Pinnacle Travel Privledges/ Commuting

[flyguy03]

Can anyone tell me how the travel benefits are for pinncle? I have an interview in June and if I get hired I am going to try and commute from San Diego. Any thoughts? Also what base is a newhire most likely to get? Thanks.

 

[rtmcfi]

Ya, here are some thoughts.....SkyWest or American Eagle!

 

[MarineGrunt]

San Diego? Yer gonna hate life man. I hope your single, if not, don't even bother showing up to you class date. I've heard some bad things about people making a commute from the west coast.

With that said, PCL has CASS which means you can jumpseat on basically anyone. Getting a ride to work shouldn't be a huge problem, but you will commute on your days off which will get old fast.

Other flight bennies (if you want to call them that) flat out SUCK compared to other carriers. It's $50 per-person/yr, free travel only on PCL, you have to pay for NWA and Mesaba. I used to be a ramper at SkyWest and had free travel on the entire Delta system. If you were lucky and worked the United side as well (i.e. pilots) you also had the entire United system free too. At the time it cost nothing, but there is slowly being a $50/yr fee implemented that includes anyone who usues your bennies.

 

[FCPhotography]

Stay far away if you are going to commute. Min days off are 10 and you will get junior manned down to 7-8 days off a month. If you want to commute........well.

They purposely run the airline understaffed and pickup the slack by extending and junior manning. The lines are not commuter friendly. Start at 7:00Am and finish at 10:00PM.

Don't know where the new hires are going. Second and third year FO pay is one of the worst in the industry. You will make $25-$28,000 second year while you can make $35,000-$40,000 second year at other places. Upgrade time is longer than others. Absolutely no growth.

 

[cwebster2]

Other flight bennies (if you want to call them that) flat out SUCK compared to other carriers. It's $50 per-person/yr

at cal/xjt its $12.50 one way to non-rev. I'd take 50/year in a heartbeat. (jumpseating is free but if the cockpit is full you ride last in the cabin, behind buddy passes).

 

[FLYHY]

Best of luck commuting from SAN for Pinnacle because it's not going to happen.

 

[Enterprise]

If you are commuting out of the west coast you are probably going to have to bid MSP. You are only looking at 4 or so flights to SAN and you are going to have a hard time commuting up the same day. It looks like you can commute home on your last day because there is a 21:20 flight. Flights out west are usually VERY full and you are probably going to have to 2 leg it a few times. Just because of geography I would look a lot more at Horizon, Eagle, Skywest, or even Mesa before Pinnacle because of the commute. If you are east of Mississippi it is a whole lot easier.

 

[Papps]

If you go to pinnacle you won't be commuting the first year. you will be living in a crash pad in MEM MSP or DTW and visiting San Diego a few times a month, for a day at a time. The lines are very tough to work a commute with, and if your commuting on NWA the loads have been pretty heavy. alot of first year F/O's get a bit discouraged after the new job smell starts to fade if they commute. Skywest would be good, Eagle is a problem if you want to upgrade. Pinnacle will be ok if your going to break down and live in domicile.

 

[Lear70]

at cal/xjt its $12.50 one way to non-rev. I'd take 50/year in a heartbeat. (jumpseating is free but if the cockpit is full you ride last in the cabin, behind buddy passes).

No, no, no... he didn't tell you the whole story.

The $50 per person (plus taxes) is a REGISTRATION FEE, just to USE your passes.

You are then charged the segment fee on each leg you travel, plus applicable taxes.

Soo... For my family: Me, my wife, my two kids. Capped at $150 plus fees. Then $50 for my parents, plus fees. Would run me approximately $228 per year, just to register to use the passes.

Then each leg is $10 plus tax plus a $5 per segment security fee (about $17 per leg). Doing a 2-leg trip for my family of 4 (3 plus a lap baby) would run me $196.00 (roughly) for my vacation (domestic).

If you can't jumpseat from the West Coast, it'll cost you $17 each way. The commute isn't pretty, but it's OK, depending on where you're domiciled and where you come into. If you're coming out of PDX, SEA, LAX, SFO, or SAN, plan at least two commute attempts and plan on using your off days to come in before your reserve period. That means about 6-8 days off a month.

Good luck,

 

[Hoodabundy]

I tried to commute to MSP from PDX for Pinnacle.... NO GOOD, do yourself a favor and live at you domicile

 

[Grimper]

Lines for the summer in DTW not bad but in the fall and winter much worse.
8am start and 830 finish year round. means riding in the day before. this = 5-7 days off a month. Live in base if at all possable

 

[DoinTime]

Best of luck commuting from SAN for Pinnacle because it's not going to happen.

The FedEx jumpseat is almost back. Once the bugs are worked out and you have access to the FedEx jumpseat you'll have the best commute of that distance available as long as you choose MEM as your domicile. Riding FedEx is like being on buisness class positive space.