Pinnacle

[B777]

I am a little confused as to why NW bankruptcy affected Mesaba but not Pinnacle. Pinnacle, is hiring, but yet NW is planning to start a new regional. Will that not affect Pinnacle?

 

[Rez O. Lewshun]

Same reason we go to Wal Mart......................

 

[IHateMgmt]

The easy answer is that XJ is owned by a holdings company, MAIR, which sucks up all XJ's money and then "invests" it back into XJ when it sees fit. So on paper, XJ entered BK claiming a liquidity crisis. 9E does not have this same set up. 9E also has been short pilots for quite some time and is seeming to have trouble keeping the ones they have around.

 

[WMUSIGPI]

Because when all this started Mesaba was much closer to proper staffing levels for the size fleet it had.
Now both places are seeing many pilots jump ship.

 

[wmudriver]

NWA "shorted" us payments for one or two months, XJ decided it was best to cheat the new BK laws that took place on Oct. 15 and filed BK....basically b/c NWA wanted us to. Then there is the this corrupt, corporate shell structure that sucks our money...so we are calling shennanigans in court. Hopefully Paul Foley will be grabbing for his ankles in the pokey.
Oh yea...PNCL is hiring b/c they can't keep pilots on property. They pay their FOs about what i'll make on unemployment.

 

[Lear70]

Not only that, but dozens of EXPERIENCED CAPTAINS as well as F/O's are bailing for Netjets. 40k first year, week on week off if you want it, equivalent pay by year 3, 5th year CA breaks 100k while I'm a 5th year CA at PCL that averaged 11.5 days off last year (#325 out of 1,200 on the seniority list) and only made $65k not including per diem and I flew 978 hours, credited almost 1,100.

You do the math.

No one wants to stay, the new RFP is scaring the crap out of everyone as we're fairly certain a good number of CRJ's will go to XJ (can you say whipsaw time now that we're nearing our first year of negotiations?). None of this is certain, but it's my opinion and many others share it.

The only people that are sticking around are the lifers here (over 50 crowd), super-senior guys getting 16+ days off, and people with (hopefully) interviews at FedEx / UPS / jetBlue / AirTran / SWA promised in the next few months and they don't want to look like they're career hopping on their interview.

Last I heard the average attrition was 20 or so a month, half CA's, and corporate is expecting that number to increase.

Additionally, as a historical note, MOST companies will hire right up to the day they furlough people out of new-hire class (and the people senior to them already on the line).

Incedentally, in Bankruptcy court the last two days and in negotiations with the pilots, NWA is backing down from NewCo and just saying they want to outsource all flying under 77 seats. No new regional.

 

[Bladestall]

Maybe the Fractional Companies will raise the bar for Pilot Salaries in the Regionals in the long run?? That is as long as the PFT uckers stop working for free.

 

[Lear70]

Naahhhh. It plays right into their hands.

The regionals don't WANT employees with high longevity. They want a guy to come in, fly the right seat for a year or two, go to the left seat for a year or two (three max), then LEAVE.

That way they can pay a guy 1st or 2nd year CA salary instead of 5th year CA salary, and likewise for the F/O's.

Wanting experienced pilots is a thing of the past in the airline world, especially as a regional.

 

[SEVEN]

Naahhhh. It plays right into their hands.

The regionals don't WANT employees with high longevity. They want a guy to come in, fly the right seat for a year or two, go to the left seat for a year or two (three max), then LEAVE.

That way they can pay a guy 1st or 2nd year CA salary instead of 5th year CA salary, and likewise for the F/O's.

Wanting experienced pilots is a thing of the past in the airline world, especially as a regional.

Well Said. It's sad but true.

 

[Rez O. Lewshun]

Naahhhh. It plays right into their hands.

The regionals don't WANT employees with high longevity. They want a guy to come in, fly the right seat for a year or two, go to the left seat for a year or two (three max), then LEAVE.

That way they can pay a guy 1st or 2nd year CA salary instead of 5th year CA salary, and likewise for the F/O's.

Wanting experienced pilots is a thing of the past in the airline world, especially as a regional.

Not only regionals..... this is Corp America's playbook. Cost Cutting for Dummies. Everyone on first year pay every year is managements wet dream. The days of long term employment are over. Get a 401k, get an IRA and plan to work for a new company every five years or less. CEO's do it...therefore why shouldn't you.....

 

[redflyer65]

The Mesaba bankruptcy is one of the largest scams I've seen lately. I can't believe the judge won't laugh management out of court. They siphone off money to the holding company while Big Sky loses money hand over fist and claim with a straight face that they don't have any cash. The only reason they are there is because MAIR wanted them to be. I guess these are the decisions Paul Foley is being paid for.

 

[JD2003]

Oh yea...PNCL is hiring b/c they can't keep pilots on property. They pay their FOs about what i'll make on unemployment.

Yea...go to pinnacle and let em spend 30 thousand dollars on you and then bail as soon as you get a better offer. Pinnacle blows...they are extremely cheap with their people. The place reeks with scabs turned management.

Pennywise, poundfoolish Pinnacle. They'll spend more on training costs scaring people off than by paying a decent wage. Pinnacle sucks like Mesa sucks.

 

[Nancy Pryor]

Yea...go to pinnacle and let em spend 30 thousand dollars on you and then bail as soon as you get a better offer.

Yes, very professional. And who do you think Pinnacle will turn to for more sacrifices when they try to make up that wasted 30 thousand dollars? Good to see you doing your part to make things better for the remaining Pinnacle pilots.

Pinnacle blows...they are extremely cheap with their people. Pennywise, poundfoolish Pinnacle. They'll spend more on training costs scaring people off than by paying a decent wage. Pinnacle sucks like Mesa sucks.

Refreshing to see someone attacking another regional besides Mesa for once. Maybe Mesa isn't to blame for global warming and murdering kittens (stolen from a thread on MesaLounge) after all.