Questions about PSA

[Mazdarx7]

Wannabe, Thanks for the info... Another question for you , if you get stationed in DAY or TYS how often are you staying overnight somewehre...Reson I ask is I have family in both Philly and DC so I'd have a place to stay, or is it usually day trips and ending up back in DAY or TYS. Also, do they let you pick or are you pretty much assigned...Thanks again, I know I've got a lot of questions, but want to get the skinny before the interview... Thanks!!

 

[nethan]

You can pick which base you want. It just might take a while to get it. While they are hiring (or trying to hire) like crazy, it shouldn't take too long (a month or so) to get your choice of base. When stuff slows down it may take a while.

Most of the flying out of DAY and TYS (and CLT for that matter) are 4 day trips. In DAY there is one line made up of just out and backs, but the same two people always bid that. As for having family in DCA and PHL, that's great, but it won't really matter as it is rare to overnight there. They are US Hubs and it is very rare that a crew will overnight in a hub. We do have a few though and the DCA ones are mostly long (23 hours or so) and the PHL ones vary. I don't mind DCA so much even though the old hotel was much nicer. The Philly hotel sucks.

 

[norskman2]

You can pick which base you want. It just might take a while to get it. While they are hiring (or trying to hire) like crazy, it shouldn't take too long (a month or so) to get your choice of base. When stuff slows down it may take a while.

Most of the flying out of DAY and TYS (and CLT for that matter) are 4 day trips. In DAY there is one line made up of just out and backs, but the same two people always bid that. As for having family in DCA and PHL, that's great, but it won't really matter as it is rare to overnight there. They are US Hubs and it is very rare that a crew will overnight in a hub. We do have a few though and the DCA ones are mostly long (23 hours or so) and the PHL ones vary. I don't mind DCA so much even though the old hotel was much nicer. The Philly hotel sucks.

Someone had earlier said forget about commuting out of DAY and TYS. Are CLT schedules decently commutable?

 

[wanabe_fo]

Someone had earlier said forget about commuting out of DAY and TYS. Are CLT schedules decently commutable?

On reserve no. They will make you be in base at 5AM even though there is a 8 AM trip assigned to you. Once you are a lineholder, probably 50% are commutable to most places and 80% are commutable to any place we serve out of CLT. There are a few exceptions (Like the 6:10 AM departure for LGA that we do), but most lines out of CLT are the second leg of the day or finish in time for the 10PM outbound bank. Now that we are short we are not serving all airports on the 10PM bank so if you live at XNA then the answer to the question is no, you are screwed and will not be able to commute and have a QOL. So to answer your question it depends on where you are commuting from will determin how commutable the trips are. Best way to do it is go to usairways.com and look at the schedules. In CLT most flights (80% ish) don't start till after 7:30AM and finish by 9PM. There are a good group of trips that start in the early afternoon and finish on the last day in the early afternoon, but this is not all the trips but rather 20-30% of them.

 

[norskman2]

Thanks again, Wanabe!

 

[Mazdarx7]

One last question, for now atleast, on the written, are the questions taken directly from the ATP written??

 

[ex j-41]

Just go to Express jet. Even on Reserve you will get 12 days off. You could be here for forever to get that, and they have a short and long call outs. Longer than 20 min legs. Never more then 5 legs in a day. We had 9 last month. Bottom line is that managment here doesn't want you to make yourself comfortable. They would do everything to save a dime even if it costs them a quarter. You can get fired for calling in sick. But they put us in dumpy hotels, no food nearby, no excercise equipment and do long days, 14hrs plus. When you are abused you will get sick. Then fired for it. Catch 22. Do yourself a favor and go elsewhere. Management here needs to grow up and start treating people properly.

 

[Mazdarx7]

More questions, forgot to ask. how many days a month for psa? During initial training in dayton and charlotte, is it M-F and can you go home, or does the training stretch through the weekend as well? Thanks GUYS/Gals!!

 

[Weasil]

Mazdarx,

Here's another little insight into the difference between PSA and other regionals. At PSA you have no travel benefits and are advised not to non-rev home during training. You will eventually get an ID badge once all background checks are complete but they will fire you if you don't make it back to training on Monday morning. The two other airlines I have worked for both gave you space positive travel to and from home on the weekends (XJET AND SKYW). In fact XJT actually allowed you to become a must ride on the last flight back (meaning they would bump passengers in order to get you on) so that you would be back for class.

You should really look a little further than PSA. It's a miserable place to work.

 

[Mazdarx7]

What about BUddy passes with PSA? Do you get any?