OFFICIAL! SkyWest In IAH

[Bjet Driver]

This is now a done deal.

SKYW 120's are headed to IAH. Left seats will be Sky Capt's, right seats will be XJT FO's. BTW, there will be no interviews for the XJT guys.

Let's get the show on the road. Hope to see some of you in IAH.

 

[Bluto]

Excellent

MTorbust,
Glad to hear it. I would expect nothing less from SkyWest and it's pilot group. You can't fault us for being a little wary, though. The timing is suspicious. I definitely wouldn't put it past XJT/CAL mgmt to diversify a little bit to protect themselves in case of a strike. This is one reason I think XJT has the potential to do much better than Comair did with the contract: the limited availabilty of alternative feed. Anyway, I meant no offense to Skywest or it's pilots. I look forward to working with you folks.

 

[maddog805]

UH??

This is now a done deal.

SKYW 120's are headed to IAH. Left seats will be Sky Capt's, right seats will be XJT FO's. BTW, there will be no interviews for the XJT guys.

Let's get the show on the road. Hope to see some of you in IAH.

It must not be. Here is an message from corporate communications:

All IAH flight crew staffing will be new growth, and will not take from existing domiciles.

Furloughed CO and COEX pilots do have to go through the same interview process required of all pilots at SkyWest.

They will not be required to give up their seniority number by accepting employment at SkyWest

Someone is confused. Only time will tell the truth.

 

[Bjet Driver]

Someone is confused. Only time will tell the truth.

My source is pretty high up there dog. However, I'm sure some issues still remain fluid. Even if an interview is required, those of us who have been on the street for 18-19 months won't be complaining.

Like I said, let's get the show on the road............

 

[MTorbust]

Anyone care to mention the average temperature and humidity in IAH in Jul and Aug? How 'bout the size of the cockroaches and mosquitoes? I am not slamming here, but, I do not see a mass exodus of the SKW ranks going to IAH. I see a strong potential for a new hire to go from furloughed to making CA @ $44 / hr in a matter of months. My fingers are crossed for them.

 

[mckpickle]

This is now a done deal.

SKYW 120's are headed to IAH. Left seats will be Sky Capt's, right seats will be XJT FO's. BTW, there will be no interviews for the XJT guys.

Let's get the show on the road. Hope to see some of you in IAH.

In all sincerely I am not tryin got start anything. But look at it from our point of view. Would you let someone into your house thats a know threat? I certainly wouldn't , thats why I was asking the question. Thats all. If you guys HAD flown struck work or didn't have anything preventing you from flying struck work that could have a large impact on our leverage don't you agree? I was just trying to answer a question thats all.

Now the deal with the Comair airplanes does come into play because anytime you threaten to take away aircraft from one pilot group and give to another you are penalizing pilot group A to benefit group B. I have very little info as to what happened with Comair, but I know some there are still a bit pi$$ed about it.

I'm just trying to make an informed opinion.

 

[mckpickle]

Anyone care to mention the average temperature and humidity in IAH in Jul and Aug? How 'bout the size of the cockroaches and mosquitoes? I am not slamming here, but, I do not see a mass exodus of the SKW ranks going to IAH. I see a strong potential for a new hire to go from furloughed to making CA @ $44 / hr in a matter of months. My fingers are crossed for them.

God love ya flying in IAH. I flew down there in the ATR being displaced from EWR last summer. It was HOT darn HOT. So hot I saw a little orange man burst into flames! But really its the bugs that got me. A flying cockroach was in my hotel in Brownsville. I threw the bible at him and he laughed and threw it back!

 

[BJK]

Question for the XJet/CoEx folks that have been on the street for the past 18 months.........What kept you on the street? Is the company that good that it is worth sacrificing seniority elsewhere for 18 months? Not that jobs have been that plentiful, but pilots interviewed by SkyWest in Nov. 01' included numerous applicants freshly furloughed by CoEx. EMB upgrade has already come their way (gotta have 2500TT and 1000 crew to qualify) and there are over 250 below them on the seniority list now. There are plenty of furloughees from various regionals and majors that have been hired by SkyWest in the last 18 months. Hell..I even know of one guy recalled by (Mesa) during ground school who turned the recall down to continue training at SkyWest. Great decision.

Regarding the interview process, why are some of you so wound up about it? Its cake as long as you're prepared and have a good attitude.

Another question.....How should SkyWest deal with furloughed CoEx pilots that did choose to interview at SkyWest after being furloughed, but were unsuccessful. I know of 2 that pinked the sim ride. The thought of a meet & greet interview and then off to the right seat seems a bit of a problem if the pilot failed to meet SkyWest standards the first time they interviewed.

Just some thoughts.

Late.

 

[Mkay?]

Here we go again!

Let the heated verbage resume ...

 

[NEDude]

Coex has been in contract negotiations for the better part of a year. A strike is possible in the not-too-distant future.

As long a Dubya is in office, Coex is not going on strike. Do you honestly think a Texas Republican who is very pro-management, is going to allow a Texas based airline - based at an airport named after his daddy - go on strike and cripple business in Texas? Especially not too long after the federal government has (in their minds) spend billions to try and help out the airline industry? You best bet is early 2005, if Dubya does not get re-elected. If he is, no airline is going on strike until at least 2009. A COEX strike is nothing I would worry about.

 

[Bluto]

Nedude, You may be right. We'll see, I guess.

BJK, no offense, but apparently you haven't been looking for a job in the current market much. Personally, I've been applying to every regional I could find since Oct. of 2001. I've updated regularly and was even lucky enough to have an instructing job for most of that time. All of that resulted in one interview. One, in over nineteen months. Granted, my times are a little low, around the 1700tt mark. In fact, though, my times are higher than many of the furloughs from XJT. I even attended a Skywest referral fair, took and passed the writtens and received the coveted "don't call us, we'll call you" letter. That was over a year ago. I'm not trying to boast, or plead for sympathy. I consider myself very lucky. However, please don't assume that because some of our furloughed pilots haven't been flying they are lazy, or feel they are too good to go elsewhere.

As far as the interview process is concerned. I'm interested in approximately what percentage of interviewees receive a job offer. I'm concerned that a benefit negotiated for our furloughed pilots by our union will be distributed unevenly based on something as arbitrary as an interview. I feel that it's unfair that simply having a bad day could deprive a furloughed pilot of this benefit.

Let me put it another way. If Skywest acquired another airline, and the seniority lists were merged, would the pilots from the other airline have to interview?

Now, of course, once groundschool starts, our pilots should be treated exactly the same as everyone else. They should receive the same training and be held to the same standards. If they flunk out of training, so be it.

 

[George Jetson]

Question for the XJet/CoEx folks that have been on the street for the past 18 months.........What kept you on the street? Is the company that good that it is worth sacrificing seniority elsewhere for 18 months?

One of the reasons is that recalls were planned to occur one year after 9/11. That recall schedule kept getting delayed until CAL furloughed another 147 back to XJT, thus delaying the recalls even longer. Most who were furloughed from XJT were honestly expecting to be back within one year of being laid off. The war, SARS, etc.....has slowed it down dramatically. But frankly, anyone who has waited all this time without looking is missing a few screws. I applaud our furloughed pilots who went to ACA, ASA, SKYW, CHQ, CMR, etc. At the end of the day, they are all good companies and all are great places to work.

GJ

 

[Bjet Driver]

What kept you on the street? Is the company that good that it is worth sacrificing seniority elsewhere for 18 months?

How about a wife, one year old, and new home in OHIO. We closed on our house three days after 9/11. I lost my job a month later. Luckily my wife makes good money in her career. So picking up and moving in any direction was out of the question. I simply had to play with the cards I'd been dealt, and I have. As previously stated, XJT has given recall notices more than once, only to cancel. At any rate, we're getting closer to the skies each day.

 

[socalpilot]

Bluto, are you still furloughed or did you take the CommutAir job? If you didn't go to CommutAir, Why? The first of COEX furloughs hired at CommutAir will be upgrading to Captain within the next 3 months. I just don't see how any COEX furlough could be without a job when CommutAir offered jobs to everyone and is now hiring off the street.

 

[Bjet Driver]

I just don't see how any COEX furlough could be without a job when CommutAir offered jobs to everyone and is now hiring off the street.

Then you're forgetting that 30 of the most senior (furloughed) pilots were bypassed for the CommutAir jobs. Our recall dates were weeks away and sending us to training wouldn't have been to economical for CommutAir or XJT. So here we sit.

 

[socalpilot]

Then you're forgetting that 30 of the most senior (furloughed) pilots were bypassed for the CommutAir jobs.

I'm not forgetting about you guys. I know you guys got screwed but you are getting paid. I know it's not fair that everyone else is flying while you sit and wait.

 

[Bluto]

Additionally, if I recall correctly, the CommutAir MOU only opened about 50-60 positions with them. Not to mention the fact that many pilots chose not to fly for CommutAir. Whether for financial reasons, or because they didn't want to commute, or any number of reasons, many of our furloughs decided CommutAir wasn't for them.

 

[nimtz]

As long a Dubya is in office, Coex is not going on strike. Do you honestly think a Texas Republican who is very pro-management, is going to allow a Texas based airline - based at an airport named after his daddy - go on strike and cripple business in Texas? Especially not too long after the federal government has (in their minds) spend billions to try and help out the airline industry? You best bet is early 2005, if Dubya does not get re-elected. If he is, no airline is going on strike until at least 2009. A COEX strike is nothing I would worry about.

Sorry but even Dubya ain't gonna stop a strike of a 'Regional' Airline. The president must have compelling evidence that a Coex shutdown would cripple the nation's infrastructure and economy. Between SW at HOU and well just about everybody around NY, there is plenty of capacity around to fill up those markets. It's not like a strike by us would be HUGE national news or anything.

 

[NEDude]

Sorry but even Dubya ain't gonna stop a strike of a 'Regional' Airline. The president must have compelling evidence that a Coex shutdown would cripple the nation's infrastructure and economy. Between SW at HOU and well just about everybody around NY, there is plenty of capacity around to fill up those markets. It's not like a strike by us would be HUGE national news or anything.

And who is to decide what is compelling evidence? The president, that's who. In many situations I would agree with you. But If COEX goes on strike, it would cripple Continental, which is the nations 5th largest airline, and 7th largest in the world. Add to that the fact that Coex and Continental are TEXAS based airlines, which is the presidents home state. Bush was a business man and governor in TX. He has close ties to many powerful people in Texas. A crippled Continental would hurt Texas businesses. Add all that together, and the fact that he is a pro-management president, and it is quite obvious that the he would find "compelling evidence that a Coex shutdown would cripple the nation's infrastructure and economy".

 

[s.o.sJTB]

I dont think the President would have any problem finding "compelling evidence" to justify his agenda....