Skybus

[HA25]

Big deal...like half the regionals out there dont use the door stairs to board? Look at CLT. Over 3/4 of the E gates are outside boarding. I bet that pax total per day outdoes the per day outside boarding total in CMH.

Price will win. Skybus will stay around for a long time and has a chance to be big. Why?

1. They have the funding. (More than Jetblue when they started, and more than almost any startup airline.)

2. They have the pilots. (Why not work for 30k a year when you can be flying an Airbus?!!)

3. They have the pax. (Heard the loads are 85%...higher westbound.) This is the first player flying multiple vacation/business destination west coast flights from CMH and the people are jumping on it. They will deal with the little things to save a buck. Its the market we are in. Whether we as pilots like it or not, the management runs the ship and they are playing to the demand.

4. A business plan can and will change. (Give it time...they can make connections work when they get some of those new ((65 on order)) A-319's, a little time to build experience in this whole airline thing, and growth to support it. This is a startup, and it will take time for things to materialize into a full fledged "airline".

Summary: Whether we like it or not, Skybus has a model that is and will continue to work (for management.) They have cheap fares, destinations that people in central Ohio will want to get out of come January and costs that they can manage.

It will take the first contract of an airline to be signed that recovers the losses of 9/11 before anyone sees relief. At that point, there is some, if little, bargaining. Whether it be American, Delta, or US Airways, someone has to make it happen. Even then...we are looking at a few years before everyone is going to have a piece of the pie back in their contract. Never again will it be the same, but it can be close. Skybus may be the last, but they will be around, and its up to the pilots to make it better for themselves.

Good post! Bravo. I for one am hopping to interview and give them a look.

-rapid upgrade with $85-90K year income inside 1 year


-Be number 70 out of 1200 pilots inside 5 years!

-15 days off a month average lines

-Profit share (a company that actually stands a chance at a profit to boot!)

-Stock options

-Few overnights (home every night) - yes I can live in CMH

-65 brand new airplanes with factory maintenance

-young, excited, and motivated management and labor force

That's worth a look for me.. sorry if it's not everyones cup of tea, but I for one think the down side of skybus is no worse than what CAL and UAL are doing to major airline pilot pay.. They have no excuse.. they're not even start ups, and in the case of UAL, they've wiped out most of their debt with the help of the tax payer, so why not share a bit of the wealth with their pilots?

 

[Shrek]

Good post! Bravo. I for one am hopping (speak and spell bud)to interview and give them a look.

-rapid upgrade at all costs without regard to my fellow pilots with $85-90K year income inside 1 year


-Be number 70 out of 1200 pilots inside 5 years! Hopefully it won't matter and you won't be "picked up" after the demise of a horrible experiment such as Skyslut.

-15 days off a month average lines

-Profit share (a company that actually stands a chance at a profit to boot!)

-Stock options When is that IPO again?!

-Few overnights (home every night) - yes I can live in CMH - Have at it......personal choice I guess.

-65 brand new airplanes with factory maintenance They better sock some money away for the balloon payment.

-young, excited, and motivated management and labor undercutting force

That's worth a look for me.. sorry if it's not everyones cup of tea, but I for one think the down side of skybus is no worse than what CAL and UAL are doing to major airline pilot pay..NO thanks to you.....They have no excuse.. they're not even start ups, and in the case of UAL, they've wiped out most of their debt with the help of the tax payer, so why not share a bit of the wealth with their pilots? And how does going to a undercutting company like Skybus is going to help that?![/quote].....

 

[ualdriver]

They have no excuse.. they're not even start ups, and in the case of UAL, they've wiped out most of their debt with the help of the tax payer, so why not share a bit of the wealth with their pilots?

The rest of your post isn't even worth commenting about. Good luck with those stock options.

You'll have to explain to me how UAL wiped out their debt with the help of the tax payers?

 

[Ex737Driver]

-Profit share (a company that actually stands a chance at a profit to boot!)

That's worth a look for me.. sorry if it's not everyones cup of tea, but I for one think the down side of skybus is no worse than what CAL and UAL are doing to major airline pilot pay.. They have no excuse.. they're not even start ups, and in the case of UAL, they've wiped out most of their debt with the help of the tax payer, so why not share a bit of the wealth with their pilots?

Huh??? You might want to read a few AP or Rueters stories on the net here. AMR, CAL, DAL all just posted large third quarter gains.

The downside of Skybus??? No int'l, no connecting service, no contract, no union (say what you will), FAR limits, no perks (stock isn't worth crap and not public), no frequent flyer program, not a full-service airline, non-refundable tickets, no res number, limited gate agents, etc, etc, etc.

True. The legacies aren't start-ups. They have extensive domestic and international networks, hundereds of aircraft and thousands of employees. Most carry more passengers in a month than skybus does all year. The point is, if you think skybus is for you, great. But thinking that a flying puke stain is on the same level as the legacies/majors is dim-witted and naive.

 

[Hpilot]

They just pulled out of Bellingham WA and are reducing flights on other runs. They won't and shouldn't last.

 

[JetFumes]

Big deal...like half the regionals out there dont use the door stairs to board? Look at CLT. Over 3/4 of the E gates are outside boarding. I bet that pax total per day outdoes the per day outside boarding total in CMH.

Price will win. Skybus will stay around for a long time and has a chance to be big. Why?

1. They have the funding. (More than Jetblue when they started, and more than almost any startup airline.)

2. They have the pilots. (Why not work for 30k a year when you can be flying an Airbus?!!)

3. They have the pax. (Heard the loads are 85%...higher westbound.) This is the first player flying multiple vacation/business destination west coast flights from CMH and the people are jumping on it. They will deal with the little things to save a buck. Its the market we are in. Whether we as pilots like it or not, the management runs the ship and they are playing to the demand.

4. A business plan can and will change. (Give it time...they can make connections work when they get some of those new ((65 on order)) A-319's, a little time to build experience in this whole airline thing, and growth to support it. This is a startup, and it will take time for things to materialize into a full fledged "airline".

Summary: Whether we like it or not, Skybus has a model that is and will continue to work (for management.) They have cheap fares, destinations that people in central Ohio will want to get out of come January and costs that they can manage.

It will take the first contract of an airline to be signed that recovers the losses of 9/11 before anyone sees relief. At that point, there is some, if little, bargaining. Whether it be American, Delta, or US Airways, someone has to make it happen. Even then...we are looking at a few years before everyone is going to have a piece of the pie back in their contract. Never again will it be the same, but it can be close. Skybus may be the last, but they will be around, and its up to the pilots to make it better for themselves.

This has got to be flame bait.

 

[CA1900]

They just pulled out of Bellingham WA...

Don't you mean "Seattle"?

 

[instructordude]

Good post! Bravo. I for one am hopping to interview and give them a look.

-rapid upgrade with $85-90K year income inside 1 year


-Be number 70 out of 1200 pilots inside 5 years!

-15 days off a month average lines

-Profit share (a company that actually stands a chance at a profit to boot!)

-Stock options

-Few overnights (home every night) - yes I can live in CMH

-65 brand new airplanes with factory maintenance

-young, excited, and motivated management and labor force

That's worth a look for me.. sorry if it's not everyones cup of tea, but I for one think the down side of skybus is no worse than what CAL and UAL are doing to major airline pilot pay.. They have no excuse.. they're not even start ups, and in the case of UAL, they've wiped out most of their debt with the help of the tax payer, so why not share a bit of the wealth with their pilots?

Go for it and don't let anybody say you can't. Skybus is a good place to be!

 

[UM#1]

SKYBUS CUTTING 60% OF THEIR WEST COAST FLIGHTS....

http://dispatch.com/live/content/bu...tix.ART_ART_10-16-07_C12_KU86MMS.html?sid=101

and


http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/10/16/9487/8544/travel/Skybus+Cutting+Three+Flights

 

[UM#1]

Already a Haters website....from customers no-doubt!!


http://www.boycott-skybus.com/

 

[imacdog]

Don't you mean "Seattle"?

...and Vancouver!

 

[HA25]

any thoughts on Spirit and Sun Country while we're on the topic of pilot wages?

 

[PinnacleDude]

Are You Skybus Management?

any thoughts on Spirit and Sun Country while we're on the topic of pilot wages?

Or the Skybus pilot recruiter? You have to be the biggest Skybus cool-aid drinker on earth. No healthy pilot drinks that much coolaid from any company.

People get impatient to get out of tough regionals. Let me tell you, my regional airline does suck balls. However, instead of putting in another year at their airline and then go to CAL, DAL, NWA, etc, they go to Skybus. Places like Skybus prey on these naive and desperate pilots with promises of gold for little or no work.

You can shine it up any way you want, but working for Skybus is still a turd. I do make more than Ranger Rick at Skybus and FWIW, I wouldn't ever take PCL or Skybus stock options either!

 

[HA25]

Or the Skybus pilot recruiter? You have to be the biggest Skybus cool-aid drinker on earth. No healthy pilot drinks that much coolaid from any company.

People get impatient to get out of tough regionals. Let me tell you, my regional airline does suck balls. However, instead of putting in another year at their airline and then go to CAL, DAL, NWA, etc, they go to Skybus. Places like Skybus prey on these naive and desperate pilots with promises of gold for little or no work.

You can shine it up any way you want, but working for Skybus is still a turd. I do make more than Ranger Rick at Skybus and FWIW, I wouldn't ever take PCL or Skybus stock options either!

Do a search of my post history... If you can demonstrate that I am anything but originally a major critic of Skybus, then I'll buy you a bottle of the best single malt you can send me a link to.

I HATED the concept of Skybus from the info I gathered from the idiots that troll these forums.. then I actually ran into an old friend who now flys for them and learned the TRUTH (missing here) about their pay, benefits, and business model, and now I'm leaning towards giving them a shot. Not yet sold, but I'm leaning that way..

 

[HA25]

Go for it and don't let anybody say you can't. Skybus is a good place to be!

Damn! The kiss of death, Instructordude like it. Maybe I really need to rethink my position!

 

[Captzaahlie]

You'll have to explain to me how UAL wiped out their debt with the help of the tax payers?

You are kidding us with that question right?

If you can spell economics you might be able to piece it together.....

 

[PCL_128]

I HATED the concept of Skybus from the info I gathered from the idiots that troll these forums.. then I actually ran into an old friend who now flys for them and learned the TRUTH (missing here) about their pay, benefits, and business model, and now I'm leaning towards giving them a shot. Not yet sold, but I'm leaning that way..

Your friend is just trying to polish a turd to make himself look like less of a scumbag. I know a few SCABs that can give a fancy speech about how they were making a great and noble decision too, but it doesn't make it right.

 

[HA25]

Your friend is just trying to polish a turd to make himself look like less of a scumbag. I know a few SCABs that can give a fancy speech about how they were making a great and noble decision too, but it doesn't make it right.

How on God's earth do you compare a guy crossing a picket line to put the very airline his fellow pilots on strike from to work with a guy going to a start up carrier that is tapping into a NEW market, and is paying what it can afford to pay at this point in time? Is Skybus taking in millions per month like DAL or UAL??? No.. will they some day? Maybe.. THEN, and ONLY THEN can you open your mouth about their pay.

There is one thing I learned from studying for an MBA in Finance that sticks to mind..

RISK=RETURN....

 

[HA25]

btw.. PCL.. I remember when as a captain at ASA I used to look down on Value Jet, or Crispy Critter as we used to later call it as a lateral move, and a bottom feeder outfit.. filled with scabs and under thread of being purchased by TWA..

Who's laughing now?

Get it?

 

[RedDogC130]

Virgin America is paying thier pilots a lot better than Skybus and flying the same aircraft right?