SF3409E
I will agree with SF3409E... we have plenty of "crybabies" at Pinnacle, not anymore than most other regionals.
Some of the "crying" is before 9/11 things at Pinnacle (Express I) was great for the jet... 90 hr lines, quick upgrades and life was sweet. About 50% of our pilot group has between 12-14 months worth of senority, and those 50% were all hired when life was good.
Post 9/11... .well we all know how the industry took it, and some of the crying is the 90 hr lines went to months of reserve, the quick upgrades were grabbed by the Saab guys (more senority and time) coming over to the jet and those lucky guys who are able to hold a line in the jet. So, the "crying" while not without a reason has some people bitter, and many "new" guys are really bitter that they cannot get over the fact that the industry went sour. I hear many guys complaining they were "lied" to during the interview or sold a fantasty. That is not true, things were sweet, but 9/11 has created an environment that these "new" guys cannot accept.
Personally, I am new (about 1 year), I got on board when life was good and looking great. I am not bitter nor "cry" over the months of reserve as it is part of life at ANY airline. I just want to ensure those other individuals who are considering a career at Pinnacle really do know the low down.
I am still amazed that I hear "stories" of how we are going to hire these "direct entry captains" (street Captains) and upgrades are less than 6 months and we are flying 90 hr lines with 16 days off.
This is what I was trying to convey to the orginal question about our company, if they know the TRUTH about how long it MAY take to upgrade OR hold a line, the CURRENT conditions of our schedules, the ACTUAL amount of aircraft we have and what we MAY get, the ACTUAL amount of pilots we have and what MAY be the total amount in time. The person can make a educated decision about whether Pinnacle may be for them or not. Some of these factors are really not expressed well within our hiring program and they should be.
So the bottom line is that if you want a job at Pinnacle and understand that we have "crybabies" like other airlines. We are overstaffed in the jet (presently), we have schedules that could be better, we have upgrades that can be quick OR lenghty, and our pay and contract then the person seeking the job can make a decision if Pinnacle is "right" for them. We all have choices and while life for me is not the great not bad at Pinnacle, I still have a job!
The last note of my soapbox speech, we have a clear disparity in our ranks... The have's and the Have not's. The difference is basically the top 30-40% of our ranks are the Have's. Decent schedule's, decent pay, no reserve, ability to upgrade at will. Then we have the rest of the pilot group, who cannot upgrade because they do not fly enough to get the time need to upgrade, the poorer schedules and things getting worse before it will get better. The very bottom half (reserves) usually get anywhere from 30 hours a month to 5 hours a month (yes, 5 hours a month), some have not even flown in months. Now those who have are near the time to upgrade and need 500 hrs... how long will it take them to get 500 hrs at 30 hrs a month or 5 hours a month? hence... the crying that the top dogs just cannot understand. It is easy to criticize when someone is flying 80+ a month and 16 days off and has the choice to upgrade or not.