NEEDED: Info on Colgan Air

[loNslo]

What's it like to fly for Colgan Air? I need any info on pay, which bases are junior and which are senior, schedule(quality of life) and is there any growth,etc. Since it is aligned with US Airways, does it have a future? Your help and input will be appreciated.

 

[BRA]

I beat chperplt to this.....funny. Pay is $20 per hour on 1900 with 75 hour gaurantee. I think $22 on the saab. You could get either plane....beats me which one. we have a ton of bases...none of them really good....but that is all an opinion. If the base is near your crib...then i guess it is good. We get like 12-15 days off a month. All varies...the new thing seems to be they give you 13 flight days....plus 2 reserve days....this is for FO's....captains seem to get more flight hours. we lost a base in PA...but now starting march we get buffalo and westerchester ny as bases. Sounds like a good thing for potential hiring. As i understand it...we are not hiring now though. I really don't know the future here....but i don't detect anything bad on the horizon from other pilots i hear talking. How is it to fly here? Well i'll take the 1900 over any piston trainer type plane any day. I also thing the RJ's look very nice with there APU's, better destinations, better pay, ect. I think it is a take what you can get market right now...and i feel very lucky to have this. People here are all great.

 

[wannab0133]

apply to colgan

i have noticed that the only way to apply at colgan is to pay an app fee. is it worth to pay if you only have like 1250/300? im sure they are stocked full of higher time apps. what do you think?

 

[BRA]

Well, they just did that online fee thing. May be cause we have someone new doing the recruiting now. But your times are similar to what other new hires have...so if you don't mind risking the $ then try it. They won't come looking for you and ask you to send a resume. Your multi number is what i think they will find attractive. And you tt isn't bad either.

 

[rk772]

It's a $39 app fee.
A little steep if you ask me. I can't think of another industry that charges you money just to fill out an app.

 

[chperplt]

Everything BRA said was correct.

We are not hiring right now, and most likely will not be for some time.

Major announcement about our working agreement with US Airways to be announced on Thursday.

 

[B190Captain]

They have a 39.00 app fee? Pretty sad considering these hard times pilots are facing.

 

[chperplt]

They have a 39.00 app fee? Pretty sad considering these hard times pilots are facing

I don't think charging an application fee is acceptable, but it does cost a lot of money to run background checks. We've had an awful lot of people start class and leave shortly after getting on line when ACA or Skywest came calling. We're a small company and can't afford to lose that kind of money repeatidly.

Maybe the thought behind this was that only people who are serious about employment with the company would apply.

 

[ArcherB]

When do you think would be a good time to apply to Colgan, I mean when do you think they will be hiring again? I was sending in resumes but now that there is a fee I want to make it count. I have 2200 total and 250 multi. Thanks for any info!

 

[BRA]

2200/250 are good times....and if you don't get a call...i doubt it would be because of your times. You know what last year at this time this board said colgan wouldn't be hiring for a while.....and then they started a lot of hiring towards the middle and end of the year. You just never know. ACA really threw everyone a curve ball didn't it. Weren't they supposed to be hiring like 100's this year, or am i wrong? It's all a big lottery and you have to be in it to win it. I think the fee sucks too. Is it a one time fee? Or do you keep paying each time you update? This company suprises me.....they are one of the few that pay all your hotel in training, and pay you $50 per each day of training.....and then at other times..a lot of other times, they seem to cut every financial corner possible. The killer is we basically get no per diem here at all. Only if you do an overnite...and that is rare. So if you wait somewhere for 3-6 hours for the weather to come up......you get paid nothing for all that extra time waiting. Zero. If your flights get cancelled for maintance.....you don't even get paid your block time. I came from being an instructor...so this is nothing new to me.....but when you start to hear what other airlines get....you think about it. As this year progresses...a lot of FO's and captains will be coming up on the one year anniversary with the company. (we have a year contract) That means they can now leave and go elsewhere. A great number of these people will be wanting to go elsewhere, (not neccesarily me) if they get there wish, that is another story. But what i am saying is this may open up spots for new people like you. A good thing. Chperplt you're up.....

 

[ArcherB]

I hope it opens up! I can't to fly something bigger and faster. Thanks for the information BRA. Good luck

 

[WileE]

CCAir guys

I know there are a bunch of CCAir guys working for Colgan right now (met a few in P-burgh). If these guys bail on Colgan when/if Mesa's TA is signed, that might mean Colgan needs to hire replacements. I doubt a lot of them will stay since their seniority on the Mesa list will probably allow them to hold jet captain in pretty short order.

 

[loNslo]

Thanks for all the info. Is 2nd year pay so bad that many op to jump ship to another commuter? I heard that Colgan may be interviewing in March. What have you people heard? Thanks again.

 

[BRA]

2nd year pay is that bad....and so are all the years after that. If you can make captain within the first few years then your pay goes up....but you are making what a second year FO makes at the other regionals....infact not even that much. The atmosphere is a lot of people are using colgan as a way to get their times competitve so they can apply elsewhere...almost like an extension of being a CFI.

 

[chperplt]

A very recent quote from someone who's name is on the side of the airplane.... "We have stopped all hiring, all transitions, and all upgrades until further notice."

I don't have any idea when "until further notice" will end, but I don't think you'll see another class here until May at the earliest. This is the slowest time of the year, and the training budget for the quarter is all gone. We have almost 0 open time this time of year with plenty of people on reserve to take what comes up.

It doesn't hurt to apply, as you won't get a call when we do start hiring without an resume on file.

As far as pay goes... first year on the Beech is $20, which is much better than the $15 Commutair pays.. with or without per diem. As far as industry standard, I don't think we pay poorly for a 19 seat airplane.

 

[climbhappy]

colgan stuff...

the rumor of the day is we'll park the saabs and furlough 60 pilots...out of senority no less...of course it's a rumor...but we'll know by 2/13 at 11:00 a.m.


there is no overtime.... alll the lines are balanced at fifty and sixty hous.... i understand why but this is becoming more of a leisure thing thana job thing....

 

[loNslo]

What happened at 11:00AM on 2/13?

 

[climbhappy]

11:00a.m. 2/13/03

nothing new...no furloughs..that was a big one..and was anticipated by many....however mgt echoed continued confidence about our relationship with US Airways.....

no matter the bs, which gives something to talk about on a six leg day,, colgan is a great place for anyone needing to take the next step...

 

[chperplt]

Not all the lines are at 50-60 hours.. Take a look at the every beech bid on the web site. You'll see some bases are blocking at 85 or so.. I did 97 hours payable last month.

 

[alitalia]

Colgan

After that big meeting today, were there any discussions on new hiring at Colgan. When it is expected to resume?

 

[climbhappy]

chperplt...that's all fine and good...

hey, I don't get up to presque isle or wherever, the lines in HTS stink....everybody has the same stinkin line , no chance for gaurantee, or overtime, so why would you ever work on your day off for free...

from the accounting side i see what they're doing, but I need more time, period.....we have made our wants known to Dot.


For ALITALIA..... no hiring on tap from my sources, no upgrades til june is what i heard recently, from a guy they call the judge!

they will hire like mad as soon as this frickkin IRAQ madness is over......because the economy will explode and all the regionals will fill the seats for those 700 RJs on order.

 

[chperplt]

chperplt...that's all fine and good... hey, I don't get up to presque isle or wherever, the lines in HTS stink....everybody has the same stinkin line , no chance for gaurantee, or overtime, so why would you ever work on your day off for free...

I understand the lines in HTS are horrible. You don't have to stay in HTS.

The lines will get better when the summer schedule comes out. There isn't much crew planning can do.. How many times can you go from HTS to PIT in one day?

From what I hear, we're about to pick up some more routes in your neck of the woods, so I'm sure you'll see improvements in time.

By the way.. if you work on a guaranteed day off you will get 4 hours pay or block, on top of your guarantee...

The information John (The Judge) gave you is correct.. No nothing till summer.

 

[BRA]

I didn't know that. if i am blocked for 60 hours for the month...and work on a day off...i get 79 hours pay for the month?? Is that right? I was under the impression that no days off are a promise....they own you the whole month...but do have to give you 10 days off a month, which only means a 24 hour period counting as a day off. Is it true 2 saabs got parked, or are they just getting heavy work done on them? Has the stock of 1900 main tires been replenished yet? It just seems like luck to be in a base, and have the sen # to get a lot of hours in. You need to hit it just right with people upgrading or leaving or going on vacation. It seems the bottom man at each base no longer does all reserve...they divide it for everyone. Any thoughts on any other new bases we may ever get???

 

[chperplt]

Ask your lead captain for a copy of the most current pay memo. If they call you to work on a day off, you are entitled to pay on top of your 75 hours.

No Saabs were parked. The Saabs we have were all obtained from the same source. They are all on the same maintenance schedule. They all have C checks due at the same time. One Saab a month is going to get the C check done. They started in November and will be done when they are done.

If you FOs learn how to land in a crosswind, we wouldn't blow tires! JUST KIDDING... That problem has been addressed and resolved... minus one captain.

It can be tricky to get to a base that will give you seniority to hold the #1 line. Spend a few minutes looking at every bid line and see where your seniority will hold a better line. I believe the #1 FO in PQI is #165 or something close to it. I imagine BUF and HPN will go pretty junior as well. Regardless, wait until the summer comes around and every line is blocked for 90 hours.

There will be a few more bases opening and more routes being picked up.. Stand by for more info in the coming weeks.