Question for Air Midwest pilots.

[CX880]

What are typical schedules like, and how many days off can you get? Is 15 days off realistic? What are mins/time to upgrade and does Mesa allow you to pick the 1900? Also looked at Great Lakes, good place to work and good schedules but their pay is way too low.

 

[khsgt]

15 Days Off....You have to be F'in kidding me. I have been with this company over 3 years, and I have never seen over 12 days off. Average of 10 days off IF you are a lineholder. If you are on reserve, you can expect 8. You can be home everynight, if you are willing to move to base...if you are willing to move to base, expect to move often. I had 6 bases in 2 years. QOL is ok IF you live in base, otherwise everywhere is a two leg commute. Pay sucks, upgrade is quick, and the 1900's are worn birds, lots of mx problems starting to creep up (5 cracked spars in the last 6 months)

Now let me ask you the smart question, why in the world do you want for AirMiddy? Go work for a real airline, we are 250 pilots short right now on the jets, and you will more then likely be assigned there (and you don't necessarly have a choice). This is not the place to be in any way, shape, form, or fashion.

Cheers

 

[biscuit]

Go to Pinnacle, many people have left Air Midwest for Pinnacle.

Better schedule, good commutes, better company .

 

[CX880]

Mainly because you can go from 1900 to RJ CA. So you're saying even with RJ flying don't expect much days off? That's surprising, I know GL has 15 days off schedules most being 12-13 off.

 

[Cardinal]

Also looked at Great Lakes, good place to work and good schedules but their pay is way too low.

After spending 1/6th of my life at Lakes, I learned something new today. The 6-day juniormanned stretch I just completed is, in fact, a "good schedule." I should have enjoyed it more, I guess. Me and my ignorance...

 

[khsgt]

Mainly because you can go from 1900 to RJ CA. So you're saying even with RJ flying don't expect much days off? That's surprising, I know GL has 15 days off schedules most being 12-13 off.

Well...considering I'm on the jet now and since I got online (less then 6 months), I have averaged 8.9 days off a bid (28 days, 13 bids/yr). I'm bouncing back and forth between reserve and a hard line. Our most senior schedules have 14 days off....something to consider. The CRJ is in even worse shape due to incredibly short staffing

IAD CRJ -
NUMBER OF BLOCKS 50
HIGHEST LOWEST AVERAGE
Credit Hours 91.25 42.11 85.49
Block Hours 94.38 40.50 87.39

Days Off 14 10 11.28
MCO ERJ -
NUMBER OF BLOCKS 70
HIGHEST LOWEST AVERAGE
Credit Hours 102.00 85.07 92.04
Block Hours 95.14 76.54 91.43

Days Off 14 10 11.41

ORD CRJ -
NUMBER OF BLOCKS 76
HIGHEST LOWEST AVERAGE
Credit Hours 95.10 33.55 81.34
Block Hours 95.00 34.53 84.04

Days Off 14 10 11.32
These average days off do not include all of the 8 day off reserve lines. ALL reserve lines at mesa are built at 8 days off.

FMN (very senior B1900 base)
NUMBER OF BLOCKS 7
HIGHEST LOWEST AVERAGE
Credit Hours 83.32 71.42 78.28
Block Hours 82.03 69.55 76.50
Days Off 13 10 11.86

DUJ (junior B1900 base and mx base)
NUMBER OF BLOCKS 3
HIGHEST LOWEST AVERAGE
Credit Hours 107.55 74.36 87.28
Block Hours 86.15 37.23 67.04

Days Off 10 8 8.67 <-8.67 AVERAGE DAYS OFF PER BID!!!!

Hope this helps open yee eyes....research young grasshopper, research...

 

[Guitar Guy]

Cardinal and CX880...

After spending 1/6th of my life at Lakes, I learned something new today. The 6-day juniormanned stretch I just completed is, in fact, a "good schedule." I should have enjoyed it more, I guess. Me and my ignorance...

Cardinal - does the new contract still specify no less than 10 days off in a bid period? Any new limits on min breaks between trips?

CX880 - one very important thing to be aware of is that even if you get "15 days off", you can have those taken from you at some airlines down to the minimum days off allowed. When I was at Lakes, the min days off in a month were 10, so if you got a schedule 12 or 13 days off, it often meant that you were going to be working an additional 2 or 3 days. Seniority helps, but even so, if the carrier is understaffed, seniority may not help much.

Also, CX880, you should inquire about basing and how commutable the lines are if you plan to not live in your base. Between getting junior-manned (ala Cardinal) and trying to commute, you could rapidly find yourself with about zero free time.

Not trying to rain on your parade, but you should think about these things ahead of time.

Good luck.

 

[Cardinal]

As far as I know it's still 10 days off. It apparently requries 2.5 months to print and distribute copies of the contract to the pilot group, even the EXCO chair is using a hodgepodge copy of the old TA for reference. I believe the document is now in our v-files, I'll have to get back to you. The company is interpreting things uniquely, like not crediting 3.75 for a reserve day anymore, which amounts to a significant net nominal pay CUT for reservists, aside from the real dollar pay cut from 1999 wages.

 

[Guitar Guy]

As far as I know it's still 10 days off. It apparently requries 2.5 months to print and distribute copies of the contract to the pilot group, even the EXCO chair is using a hodgepodge copy of the old TA for reference. I believe the document is now in our v-files, I'll have to get back to you. The company is interpreting things uniquely, like not crediting 3.75 for a reserve day anymore, which amounts to a significant net nominal pay CUT for reservists, aside from the real dollar pay cut from 1999 wages.

Somehow I'm not surprised by any of that...

Good luck to you and I hope you can move on soon.

 

[CX880]

Also, CX880, you should inquire about basing and how commutable the lines are if you plan to not live in your base. Between getting junior-manned (ala Cardinal) and trying to commute, you could rapidly find yourself with about zero free time.

.

Well for GL it's possible because of their base but I'm guessing not for Air Midwest.