New Comair hiring minimums

[FDJ2]

New mins for Comair 600 total, 100 multi.

November 2, 2006
TO: Comair Pilots
FROM: Deb Arthur, Supervisor of Recruiting
Todd McGregor, Flight Ops Pilot Recruiter

RE: Flight Operations recruiting efforts

In an effort to maintain optimum staffing levels throughout the organization, the Human
Resources department constantly evaluates our recruiting efforts. Our primary goal is to ensure
that we are best positioned to recruit new talent given the challenges we’re facing in our industry
and our company.
For the past several months, the Flight Operations and Human Resources departments have been
working with representatives from the Training department to explore new ways to recruit
competitively. One way for us to improve our opportunities to attract new candidates is to
restructure our training to match the experience level of available candidates.
Comair Training is making numerous changes to its current new-hire training program to build
an Advanced CRJ Training Program that combines the best elements of an industry proven Jet
Transition Program with our current CRJ initial program.
Revised Minimums Now Available
This advanced training class, which will be available January 8th, 2006, will allow Comair to
lower our overall minimum flight time requirements while still attracting the highest-quality
individuals available in the industry today. Effective immediately, we will be able to hire
candidates who have 600 hours Total Time and 100 hours Multi-Engine time. These revised
minimums will increase the number of “first-look” candidates considering Comair, which gives
us a better opportunity to recruit the most talented pilots to our airline. As always, we will
continue to look for the best pilots to fill our First Officer vacancies.
We wanted you to be the first to know about these changes. We will begin communicating this
new training program and our revised minimums through an ad campaign in several major
publications, at job fairs and our web site in the coming weeks.
Please continue to refer qualified candidates to us through the employee referral program (visit
EPIC for details). If you refer a candidate who is later hired by Comair and remains on the job
for six months, you will receive a referral bonus of $500.
We remain committed to doing everything possible to find and hire the most outstanding pilots
into our airline. Thank you in advance for your support in these efforts.

 

[Tri-holer]

Why not just put a mirror in front of their mouth. If it fogs up, hire 'em.

 

[V-1]

Hilarious.

 

[172driver]

These revised
minimums will increase the number of “first-look” candidates considering Comair, which gives
us a better opportunity to recruit the most talented pilots to our airline.

Cutting the mins in half enables you to recruit the most talented, huh? That's interesting.

Wonder if they'll still pay the $500 if they end up furloughing all these guys within six months.

 

[mack82]

I think that this trend will follow for a long time, not only at Comair, but other places as well. Where I work, the lower time pilots actually performed better in training. A lot of this, I think, continues to go on not only at where I work but at other places because of the success a lot of them have in training and also the fact that the bank of applicants and qualified pilots have shrunk as well.

 

[imacdog]

I have spoken with a check airman here regarding our low time new hires. He said that he has noticed a difference in quality, for the worse. It's not the new pilots' fault that they are being hired with such little time, but they just don't have the experience to make a successful transition to the jet in the time frame that the company would like.

 

[doh]

I still get all the stuff that the chief pilot's office puts out. This is in keeping with the memo about reduced rest actually being to the pilot's advantage! And since they need ( again according to a memo from the CPO) more than double the number of screw schedulers that they have on staff, I guess that lowering the mins actually is a good thing in the mind of management. Incidently, flying upside down saves fuel because it drains away from the engine. Please make a note of it!:laugh:

 

[hockeypilot44]

This is going to be a familiar trend. It's either raise the pay or lower the minimums. Which one do you think management will choose? At our low wages, pretty soon they will be hiring pilots with 250 hours because no one else will take the job. Our ********************ty job sucks.

 

[Homer Jay]

This is hilarious! While I have known many low timers that made the transition with no problems, this just goes to show the desperation from management. YOU MADE THE BED, NOW SLEEP IN IT! On another note, with 1113c, I now have Thanksgiving and Christmas "off".

 

[ReverseSensing]

...the lower time pilots actually performed better in training.

...and worse on the line.

 

[captainv]

other regionals have had 600/100 for a while, we're just being realistic. we're getting crappy applicants because Comair is their last choice, not their first. If you have the mins, why wouldn't you go to SkyWest, Chatauqua or anywhere else first?

if the oft-threatened massive loss of aircraft ever occurs, it's all moot anyway.

i think the fact that we've only got 16 schedulers on staff, when they want 40+, will have a far greater impact on our daily lives...

 

[Morettis]

Was I the only one that was really hoping the FO on the Comair plane that crashed was one of these 600 hr pilots? Would have been the best thing to happen to this industry. Insurance companies would have pulled their head out of their ass and put an end to this crap.

 

[BRA]

In 2003 I had CFI, CFII, MEI, over 2000 hours total, over 1000 multi, 500+ turbine (beech 1900 part 121), and 2 pilot walk ins (one was a captain), and they didn't even give me a phone call. It was that competitive then. I can't believe how things change.

 

[BoilerUP]

Was I the only one that was really hoping the FO on the Comair plane that crashed was one of these 600 hr pilots?

Yes, you were.

 

[RiddleEagle18]

is anybody going to the interviews next week? Do you know what class date they are hiring for?

 

[imacdog]

My interview date was about four weeks before class began. They obviously aren't hiring into a pool right now so I would expect 3-4 weeks between interview and class.

 

[mack82]

Was I the only one that was really hoping the FO on the Comair plane that crashed was one of these 600 hr pilots? Would have been the best thing to happen to this industry. Insurance companies would have pulled their head out of their ass and put an end to this crap.

He was a FIFTH year F/O. I think his experience when he was hired was irrelevant at the time of the crash.

 

[GogglesPisano]

And to think 6 years ago you had to spend $12,000 grand to work there.

 

[jbDC9]

And to think 6 years ago you had to spend $12,000 grand to work there.

No kidding, funny how things change huh? In the early 90s I had around 4500+ hrs with 2300 ME freight dog time and Comair wouldn't give me the time of day, much less an interview... then again, I wasn't reaching for my checkbook to open the door there either.

 

[FR8mastr]

No kidding, funny how things change huh? In the early 90s I had around 4500+ hrs with 2300 ME freight dog time and Comair wouldn't give me the time of day, much less an interview... then again, I wasn't reaching for my checkbook to open the door there either.

You and me both, I would have flown checks until I died before I would do that "buy your job" crap!

 

[WMUSIGPI]

Hmmm, how about not filing a 1113c motion to again cut the pilots' pay. Not to mention the threat of a furlough soon.

 

[RiddleEagle18]

I would hope a company that just made 50 million would not be allowed to void contracts..... but who knows these days.

 

[flyby]

Hmmm, how about not filing a 1113c motion to again cut the pilots' pay. Not to mention the threat of a furlough soon.

What is with the logic train derailment at Comair? The company files this motion to cut pilot pay and compromise your work rules. Now your HR people are lowering the newhire qualifications and offering incentives for referrals.

Maybe they could hire David Copperfield Consulting to help them fill classes while they make those same jobs less appealing.

 

[atpcliff]

Hi!

I had my ATP MEL and I got a nice letter from Comair saying I didn't meet the minimum requirements!

Comair, TSA, Pinnacle, AWAC, and a bunch of other organizations are all having a very difficult time filling their interview and new-hire slots. I heard TSA was hiring some guys with 100/10.

This is an example of the pilot shortage that PilotYIP talked about coming in 2007. It will only get worse until the next downturn in the industry, which normally would be in about 5 years from now.

The pilot shortage is due to a number of factors. One of them is that the military is turning out less pilots, and there are less civilians starting flight training. The FAA said that new pilot starts are down about 50%.

cliff
LRD

 

[imacdog]

Hi!
This is an example of the pilot shortage that PilotYIP talked about coming in 2007. It will only get worse until the next downturn in the industry, which normally would be in about 5 years from now.

When a shortage of qualified applicants is due to this job being less and less desirable all the time, it isn't a good thing! This has nothing to do with fewer qualified pilots and everything to do with the simple fact that no one wants to work here any more.

 

[time builder]

The pilot shortage is due to a number of factors. One of them is that the military is turning out less pilots, and there are less civilians starting flight training. The FAA said that new pilot starts are down about 50%.

cliff
LRD

I think there's plenty of other factors. Cost of training vs. Expected Salary is the biggest. When I got into this, I was paying $35 an hour for the plane and people were only spending a couple years in the regionals to get their six figure spot in the majors.

Now they spend over a hundred an hour for a plane, and have a resonable expectation that they might spend their entire career in the regionals.

My question is: when are banks going to stop financing these students? Many go 80,000+ into debt and end up either defaulting or paying interest only because they can't make the payments with the jobs they get.

 

[slipstream]

When a shortage of qualified applicants is due to this job being less and less desirable all the time, it isn't a good thing! This has nothing to do with fewer qualified pilots and everything to do with the simple fact that no one wants to work here any more.

That's what I don't get, what's changed since last January that has really sapped morale and why are ppl staying away? There are contentious negotiations over pay and benefits at every carrier, and the pilot group at Comair has weathered far worse in the past. What's different this time that's causing so many to bail like it's a sinking ship?

 

[imacdog]

That's what I don't get, what's changed since last January that has really sapped morale and why are ppl staying away? There are contentious negotiations over pay and benefits at every carrier, and the pilot group at Comair has weathered far worse in the past. What's different this time that's causing so many to bail like it's a sinking ship?

Our attrition rate has been very high since January, and I don't know if it has gone up or down since July but I believe it is the same. I don't think you could say that Comair is going through what every other carrier has gone through at all. We have everything to lose, and management is making sure we know this. 1113c, the RFP, the threat of masive furloughs, other carriers being brought into the DCI operation (Mesa), have made many people decide that Comair is not where they want to be any more. We are no longer treated like employees, but liabilities.

The reason our attrition rate was not a big deal in the first few months of the year was that we were slightly overstaffed, since Delta had taken away a good percentage of our flying. Now that it has stabilized (at least until Delta decides to take more away), we are becoming severly understaffed because we can't find enough quality pilots to show up for class. This shortage has resulted in the abuse of our reserve pilots, which make up a good portion of our pilot group.

Additionally, line holders are down to minimum days off because our trip pairings are so unproductive. Though I wasn't here during the strike, I can't imagine that being any worse than this because the company is now using the courts to impose labor terms and possibly transfer our flying to other carriers.

 

[BYUFlyr]

I heard TSA was hiring some guys with 100/10.

Wow! TSA's hiring private pilots now?

 

[atpcliff]

Hi!

Yeah, obviously it doesn't make sense, so I guess the bare mins would be a commercial with a few hrs of multi.

Back in 2001 I know for sure they were hiring guys with less than 20 hrs of multi, and the hiring situation actually sounds worse for the regionals today.

cliff
LRD