Sky West 1Q Earnings

[eaglefly]

I'm glad you're happy there. I always say that I hope people are happy where they are, and if they're not they should go elsewhere. Many, including many former Eagle, have come here. It is very rare for SkyWesters to leave for another regional.

Out of curiousity, how many years have you been at Eagle? what is your credit/days off per month? using your top pay per hour for the 50 from Airlinepilotcentral.com, you'd have to credit over 1300 hours per year to make 125K (unless you're counting all other sources such as 401k match, bonus, etc-are you?), is the 100% match unlimited, or is it up to a certain percentage of your pay? 1200 hours or so credit is not uncommon here. (we get 100% match as well, but only up to 2, 4 or 6% of salary based on longevity)

There are MANY ways to get paid for flying you never do. Transition conflicts, 30/7 flights that get dropped only to be picked up again when you're legal (getting paid for both), 100 hour/monthly conflicts for same reason, timing out at 1000 hours /year and getting paid for as many as 75 hours you never flew and of course OT.

HUNDREDS od senior Eagle captains ROUTINELY bust 100/K year.

401(k) (for me) is 100% match of 8%. I live "in domicile" 20 miles from airport and an 17-20 day off line blocked to 85 hours EASILY provides for my stated salary without chaining me to an airplane or crashpad (i.e., a life).

 

[eaglefly]

Again, please tell me how you have a say in what the company does? If you did then why did UAL, DAL and many others lose just about everything. Oh, I forgot about TWA, Comair, hmmm gee are there any others? Where is this power that ALPA has over us?

Can you splain' it, cause obviously I'm too dumb to understand it or Walter did drop a ball on my head.

Do you not understand that those carriers were victims of BANKRUPTCY and as such, lost great leverage they would have otherwise had ?

Do you think EVERY carrier stand there across the bargaining table with NO say and or protections that cannot be taken advantage of UNLESS in BK (or Force Majure) ?

We have a contract that has at least SOME Scope protection language, Merger protection with ALPA and non-ALPA carriers and Successorship language in the event of transfer or sale of all or part of our operations.

We got that with some leverage, but I'll admit it certainly isn't perfect.

You guys will have an opportunity for begging, followed by a mixture of prayer and hope.

If they dont give you a decent contract, what are you gonna do ?

 

[SkyNation]

eaglefly

are you an 18 yr. guy? how much do you credit per year? does the 125K you quoted include 401k match and other benies, or is it straight pay?

 

[eaglefly]

eaglefly

are you an 18 yr. guy? how much do you credit per year? does the 125K you quoted include 401k match and other benies, or is it straight pay?

Yes, I'm "topped out" (still in my VERY early 40's). That pay is taxable income, so that includes everything. If I choose to pick up a day trip as OT and fly 7.5 hours (easily done with our staffing), it's $850 for the day. Recently I did just that but both turns were canceled due to WX. Stayed home and picked up virtually the same trip for the following day and flew both turns and made $1550.00 for what was really was one days flying.

A CRJ friend showed me his W2 for last year and made $142,000...........and he doesn't even do IOE (so I was beat pretty good), especially when you consider he makes only $4.50/flight hour more than me.

Why would I consider a Jet Blue or the bottom of a Northworst ?

Believe me, AMR wants us out the door. In fact, word has it our boss is trying to forge relationships with various majors to give us (LOL !) preferential hiring just to get rid of us. If they could get rid of us another way, they would, although a good chance 400 or so with AA seniority numbers will exercise those numbers when AA starts hiring new pilots in, maybe 2 years or so.

 

[MYFpilot]

I'm glad you're happy there. I always say that I hope people are happy where they are, and if they're not they should go elsewhere. Many, including many former Eagle, have come here. It is very rare for SkyWesters to leave for another regional.

That's not exactly true. You probably weren't at SkyWest when the Houston base opened in 2003. I can't remember the exact number, but it was around 200 furloughed Express Jet pilots that were given jobs at SkyWest. When Express Jet finally recalled them around 90% returned to their previous employer.

 

[HelloNewman]

Umm, yeah...too dumb, perhaps? The word you're looking for is "LOST".

How about answering the question? Once an airlines contract is up then that flying can be replaced ALPA or not. Some even have provisions to allow a certain number of planes taken out of service at certain points in the contract. How can ALPA stop that? In fact a large reason X-Jet initially lost the 69 seats is probably because ALPA contracts were getting to expensive. Continental also wanted to diversify. There was nothing ALPA could do to stop continental from threatening quite a few hundred pilots jobs. Luckily X-Jet had other plans but ALPA had nothing to do with it either way. So what is the point of paying dues for all those years and then seeing your job go poof and having the union powerless to do it? Lets see if you can give a solid answer without insults.

 

[MYFpilot]

How about answering the question? Once an airlines contract is up then that flying can be replaced ALPA or not. Some even have provisions to allow a certain number of planes taken out of service at certain points in the contract. How can ALPA stop that? In fact a large reason X-Jet initially lost the 69 seats is probably because ALPA contracts were getting to expensive. Continental also wanted to diversify. There was nothing ALPA could do to stop continental from threatening quite a few hundred pilots jobs. Luckily X-Jet had other plans but ALPA had nothing to do with it either way. So what is the point of paying dues for all those years and then seeing your job go poof and having the union powerless to do it? Lets see if you can give a solid answer without insults.

Scope!

 

[HelloNewman]

Scope!

So can Scope force a major airline to have a partnership with a regional airline forever? Can ALPA actually force a major to do buisness with only certain regionals? I was under the impression once an agreement ends that is that. All the scope in the world can't change the fact that once the major/regional contract is up neither side is under any further obligation to the other.

 

[BigLebowski]

Ok this is my last post on this thread.

Eaglefly you are right, because you are ALPA, no bad will ever come of your company. TWA, ACA, Delta, Comair...their all a hoax. Because you have ALPA you never need to worry.

Us bottomfeeders at SkyWest will always have to worry though because we don't have that warm snuggly blanket that paying dues for a magazine provides you.

BTW posting what you make in a day or a year or anything in that matter really shows your insecurity. Our Captains at SkyWest can and do that too...but you don't see any of them on here trying to make a point with it.

 

[Morning Wood]

I wonder if anyone has taken a minute to notice the seniority issue at US/HP. They're bickering over there like a bunch of little kids. Why isn't the mighty ALPA protecting everyone instead of only a few?

 

[~~~^~~~]

So can Scope force a major airline to have a partnership with a regional airline forever? Can ALPA actually force a major to do buisness with only certain regionals? I was under the impression once an agreement ends that is that. All the scope in the world can't change the fact that once the major/regional contract is up neither side is under any further obligation to the other.

Yes, it can. It is not easy, but it can be done and there is historical precedent when it was done. Scope can read as simply as "all X Brand flying is performed by pilots on the X Brand seniority list, with no exceptions." In fact this was the case for most of aviation history.

Recently, ALPA has not protected regional flying because ALPA made the decision to put this flying up for bid.

ALPA decided that it benefitted their preferred members at major airlines if scope at the regionals was destroyed. During concessionary bargaining ALPA's mainline pilots wanted their employers to survive and prosper. One method was to allow broader scope. This scope was sold in the contract for "bargaining credits." In the case of ASA and Comair, Delta Connection flying was sold for $160,000,000 (if memory serves correctly).

In this practice, modern ALPA is in direct opposition to the principles that our union was founded on, mainly:

1. The union's job is to bring pilots together to bargain collectively
2. That alter ego replacement flying is the largest risk to pilots' careers
3. Operationally integrated airlines should have a single seniority list

In the past airlines like Ransome (Pan Am Express) were abosrbed into the mainline seniority list. There are ATR pilots who retired from Delta without ever interviewing at a "major." ALPA has forgotten the lessons learned during the first 50 years of its existance and now lacks the balls to fight for scope.

But, on our level, most of us know what it is going to take to make this job a profession worth our lifetime's effort. We have to come together and stop whipsawing each other. ALPA (with all of its warts) is the best facilitator to achieve the advancement of our profession.

~~~^~~~

 

[BoilerUP]

I wonder if anyone has taken a minute to notice the seniority issue at US/HP. They're bickering over there like a bunch of little kids. Why isn't the mighty ALPA protecting everyone instead of only a few?

Both the East and West MECs decided to go to binding arbitration for the seniority integration. The mutually-chosen arbitrator has spoken.

Exactly what do you think ALPA could do the US situation?

 

[~~~^~~~]

Mergers usually go by equipment type, paycheck, and then seniority. The US/HP deal appears to have gone down by relative seniority, which is pretty horrible for the US guys. But as a leader in having regionals pay to play and jets for jobs, I admit, I'm not a US Air fan.

Their crews are good folks I'm sure - wish the employees the best.

 

[Morning Wood]

Both the East and West MECs decided to go to binding arbitration for the seniority integration. The mutually-chosen arbitrator has spoken.

Exactly what do you think ALPA could do the US situation?

Nothing. That's my point. People think merger protection is some iron clad deal in the contract.