No more ASA new-hire classes til '04

[avrodriverj85]

I can't believe it ! Got the call this morning from Capt. E.

No more new hire classes for ASA til 2004.

Apparently, Delta is retiring the Brasilia and those crews need to be trained, which according to Capt E. is going to take the rest of the year. the Brasilia has already been taken off the Feb flight schedule.

Also, those in the pool after 6 months from there interview will be dropped and records destroyed! Yikes.. I believe just the paperwork would have to be filled out, but we all know how that goes. There was a glimmer of hope. It was mentioned that things can change, but it's doubtful.

Back to the drawing board.

 

[avratdwc]

Wow, thats not good news!!!! Just out of curiosity how many pilots are there currently in the Silver Bullett?

 

[cheezpilot]

If you want to work out of ATL send AWAC a resume. If ASA is not hiring, I think we are planning on growing the AirTran deal quite a bit. We had the stop of growth when we got rid of most of our DO328's last year. I dont know when hiring will start again but estimate in March (we are shedding the rest of the 328's and getting RJ's to replace them). Just throwing it out for info. ASA is a great gig so stay with them until they hire again. I am not saying AWAC is better, infact, I think they are very comparable, and AWAC is growing in ATL for AirTran. ATL is very junior now for FO's.

 

[sleepy]

I have been hearing the same thing in the crew lounge lately. The backlog in training due to the retirement of the E-120 and the opening of the CR7 base in DFW will prevent the hiring of any new pilots for most of 2003. For the year 2003 we will have a net loss of 2 aircraft.

Never give up though, I have a feeling that they will need to do some more hiring toward the end of 2003.

 

[sidseal]

Call Comair. 350-400 people this year and 33ish jets. 45-50 newhires a month.

 

[CRJFlyer]

moving up the seniority list quickly!!!!!keep it comin baby

 

[bailout]

Well, technically you're not moving up, but more people coming in behind you.

Thats why this so called freeze at ASA sux. Instead of 40 people of month coming in behind me, now Im gonna have 40 or so EMB guys coming over in front of me. (affecting airplane position, not overall seniority) which will probably bump me back on reserve... OUCH.... Of course even if they still hire 40 a month, they're most likely going to DFW on different airplanes anyway, so it means nothing to me that way either,. oh well,.

 

[btflyer2]

Does anyone have a life preserver. . . I

I was hoping someone would reply and say this wasn't true. I have not received any such call. Has anyone else in the pool received notice of some sort?

Anyone else with info please share in the misery.

 

[601Pilot]

No so fast my friend...........

If I was a betting man, I wouldn't put any money on ASA not
having any new hire classes this year. I heard one more this
month and none scheduled after that. The Brasilia will be in
Atlanta until June and, rumor has it, out of Atlanta and Dallas
by September `03. I doubt anyone will be allowed off of the
Brasilia for a couple of months, but the flood gates should open
in late spring/early summer.

Just my $0.02!

601Pilot

 

[sleepy]

Actually heard a rumor today that ASA will furlough pilots out of seniority order so they will not have to pay E-120 guys to sit around while they await retraining on other aircraft.

Of course this is against our PWA, and I don't know how they would pull it off.

A rumor a day is the ASA way.

 

[atl01]

Rumors

I am also swimming in the pool and haven't heard anything at all from ASA. If the original post is true, then the pool would be empty by May and I don't believe they would want that.

I recieved my letter in November and was told that it would probably be 5-6 months before I would be in a class. I'll stick with that until I hear otherwise from them.

Anyone have any sun block.....

 

[rjcap]

Actually heard a rumor today that ASA will furlough pilots out of seniority order so they will not have to pay E-120 guys to sit around while they await retraining on other aircraft.

This flies in the face of logic since we have 2 new hire classes for January and you can't furlough out of seniority order.

Sleepy, why would you post such nonsense ??

The CRJ 200 will be overstaffed for a while during the transition. This has happened before and those on reserve did not fly much.

We should be thankful that the EMB's are leaving us !!!

 

[Huck]

Put the last one up on a pole, as a warning to future generations....

 

[FL000]

The CRJ 200 will be overstaffed for a while during the transition. This has happened before and those on reserve did not fly much.

Thank God! After the past two weeks, I was thinking about stepping up for one of those out-of-seniority furlough deals.

 

[sleepy]

This flies in the face of logic since we have 2 new hire classes for January and you can't furlough out of seniority order.

Sleepy, why would you post such nonsense ??

The CRJ 200 will be overstaffed for a while during the transition. This has happened before and those on reserve did not fly much.

We should be thankful that the EMB's are leaving us !!!

Yea, I know it defies logic. So does a lot of the stuff I read on here. It is an informational forum, and I was passing along what peope (in the know ? ) were saying in our crew lounge the other day. Never underestimate the evil that the company and it's lawyers can do.

 

[MetroSheriff]

This flies in the face of logic since we have 2 new hire classes for January and you can't furlough out of seniority order.

Fly in the face of logic???

In the airline industry??? Who'da thunk it?

Didn't Delta have a no furlough clause? If they want to do it, they will find a way. Hopefully they will just ante up do the right thing.

Logic and reason will play no part in the decision. It's all about the benjamins.

 

[bailout]

The retirement of the EMB has been known for quite awhile. I doubt that we would even be having new hire classes now if they thought we were going to have "to many" pilots in the future. They will start from the top and work their way down the list and place pilots on other aircraft. (i know of some who want the ATR, or 70, not just the 50 ) For the rest, they are going to be displaced until their bid comes up. (i.e., sent to DFW until they can hold a slot in ATL on another aircraft) Look at the prelims, they are short quite a few guys on the EMB in DFW. Coincidence? NOT...

 

[btflyer2]

A second New hire class in Jan??

Okay, for those of us in the pool, we are interested in Rjcap's message that there were two new hire classes in Jan. So far I have heard of one, the one that started on January 2nd. Has anyone been notified of a second class??

If anyone has any more intel, please pass along. We are hanging on to our life preserver out here in the meantime.

 

[ASAFOE120]

Ok. Ive tried to keep out of this but just have to put my .02 in.
Skip came to talk in dallas a few months ago. He stated that the E120's would be gone from ATL by mid summer 03. A week later it comes out in E DOCS on Flica. Ok I believe it now.
He also stated that he would like to see the E120 START to leave Dallas by the end of 03. I do repeat START to leave dallas by the end of 03.

If all of the sudden we are retiring all E120's from the fleet sometime this year, why have we seen nothing official??? Nothing in E DOCS, nothing posted in Ops/Crew room, nothing official anywhere to be found from mgt (just word of mouth from one pilot to another).

Now, how about the openings on the E120 in DFW on the prelims (Feb). Why are we putting new hires on this equipment in DFW if we are going to turn around and have to retrain the folks in a few months????

What about the upgrade class on the 120 scheduled to begin in Feb (Jan Final awards) 8 folks sceduled for DFW CA EM2. Why are we still upgrading if we are going to remove this equipment from the fleet in a few months???

Finally, if ASA and Comair are the only parts of DAL making money for them, why then would they shrink the fleet this year (net loss of 2 a/c). If you owned an orchard with 10 trees and were losing money, would you really want to go chop 2 trees down?

This sounds like so many of the other rumors Ive heard not only here but on the flight deck soooo many times before. Just like the Airbus thing floating on here for a while, or us on the west coast by the end of 02, or sooo many others that boggle the mind.

I could be completely off base here and forgive me if Im wrong or offended anyone (I dont post often, like to fly under the radar if yall know what i mean) but it just doesnt add up to me. Kind of like telling me 2+2 = 3.

Well thats all i have to say about that.

ASAFO

 

[rjcap]

I doubt that we would even be having new hire classes now if they thought we were going to have "to many" pilots in the future.

Bailout - can't be true.

Sleepy heard it in the crew lounge from people in the know. ( That means important people who are really smart that talk to Skip everyday.)


Any other insider gossip sleepy ????

Never underestimate the evil that the company and it's lawyers can do.

Never underestimate the stupidity of pilots !

 

[sleepy]

Bailout - can't be true.

Sleepy heard it in the crew lounge from people in the know. ( That means important people who are really smart that talk to Skip everyday.)


Any other insider gossip sleepy ????



Never underestimate the stupidity of pilots !

No new gossip today, but you can be sure that there will be more in the future. As with anything you hear in the crew lounge from our highly informed pilots, take it with a small grain of salt.

RJ Cap, how long have you been on the CR7?

 

[Medeco]

On the Furlough rumor

Hey guys,

I am in the Dec 9th class and listened to Skip B. say that he would rather have a surplus of pilots from the EMB120 retirement then furlough anybody. He said ASA is proud of the fact they have never furloughed, with an exception of 2 at the very beginning of the company, and will not as long as things stay as they are today.

Of course that leaves the door open, but I took his statement as genuine, he was very down to business and personable at the same time.

Besides learning all my aircraft stuff, I have also learned that rumors/gossip are huge and I wont believe anything till I see it.

I think pilots are probable better at gossip then the local ladies at the weekly bridge club meeting.

medeco

 

[PilotMonkey]

I spoke with J.E. this morning. She confirmed that there will be no more new hire classes this year, this could change but in her opinion would be unlikely. She also said that she would let people remain in the pool for up to a year, depending on current flying experience. Lastly, she said that at the end of the year ASA will end up with a surplus of pilots, how this will be handled is yet to be resolved. There will be updates on ASA's website when able.

 

[avrodriverj85]

Pilot Monkey,

Well, nice to know JE has told the same bad news to more poolees than just me. What a turnaround. I never did like pilot pools, to easy to sink to the bottom. Keep flying!

 

[Colonel Cairo]

We were told in March that we would be the last class for the year. Here we are, 7, 8, classes later.......

To paraphrase Mr. Twain, if you don't like the hiring news at ASA, wait a few minutes, it will change. Keep the faith.

 

[SquirrelDog]

ASA rumors

Medeco: where did you get the idea ASA never really had any furloughs? After 9/11 I talk to a guy in FLL that was furloughed from ASA and was working as a limo driver. I have noticed that the management there likes to bend the truth a little.

By the way, carefull as a new hire there, when the company stops hiring for awhile and doesn't need pilots anymore they tend to loose people,if you know what I mean. Again things I have been told, by several.

I think some of these pilot pools need a little chlorine in them once in awhile.

All this just in good fun and opinion.

 

[btflyer2]

The life raft has a hole in it . . .

I got the same info by phone today, supposed to be a letter soon to all poolies or some way to access updates via the website. Also was told that there is a projected surplus of pilots if all stays the same. I guess that is the big IF but it does seem grim if they do retire the Brasilias. Heard they may retire a handful by end of Feb then possibly two handfuls or more at the end of March.

Very discouraging at this point, but thanks to those who are trying to help us poolies keep the faith.

Has anyone been told exactly how many poolies there are at this time? And I hear that Comair is hiring, can anyone confirm? Do they have a pool right now?

Thanks all.

 

[FL000]

Re: ASA rumors

After 9/11 I talk to a guy in FLL that was furloughed from ASA and was working as a limo driver. I have noticed that the management there likes to bend the truth a little

Not as much as that limo driver does. If that person was claiming that he was an ASA pilot, I can tell you unequivocally that either you misunderstood him or he was lying. If he was claiming that he was in another union position at ASA, other than pilot, I am about 99.999% certain that we furloughed NO ONE after 9/11.

Our hiring and growth stalled for a few months after 9/11, just like everyone else, but once the growth strategy was in place, we started hiring at a fairly rapid rate again.

By the way, was that limo driver named Lloyd Christmas by any chance?

 

[rjcap]

I just took a look at the January EMB line awards. In ATl there are 96 EMB pilots and in DFW there are 113. This does not include the training departments. A rough estimate of 230 pilots to transition at 20 per month and that gets you to 11 months of RJ training classes.

Doesn't look like we will hire anybody for awhile.

 

[ASAFOE120]

I for one can verify that after Sept 11 ASA didnt furlought any pilots for I would have been one of the first out the door. I was a new hire doing my second sim on that day. We never even heard any nasty rumor of furlough or were forgot about or anything of the sort.

ASAFO