skybus is so cheap......

[FLYfishin]

I had a buddy that went and interviewed for the chief pilot position at Skybus. The interview went well and when they offered him the job they said starting pay was $65k. He walked out.

 

[HA25]

guys.. do you seriously think I'm considering skybus for the $65 you all are hung up over?

Trust me, if inside of 2 years there is no growth, or delivery on their promises, then I've got other options.. not the least of which is they'll have given me one of the most valuable ICAO types in the market today with PIC time to boot.. In India that's worth $10K/month....

glass half full / glass half empty.. the way I see it, I can't loose. I guess I'm bless though in that I'm financially able to take this risk. Some others might be there for other reasons, but if I go, it's for the upside.. the upside baby! ..and I've got a short attention span.

 

[FLYfishin]

guys.. do you seriously think I'm considering skybus for the $65 you all are hung up over?

Trust me, if inside of 2 years there is no growth, or delivery on their promises, then I've got other options.. not the least of which is they'll have given me one of the most valuable ICAO types in the market today with PIC time to boot.. In India that's worth $10K/month....

glass half full / glass half empty.. the way I see it, I can't loose. I guess I'm bless though in that I'm financially able to take this risk. Some others might be there for other reasons, but if I go, it's for the upside.. the upside baby! ..and I've got a short attention span.

In India? Why go to India. You can more than that a month in your second year at UPS. You need to set higher goals for yourself.

 

[Ty Webb]

But to be quite honest, the biggest problem most airlines have is over-unionization

Actually, the biggest problems they have are, in no particular order:

A) Greedy, bonus-minded upper management that thinks in the short-term

B) Incompetent middle management

C) Kool-aid swilling, fearful pilots who lack "big brass clanky ones", and have "little, silver tingly ones".

Rant over.

 

[clickclickboom]

guys.. do you seriously think I'm considering skybus for the $65 you all are hung up over?

Trust me, if inside of 2 years there is no growth, or delivery on their promises, then I've got other options.. not the least of which is they'll have given me one of the most valuable ICAO types in the market today with PIC time to boot.. In India that's worth $10K/month....

glass half full / glass half empty.. the way I see it, I can't loose. I guess I'm bless though in that I'm financially able to take this risk. Some others might be there for other reasons, but if I go, it's for the upside.. the upside baby! ..and I've got a short attention span.

Then why carry on like a broken record? Get your free type get 1000 pic convert to a JAA and go live on the top floor of the marriott in mumbai...

 

[PCL_128]

guys.. do you seriously think I'm considering skybus for the $65 you all are hung up over

I don't care if it's 90-100k, you're still undercutting the rest of us by a wide margin. RJ Captains make a lot more than $68/hr. RJ Captains!!! Do you really want to be paid less than an RJ Captain to fly a narrowbody jet?

 

[HA25]

In India? Why go to India. You can more than that a month in your second year at UPS. You need to set higher goals for yourself.

a) that's tax free income

b) I've had an app in with UPS and like the 10,000 others that haven't been called in, I'm not going to wait till age 65 to move forward.

c) I have very high goals.. this is why I want to join a start up.. not many other places in this market today where one can join a well capitalized airline with new and fuel efficient jets, a totally new (outside the box) business model (which I admit has a bit of tweaking that needs to be done), and possibly hit the lottery in stocks and profit share.

ONCE AGAIN.. rather than debate this ad endum, let's just see what happens. I've been on FI.com for 7 years almost.. I'll be here when skybus folds in a year like you all say.. book mark this thread and we'll wake it up then.. K?

 

[HA25]

I don't care if it's 90-100k, you're still undercutting the rest of us by a wide margin. RJ Captains make a lot more than $68/hr. RJ Captains!!! Do you really want to be paid less than an RJ Captain to fly a narrowbody jet?

I remember when Airtran, then Value Jet was talked about the way you're talking about Skybus now.. Pot meet Kettle as some here like to say..

I remember when I was freshly furloughed from American, I used to get into similar childish back and forths with Ty Webb about how the LCC's are putting us out of business.. Well, fast forward 6 years and Ty's probably a captain at AirTran with seniority and a good paycheck, and I'm still bouncing between "jobs" with no semblance of a career left at age almost 40.. Sure I've got money, but I haven't worked for a company longer than 2 years because they've all been crap.. and now the only jobs out there are dead end jobs with dead end airlines that could merge and furlough without notice..

give me a break... $85-90K in my 2nd year at Skybus even without stock options and profit share is something to consider... add the later two, and it's a no brainer for me.

 

[HA25]

and those RJ captains you're talking about making 85K.. how many years do they have at their companies? I left ASA in 2000, and today they're still paying THE SAME DAMN THING!!! ********************! with no future!

 

[PCL_128]

I remember when Airtran, then Value Jet was talked about the way you're talking about Skybus now.. Pot meet Kettle as some here like to say..

And if I had gone to work for AirTran or ValueJet back then, then you might have a point, but that's not the case. I was looking for a job when Skybus and VA started hiring, and I specifically refused to apply to them because their pay was subpar and they didn't have a union. I was at a career fair in Atlanta and the Skybus CP was there recruiting with some HR chick. I walked by their both on the way to talk to CAL, and he tried to call me over to talk with them (they weren't getting much attention at all). I just laughed and kept walking. I'd rather fly an RJ for PCL for the rest of my life rather than work for that scumbag operation.

and I'm still bouncing between "jobs" with no semblance of a career left at age almost 40.. Sure I've got money, but I haven't worked for a company longer than 2 years because they've all been crap.. and now the only jobs out there are dead end jobs with dead end airlines that could merge and furlough without notice..

You currently work for a supplemental cargo outfit that is relatively stable with decent pay. It may not be the best job in the world, but it's better than selling yourself and the rest of the profession out just for a few stock options in a bottom feeder company.

give me a break... $85-90K in my 2nd year at Skybus even without stock options and profit share is something to consider... add the later two, and it's a no brainer for me.

Then take the danged job and stop trying to convince the rest of us to ignore common sense about how that airline is dragging down the profession. And if you take it, I hope you're on the street in 6 months begging Gemini to take you back.

 

[PCL_128]

and those RJ captains you're talking about making 85K.. how many years do they have at their companies? I left ASA in 2000, and today they're still paying THE SAME DAMN THING!!! ********************! with no future!

I was lazy when I was a 5-year RJ Captain my last year at Pinnacle, and I was on track to make 75k. We had guys at the same seniority making 90k by working a little extra because they lived in base. Keep in mind that that's at one of the worst paying regionals with an 8 year-old contract that's been amendable for over 3 years. The guys at ExpressJet are topping 100k after a few years in the left seat.

 

[Flybet3]

Skybus is soooooo cheap....

 

[HA25]

I was lazy when I was a 5-year RJ Captain my last year at Pinnacle, and I was on track to make 75k. We had guys at the same seniority making 90k by working a little extra because they lived in base. Keep in mind that that's at one of the worst paying regionals with an 8 year-old contract that's been amendable for over 3 years. The guys at ExpressJet are topping 100k after a few years in the left seat.

explain to me how...

by my calc. you'd have to fly 110 hours at Pinnacle (in how many days I have no idea).. to get the same paycheck as a 1st year CA at Skybus working 15 days and flying less than 80. The Skybus guy flying 110 hours would make over $105K.. but he would have to wkr 110.. he credits 100 due to work rules and only works 15 days. How can you compare the two?

I'm sorry.. but while I don't want to be seen as defending the current pay at skybus, it's a start up folks! STARTUP.. they're not making any money right now.. GIVE IT TIME. THEN render judgement.

 

[Flybet3]

I haven't interviewed yet. An old friend I've not spoken to in a while and I reconnected recently and he works there and loves it so he gave me the FACTS which were sorely missing here and now I'm a critic turned possible advocate. I'm keeping an open mind as quality of life is king for me and being junior forever at some long established airline is not my idea of fun.

As for the callsign. I've long since sold the Volvo and gone to Mercedes and BMW. So I got sick of the almost weekly pm's asking how I like my Volvo!

Btw. If F/A is a license then I would like to see some links to where one gets this license and under what part of the FARs its under.

I hate to agree with this guy, and even though i am no fan of Skybus or Gojets (especially) unless you work there you really dont know whats going on. Lets face it guys, there's isn't a single company here (except Fedex, UPS and SWA) were people wont complain about something. A few weeks ago everyone was glorifying Skywest and look at the regional forum now!

 

[HA25]

Then take the danged job and stop trying to convince the rest of us to ignore common sense about how that airline is dragging down the profession. And if you take it, I hope you're on the street in 6 months begging Gemini to take you back.

dude, I've since left Gemini.. they're a dead end, and not worth my time. I've got nothing going on now except occasional and steady Citation X contract work and a corporate job that I'm waiting on a class date for.. which frankly I'm not excited about. I'm testing the waters for Skybus because of the upstart nature of the operation... I just think keeping an open mind is a good idea and if you'd just read my points about other start ups, and put that in context you'd see I'm right.

I do have self worth, which is why I left Gemini.. flying an MD-11 around the world for $35K with 17 days gone at a shot wasn't for me.. Upgrade is 6-7 years and the turn over is almost all in the FO ranks.. with age 65 around the corner and their fleet actually shrinking, I saw no reason to delay the inevitable and left on my own accord and under good terms with the company.

 

[Flybet3]

Whatever people decide to do is their business! As much as I disagree, b!tch and moan, curse, humiliate, disrespect, etc., its not gonna change the fact that this is how things are gonna be. I think its pathetic, but to convince others is impossible, and thats been proven over and over again. So good luck to all. I'm now on the corporate side of things and I'm never looking the other way, HOPEFULLY!!!!!:beer:

Beside the fact that you have a HOT A$$$$ you are soooo right. It's like those people that bi**h and moan about politicians! HA! Since the dawn of time politicians have been a bunch of douch**ags with their own agenda and care very little of the people. This is the world we live in people!

 

[PCL_128]

explain to me how...

The payrate is only $6/hr difference. I was making just over $62/hr at PCL on 5th year pay, and the Skybus guys are making only $68 to fly an Airbus. Yeah, the PCL guy making 90k is working more than 15 days a month, but he also isn't undercutting the rest of the industry and throwing away his dignity and self-respect.

 

[PCL_128]

I do have self worth, which is why I left Gemini.

Good. Then keep that self-worth by flying corporate until AMR calls you back or another good airline gig becomes available to you. No need to throw away years of hard work and destroy your reputation just for the chance of a few stock options that might be worth something some day. I really can't believe that you would consider this a viable option. Your posts in the past always indicated that you understood the importance of upholding the profession. I guess you've just decided to screw everyone else as long as you might get yours.

 

[vixin]

FMS-Speed vbmenu_register("postmenu_1349292", true);
Ya like my new LCC??





"as for Skybus.. I hate Skybus, what more is there to say, but I admit the video was nice, and bifocals don't bother me one bit!"

Nice post you made a few months ago. Who is the pot and kettle now. What a piece of work.

 

[HA25]

Your posts in the past always indicated that you understood the importance of upholding the profession. I guess you've just decided to screw everyone else as long as you might get yours.

No, I just don't drink koolaid from anyone.. not management nor unions.. Sure I'm a bit dissallusioned, and have given strong thought of getting out of flying and doing something else with my talents and education.. Have you read the latest ALPA magazine and the article on the Gen X pilots?? That's me..

Skybus, contrary to all the BS on this and other forums isn't undercutting anyone..

Their routes are unique and complimentary to other airlines..

Their business model is totally new in the US, and may or may not work, time will tell.. but if it does, I can tell you that 5000 stock options can be worth 100's of thousands.. I'm from a finance background, and I also keep up with history. Learn the story of the pioneering WN pilots of the 70's and early 80's and then come back and rejoin this debate.