Sentient Flight Group

[AZFLYER]

Hello everyone, I have recently been hired by Spirit out in VNY which is not a part of Sentient Flight Group. Does anyone have any info on QOL, schedules, types of hotels on layovers, and any other good info. Thanks a bunch for the help as I have to decide weather to take the job or stay where I am.

 

[AZFLYER]

I must correct my first post...I wrote that it is not a part of Sentient when I meant to write it is NOW a part of Sentient. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[TrailerTrash]

Hello everyone, I have recently been hired by Spirit out in VNY which is not a part of Sentient Flight Group. Does anyone have any info on QOL, schedules, types of hotels on layovers, and any other good info. Thanks a bunch for the help as I have to decide weather to take the job or stay where I am.

Sentient does not control your QOL, schedules, types of hotels on layovers, and any other information.This is all done by your operator or Spirit in your case.
Good luck in the future!

 

[charter dog]

Sentient does not control your QOL, schedules, types of hotels on layovers, and any other information.This is all done by your operator or Spirit in your case.
Good luck in the future!

That's a little less true now than it used to be. Now that they are a wholly owned subsidiary of Sentient Flight Group, more and more control of those factors is being taken over by Sentient in Boston. Paychecks, benefits, accounting and all HR functions so far. Crew scheduling and dispatch responsibility remains as it is until such time as everyone is on the new certificate so as to comply with OpSpec A08 operational control issues. The Spirit certificate will be surrendered when the assimilation process is completed, purported to be sometime in '08.

Jet crews usually stay at 2nd tier Marriott or Hilton properties.

Best of luck,

 

[johnsonrod]

Hello everyone, I have recently been hired by Spirit out in VNY which is not a part of Sentient Flight Group. Does anyone have any info on QOL, schedules, types of hotels on layovers, and any other good info. Thanks a bunch for the help as I have to decide weather to take the job or stay where I am.

I am going to send you a PM.

 

[CapnVegetto]

In my limited dealings with Sentient, I have found them to be full of fail on the largest scale possible. Their left hand never seems to know what their right hand is doing. I've never seen a more disorganized company than them, except maybe the regional I used to work for. As far as QOL goes, I remember many a trip when I was sitting on an overnight 'just in case something popped up', and then getting called to fly an empty airplane home late the next day. In my experience they are REALLY poorly managed, but that seems to be pretty commonplace these days.

 

[Spooky 2]

In my limited dealings with Sentient, I have found them to be full of fail on the largest scale possible. Their left hand never seems to know what their right hand is doing. I've never seen a more disorganized company than them, except maybe the regional I used to work for. As far as QOL goes, I remember many a trip when I was sitting on an overnight 'just in case something popped up', and then getting called to fly an empty airplane home late the next day. In my experience they are REALLY poorly managed, but that seems to be pretty commonplace these days.

Get ready for some changes. You may or may not like them.

 

[BobbyBiplane]

In my limited dealings with Sentient, I have found them to be full of fail on the largest scale possible. Their left hand never seems to know what their right hand is doing. I've never seen a more disorganized company than them, except maybe the regional I used to work for. As far as QOL goes, I remember many a trip when I was sitting on an overnight 'just in case something popped up', and then getting called to fly an empty airplane home late the next day. In my experience they are REALLY poorly managed, but that seems to be pretty commonplace these days.

Sitting around while BEING PAID so that the company can accept pop-up trips is a problem???? I would view this as active management of the client (consumer) desires.

Bob

 

[charter dog]

Get ready for some changes. You may or may not like them.

Care to elaborate Spooky?

Like lots of folks on here, I have done my share of Sentient trips and been "farmed out" by an operator to Sentient. Additionally, I know that a number of pilots here work for companies which have been acquired by JetDirect, now Sentient. Since you seem to know more about what's going on and what's going to change than they do, how about sharing?

Whatever you choose to divulge will likely be more than Sentient has seen fit to share with their front-line employees, at least as far as I'm able to tell.

Best regards,

 

[Spooky 2]

Care to elaborate Spooky?

Like lots of folks on here, I have done my share of Sentient trips and been "farmed out" by an operator to Sentient. Additionally, I know that a number of pilots here work for companies which have been acquired by JetDirect, now Sentient. Since you seem to know more about what's going on and what's going to change than they do, how about sharing?

Whatever you choose to divulge will likely be more than Sentient has seen fit to share with their front-line employees, at least as far as I'm able to tell.

Best regards,

I have a couple of friends that are pretty high up the ladder in the new organization the both are keenly aware of the previous short comings that have been ever so common. If I were to believe what they tell me, there will be a large positive reorganization of how the routine (if there is such a thing?) operation is conducted. Keep in mind, you are talking Part 135 here so it's never likely to be perfect as that is simply not the nature of the 135 business model. I know some folks will always sit back and throw stones no matter what is offered so for those it might be a case of the glass being half empty. I would look back a year from now and see if things are better or worse and then call it as you see it.

 

[charter dog]

Well thanks for your reply Spooky.

Yes, some people will always be satisfied with tossing stones, thoughtfully directed or not. Others are expressing their level of satisfaction with the new organization and confidence in the future in the form of their resignations. Still others are just waiting to see what happens while exploring their options. Lacking any solid indications of what is to come, I find myself a member of the last group.

There is very little I can say here, other than that morale and confidence in the future is pretty low among my peers. Am I to suppose that this is just pilots throwing stones?

I cannot and will not go into any detail as to the specific deficiencies observed, but suffice to say that top management doesn't have much time left in which to act before their customer and airplane owner base abandons them. If they think these clients are as replaceable as they apparently believe their pilots to be, they've got a very steep learning curve ahead.

My own position is tolerable enough considering the nature of the business, so I'm not really any more worried about my future than usual. I live day to day anyway, just the way I need to in order to survive in this business. Throwing stones is something I only do when I think it serves a purpose. The rest of the time, it just makes your arm hurt!

Best regards,

 

[Spooky 2]

Well thanks for your reply Spooky.

Yes, some people will always be satisfied with tossing stones, thoughtfully directed or not. Others are expressing their level of satisfaction with the new organization and confidence in the future in the form of their resignations. Still others are just waiting to see what happens while exploring their options. Lacking any solid indications of what is to come, I find myself a member of the last group.

There is very little I can say here, other than that morale and confidence in the future is pretty low among my peers. Am I to suppose that this is just pilots throwing stones?

I cannot and will not go into any detail as to the specific deficiencies observed, but suffice to say that top management doesn't have much time left in which to act before their customer and airplane owner base abandons them. If they think these clients are as replaceable as they apparently believe their pilots to be, they've got a very steep learning curve ahead.

My own position is tolerable enough considering the nature of the business, so I'm not really any more worried about my future than usual. I live day to day anyway, just the way I need to in order to survive in this business. Throwing stones is something I only do when I think it serves a purpose. The rest of the time, it just makes your arm hurt!

Best regards,

The best of luck in whatever direction you decide to move. I don't have a dog in the outcome so my comments were not meant to sway anyone's decisions.

 

[charter dog]

The best of luck in whatever direction you decide to move. I don't have a dog in the outcome so my comments were not meant to sway anyone's decisions.

That's cool, I was just hoping for some insight from your friends in the organization. In any case, I'll hang on until either I find something better, find myself on the unemployment roles, or maybe they get their act together. Whichever comes first. Who knows? Funny thing is, I just can't seem to get myself very worked up over such questions anymore. That never used to the case. Maybe I'm just tired. Or old. Or maybe I could just use a break.

Best regards,

 

[oops!]

Hello everyone, I have recently been hired by Spirit out in VNY which is not a part of Sentient Flight Group. Does anyone have any info on QOL, schedules, types of hotels on layovers, and any other good info. Thanks a bunch for the help as I have to decide weather to take the job or stay where I am.

currently the schedule is 6 days off a month, the rest of the time you are 24 hour on call.. mostly you will stay at marriotts.. they will sell you as much as possible to make that extra buck( plan on single overnight trips to extend a week or two on occasion..) pm me if you want more or specifics

 

[icefr8dawg]

Ya know what good that 24 hours on call did for me the other day. I tried to get a plane with every 135 on demand operator I could call including sentient, even the crappy lear guys and couldn't find a thing.
Wound up borrowing a 310. 24 hours on call, lovely.
To make it worse the airplane owner said to me the other day, "sentient told me they'd charter the plane while we're on 91 or other charter trips." What a kick in the ba!!s

Sentient sucks....from a guy with money on account...