SKyway looking better

[248to2.8]

Well from the rumor mill it sounds like the deal has been pushed back yet again until May'05. Also not a rumor, is the cancelation of a Jet upgrade class for the third time. Keeping my fingers crossed and options open.

 

[Justino]

Hello welcome to wal greens did you find everything ok?

I am patient I will wait for it!!!!!

Justino

 

[WillFlyFoCookie]

Classes cancelled once again for now

Well this shouldn't be anything new considering we went through it a once before already. Like previously said the "new" date to fly 328s for Delta is May 1st. On the good side it is possible that we'd begin flying more than the orginal 10 that we were going to start on March 1st. Maybe 20 328s for May 1st. Just speculation out there. The really unfortunate thing is the 20 or so new hires in class the last couple of weeks on the Beech are now furloughed for the time being. Hopefully they'll be back in January or something like that. I'm sure they'll be looking for other jobs in the mean time.

The word is that the big sticking point is FlyI and they're financial situation. A potential bankrupcy by FlyI would make the transition of the planes and various other 328 resources (like parts) a real problem. It's quite interesting when you think about the fact that ACA becoming FlyI is what raised the need for the potential Delta/Skyway deal in the first place and now it's FlyI's potential failure that could sink the deal.

Continue to hope for the best and man your post is our mission. The Skyway crew should be really good at that by now.

 

[Justino]

Hang in there to the crews that are now waiting to finish their classes

 

[brew3departure]

Best of luck to all...

Unfortunately, this seems to be old hat for SYX. I was there for a few furloughs, and they really didn't ever seem to have figured out the difference between "overstaffed" and "everyone getting JA'd every day and cancelling flights" -- that, probably more than anything else, was the most frustrating part of it.

This just shows what happens when everyone believes the hype...if I had a nickel for every time I heard "Oh, don't worry - don't go anywhere else, things are going to get GREAT here" or "It'll be a short furlough" or "We want to make SURE that when we bring you back, it'll be for good!" Or "Don't worry son, everyone you know at this company will be a captain when we get the ______ deal" ... you can substitute Frontier, Jetblue, some other really unlikely candidates in that blank space.

You guys really, really deserve some good news that isn't based on massive attrition. Hang in there, but in the mean time, all those furloughed folks, this has happened before several times and if something better comes along, I'd take it in a heartbeat. On a totally different subject -- are the pay rates on the beech still $17.57/hr? I would guess not if someone got yelled at for saying $19/hr.

Good luck,
-brew3

 

[Fallingbrick]

Actually the 1900 class of 20 that started in October is not furloughed (yet). I saw them in the HQ parking lot doing their fire training today. The Jet FO class that was supposed to start on the 15th has been postponed. There is no news on when training will begin again. One would assume that the current 1900 FO class will not be going to the sim until more information is available. I am looking forward to March 05 when they will tell us that the Delta deal is now pushed back to August. Until then I guess we’ll just sit around fat, dumb (very), and slightly unhappy. We have been so focused on flying 328s that we don’t have that there seems to be little talk about the major financial problems that Midwest is having. Delta jets or no Delta jets, our parent company bleeding this much cash concerns me more. See you all at the landmark,..Cheers!!!

 

[Dirty Sanchez]

A friend of mine called and told me he was furloughed yesterday (1900). They still planned on taking the final exam for ground school today...

 

[Fallingbrick]

So one would surmise that instead of treating them as real employees, we are going to treat them like trash. Why not let them continue with cockpit training, complete their orals, and let them sit a few months before they go to the sim? We did this for summer jet new hires. Instead we will let them take a test, not pay them even base for a little while (about $1400 per month pretax), and leave them without insurance. Then when we think this deal is finally in order, we expect them to remember everything when (if) they are recalled in 2-3 months. Time for your oral!!! That sucks. I hope none of them relocated. We can (and will continue to) pay other crews to sit around because there is not enough flying , but not give the same treatment to these number holding pilots as the rest of us? If the Delta deal is this tenuous, I expect more turmoil to follow. Happy holidays folks!

 

[greenpickle]

So one would surmise that instead of treating them as real employees, we are going to treat them like trash. Why not let them continue with cockpit training, complete their orals, and let them sit a few months before they go to the sim? We did this for summer jet new hires. Instead we will let them take a test, not pay them even base for a little while (about $1400 per month pretax), and leave them without insurance. Then when we think this deal is finally in order, we expect them to remember everything when (if) they are recalled in 2-3 months. Time for your oral!!! That sucks. I hope none of them relocated. We can (and will continue to) pay other crews to sit around because there is not enough flying , but not give the same treatment to these number holding pilots as the rest of us? If the Delta deal is this tenuous, I expect more turmoil to follow. Happy holidays folks!

Falling Brick, amazing. You got it all figured out. You cant tell but I started typing a reply to all your statements. I erased it and quit because it was quite an endeavor and I am to tired and to "displaced" from training to show you the light. And anyways, you seem to have it all figured out.

GP

 

[Fallingbrick]

Sorry you are displaced (most likely not the first time). I'm just sick of the company BS for the last few months. Surely I don't have all the answers, but my beef is the company has none. Sick of waiting for the next big deal or the new jet type in our fleet. Certainly there are those in this company who have suffered more than others, but that doesn’t change the fact that it sucks what they did to those new hires. When ever you get the energy, I’d be happy to "see the light".

 

[iahawkeye]

Just a question for skyway guys

I heard Delta is paying the bill for all of the training costs. Does this mean they are paying for all the excess and Dojet captains (I think its like 40) to sit around on reserve and make garuntee. I heard from someone they were paying for EVERYTHING.

 

[Justino]

Sure! What the hell why not? Whats an extra few thousand dollars anyhow? jk

Cheers
Justino

 

[Skyrtr]

Yes, the 1900 class was furloughed

All 20 of us were shown the door. Got offered the potential of Ramper positions if we wanted them so we could keep insurance, flight benefits, etc.... Not something I would consider, as I can make more money doing almost anything (same for the 1900 job, but I'm a pilot).

Yes, if and when we return, we're a bit worried about picking up at the CPT/Orals stage after a furlough. I'm sure some retraining will be offered prior to expecting us to pass an Oral and go to the sim. None appear willing to return unless the deal with Delta is actually signed and solid.

I'd love to wait around, and may, but it sure felt ugly to be asked to pile all of our materials up (Jepps, Co. Binders...), turn in our badges and parking passes and be shown the door. Not a good feeling at all, and I don't intend to repeat it. It's really crappy the way Delta keeps pulling the carrot out of the donkey's mouth... Some of those guys had a previous class canceled while they were on the road in August, and now got furloughed after moving up here for the second try. Some had new Wisconsin leases to break, and all of us had given up a paying job to come to training (most of us won't be able to get those jobs back).

Any management reading this can take it from me that every one of us appreciated being told sooner, rather than later. We also thought our instructor was Phenomenal. We had a good feeling about the company throughout our training, and none felt much animosity toward Skyway about the decision to furlough (plenty against Delta, however). Delta is footing the bill, and I guess Skyway can't afford to have us sitting around in addition to all the 328 guys.

 

[Propsync]

Harness the power...

1. Fallingbrick. Wow. That's great, I can't believe you can walk around with that big chip on your shoulder. Get real. BTW- Midwest had the major money problems last year, not right now.

2. Justino- I don't understand you.

3. Delta's supposed to be footing the bill.

4. For all of the rest. Step back and think about all of this better than 'the company is out to crap on me'. If this is pushed until May, what good is having another 20-30 people lying around? It just happened to be you. This could have happened two months ago before you interviewed, but if would just affect a different group of people. When you guys left, did they give you your recall date and oral schedule at the same time? Right now you need to focus on finding some work and less about where and when you'll pick ground school back up. To say that's a crappy thing to say is an understatement, but it's your reality.

My perspective-

Delta and FLYi will battle these leases in court. For every month Delta can keep those leases on Indy, the closer they can push them to chp. 11. If Indy files, then I guess I don't know who gets the airplanes, I don't have the leases in front of me. I hear the leases are much higher than what we are paying for our ten. After Delta closes DFW and redistributes the flying, I think they then can figure out if they really do want us in the whipsaw mix. I'll be honest, before they decided to close DFW, I would have thought this would have happened, now? I'd bet we wouldn't hear much until March. I figure by then it will either fly or die.

Flame Away, game on!

 

[SYXDude]

The fight between Delta and flyi is gonna be ugly. Its gonna take time to battle this one out in court. My guesstimate is Skyway wont hear anything until next spring. In the meantime, Delta has already coverd the 328 flying with Comair/ASA and Chatauqua.

Hang on - it's gonna be a bumpy ride.