing like a weed. I had you pegged as the Little Lion. Curiosity is killing the cat, can't figure out who he is. Take care and remember us little guys when we ask for a ride in yer big bad jehttttt (ala Caneman).

Good times. They scheduled me for 97 hours next month. I went from one extreme to the other. Glad all I have to do is push a couple of buttons.

 

[blingair]

Good times. They scheduled me for 97 hours next month. I went from one extreme to the other. Glad all I have to do is push a couple of buttons.

Huh? One day off in Oct., two off in Nov. 91 hours this month.

 

[blingair]

hot poket mmmmmmmmm. ask chesty if you can go over to her house. that chinese place next to the nugget mall is open been there. usually it is a pizza and a six pack to drown the sorrows. i guess with all your time at the co it still isn't enought senority over the new hires to get the holidays off. maybe xmas

JNU, what are you talking about? I'll be in CWA. Maybe Julybabyee could come fly for me. I think its good to have management fly a mile in a line pilots penny loafers every now and then.

 

[fokkers&beer]

I tried to get JNU at Xmas for 3 years, the scheduling goddess never gave it to me though.
Thanksgivings another story, Mr Sharted and I celebrated Thanksgiving with the Russian Mafia all hungover is San Francisco one year. That hurt.

 

[blingair]

I'm not allowed to weekend with Mr. Sharted anymore. It's one thing to wake up in your own pile of puke but not someone elses.

 

[general_sline]

Is Empire really worth missing that much of your family's life for? Four years and no Christmas morning or Thanksgiving football with the family. There are hundreds of places you could have spent 4 years and be making more and getting your pick of schedules. I take it you like flying the F-27, but is it worth it?

 

[blingair]

Is Empire really worth missing that much of your family's life for? Four years and no Christmas morning or Thanksgiving football with the family. There are hundreds of places you could have spent 4 years and be making more and getting your pick of schedules. I take it you like flying the F-27, but is it worth it?

To be honest, yes, Empire is worth it to me. Besides the fact that many of the pilots are my personal friends and some of the best people I've ever met, I see tons of potential in the company. When I was first hired, I was lucky enough to see the company at a high point and know whats it's capable of. I've also been privledged to be on the ground floor of starting a Pilot Group that I believe can help make Empire a hallmark of our little niche market. Of course there is the usual disagreements with the pilot group and management but we are asking for very little in terms of money and QOL so hopefully we can all come to terms. The pilot groups motto is Mutual Success and I believe that thats possible. Until then I'm not going to leave just because things are bad but when things are good for the next pilot who fills my boots.

 

[general_sline]

From here that is sad bling that you would sacrifice your family to fly an old turboprop for a max pay of $62400 according to APC. Companies like Empire will never give in to a pilot groups demands until they can't find enough people to fill the seats either from attrition or from a work stopage by a strong union led group. Lots of pilots just don't understand that employee happiness means nothing to the managment. They worship the holy dollar and pilots just keep making it for them while they treat pilots as just another commadity, like gas or oil, one they burn through until the next come along to fill the need. While it sounds that your intentions are pure your expectations are probably a bit out of line with reality as it stands today. Plus if many of the pilots are your personal friends is that going to change by moving on to bigger and better?
good luck.

 

[tsky]

To be honest, yes, Empire is worth it to me. Besides the fact that many of the pilots are my personal friends and some of the best people I've ever met, I see tons of potential in the company. When I was first hired, I was lucky enough to see the company at a high point and know whats it's capable of. I've also been privledged to be on the ground floor of starting a Pilot Group that I believe can help make Empire a hallmark of our little niche market. Of course there is the usual disagreements with the pilot group and management but we are asking for very little in terms of money and QOL so hopefully we can all come to terms. The pilot groups motto is Mutual Success and I believe that thats possible. Until then I'm not going to leave just because things are bad but when things are good for the next pilot who fills my boots.

I totally agree with Bling on this one. Lets face it-this is aviation and most of us give up holidays and family time to some degree. Sure, there are some great flying jobs that allow some folks to spend more time with family than others, but for the most part, junior pilots spend holidays away from family. Sometimes senior pilots get hosed too. I'm sure that some compaines are better and worse than Empire in this reagard. Sure, I plan to move on eventually-I think that most of us do. But I really admire Bling for trying to make the company a better place for us all when he's here and I hope that I can help do the same.

 

[blingair]

From here that is sad bling that you would sacrifice your family to fly an old turboprop for a max pay of $62400 according to APC. Companies like Empire will never give in to a pilot groups demands until they can't find enough people to fill the seats either from attrition or from a work stopage by a strong union led group. Lots of pilots just don't understand that employee happiness means nothing to the managment. They worship the holy dollar and pilots just keep making it for them while they treat pilots as just another commadity, like gas or oil, one they burn through until the next come along to fill the need. While it sounds that your intentions are pure your expectations are probably a bit out of line with reality as it stands today. Plus if many of the pilots are your personal friends is that going to change by moving on to bigger and better?
good luck.

Actually we have received many demands already and only a couple of the larger ones (pay increase) persist. Because our pay structure is fixed by the customer, cost is not that big of a deal to our company if you can believe that. You're right that attrition is what makes companies take notice and we have lost several pilots with even more planning to move on. And true, they are my friends no matter what, but I don't want to leave them right in the middle of something I helped start.

 

[thunderworm]

i thought it was jnu but cwa is worse in my opion not that i have been there though. it would be nice to pick our schedules but our fate is in the hands of someones else in which we ae all pying for her mercy in the holidays. i think that the sline has it pretty much right on i for one will help to improve the airline by leavin as soon as i can to add to the atrition. as for the others that stay to improve i offer my sincerity that all goes in thier favor but i wouldn't hold my breath but again i don't even go in the deep in when swimming.

 

[aussiefly]

Whats the upgrade time on the big F or the ATR ??? does everyone start in the 208's ??