Skyway, Now what?

[propsare4boats]

Ok,
I heard last night that 5 beech Capt's have been down graded for May. Anyone know if those guys are pay protected? I have also heard that more beech F/O's are leaving. Does this mean more downgrades or are they going to start displacing jet F/O's?
I am also curious if anyone has heard if we are closer to having this deal with Delta signed or not. Heard also that the end of April was a sh!t or get off the pot date. Anyone else heard any good news or at least good rumors.
pesimitically optimist

 

[HowlinMadMurdoc]

Ok,
I heard last night that 5 beech Capt's have been down graded for May. Anyone know if those guys are pay protected? I have also heard that more beech F/O's are leaving. Does this mean more downgrades or are they going to start displacing jet F/O's?
I am also curious if anyone has heard if we are closer to having this deal with Delta signed or not. Heard also that the end of April was a sh!t or get off the pot date. Anyone else heard any good news or at least good rumors.
pesimitically optimist

If we're losing Beech F/O's and not hiring replacements, it would make sense some Beech CA's would be displaced. Someone has to sit right seat but displacing jet F/O's to the right seat of the Beech involves a training event. Whereas, displacing Beech CA's probably doesn't. As for jet F/O displacements, well, anything is possible. We're fat on jet F/O's but really thin on Beech F/O's. I guess it all depends on whether or not the company knows what's going on with Delta or if the company is willing to pay the associated training costs for displacements. Time will tell.

As for end of April being "the" drop dead date for Delta, haven't heard that one. BUT, given it would take approx 2 months to get training pipeline filled and August was a potential start date, it would make sense.

Who knows. I've given up trying to figure out what we or Delta will be doing. It ain't worth it, mon.

HMM

 

[greenpickle]

Interesting Name

Ok,
I heard last night that 5 beech Capt's have been down graded for May. Anyone know if those guys are pay protected? I have also heard that more beech F/O's are leaving. Does this mean more downgrades or are they going to start displacing jet F/O's?
I am also curious if anyone has heard if we are closer to having this deal with Delta signed or not. Heard also that the end of April was a sh!t or get off the pot date. Anyone else heard any good news or at least good rumors.
pesimitically optimist

Unless your senior (+5 years), props might not just be for your boat anymore. Come on over, I'll practice max power props forward calls with ya. Interesting choice of name when half of your fellow pilot group flies prop aircraft. I can tell by your name you have probably never flown the Beech. It will be good for you.

GP

I am thinking about changing my name to "JetsRfor700hrNewHirers"

 

[dvmthwsvan]

To put in my 2 cents. The other day Fred Butrell and the senior VP of ops for Delta came in and spoke to us. Someone asked about the 328's and Fred said well, there are three ways to get out of the leases for Delta. 1. The financial company's just void them, which he said obviously will never happen. 2. The leases run up which he said that wont happen till 2013 or 2014. 3. Delta file Bankruptcy. He then said that now that Delta owns them he does not want them at Comair. And that he sees Skyway flying them in the near future. To me it sounds like Big D is trying to decide if they are going to file or not. As soon as they figure they might not have to I see y'all flying them soon.

Dave

 

[jobear]

Unless your senior (+5 years), props might not just be for your boat anymore. Come on over, I'll practice max power props forward calls with ya. Interesting choice of name when half of your fellow pilot group flies prop aircraft. I can tell by your name you have probably never flown the Beech. It will be good for you.

GP

I am thinking about changing my name to "JetsRfor700hrNewHirers"

I believe it's less than half of our group and I'm sure I can handle the blade angle changing thing-a-ma-jig, is it the one way over by the captains knees?


Jobear

 

[greenpickle]

I believe it's less than half of our group and I'm sure I can handle the blade angle changing thing-a-ma-jig, is it the one way over by the captains knees?


Jobear

Jobear, you miss it and you know it

 

[ShadowFlight]

Unless your senior (+5 years), props might not just be for your boat anymore. Come on over, I'll practice max power props forward calls with ya. Interesting choice of name when half of your fellow pilot group flies prop aircraft. I can tell by your name you have probably never flown the Beech. It will be good for you.

GP

I am thinking about changing my name to "JetsRfor700hrNewHirers"

The mighty Beech - I have tremendous respect for our Beech drivers, past and present. It's real work flying that airplane. Those of us (especially the F/O's) in the jet have it easy with the automation and somewhat creature comforts. Not to mention, easy schedules for the past few months.

I'll never sell short our Beech pilots...

Peace

SF

 

[metroplex]

the jet guys had it so easy, that many cpts and fo's had a hard time during training.....the jet is not easier to fly, it is a total different way of flying..... the automation will kick your a$$ if you do not know how to operate it right.

 

[greenpickle]

The mighty Beech - I have tremendous respect for our Beech drivers, past and present. It's real work flying that airplane. Those of us (especially the F/O's) in the jet have it easy with the automation and somewhat creature comforts. Not to mention, easy schedules for the past few months.

I'll never sell short our Beech pilots...

Peace

SF

Thank you sir.

My comments were more for a name and not what I think is going to happen with Delta. I have always believed, and not by wishful thinking, that we will get this deal. We make sense and dvmthwsvan seems to be a credible source of good news for Skyway. Thanks for your .02 Go Delta! Now with that said I am going to go to the Landmark for therapy.

GP

 

[jobear]

Jobear, you miss it and you know it

Lets see freezing in the winter, EARLY shows, & sweating like MJ in Toy-R_Us in the summer(not that I couldn't stand to drop a few but C'mon). Nah me I like Heat in the winter, air conditioning in the summer, hot coffee anytime, and and toilet that goes where I go.

Yeah I do, one of the biggest pluses no FA!!
I will apologize now to any FA's reading this post, but I won't mean it

Jobear
Angering management since 2001

 

[Donsa320]

Hey, all you Skyx people, I'd lilke to comment on the general upbeat, positive attitudes I see here. Contrast that with the constant complaining so evident on most other regional threads on this board. I know a lot of you peronally and the overall good operation at Skyx is obviously due to you good people.

As you know, the company, MEH, is sort of betting the pot on this new summer schedule. Let's hope it works. Getting the Delta deal would really be the icing on the cake, of course.

Anyway, as an outside observer, I'd like to say you guys and gals really make Skyx work, and in some of the most extremely poor weather conditions one could find. Any good things that come your way are well deserved!

~DC

 

[asolo]

Jobear
Angering management since 2001

Jo-jo that cold weather is messin your brain up...but it makes me laugh so stay right where you are. Your pain is my enjoyment. Blue Skies

 

[248to2.8]

I am thinking about changing my name to "JetsRfor700hrNewHirers"

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

On another note, I feel pretty positive about DAL due to the fact that captains are returning to the right side and Jet FO's aren't being retrained. If Delta wasn't going to happen, they would be moving all the FO's from the jet to the beech, and then furloughing them. I think that due to a few Beech FO's bailing, we are a couple short, and they are just doing this as a temporary thing, until they are hiring again, soon I hope.

 

[Propsync]

For the first post- no they won't be pay protected. It's a story to explain why.

For Donsa320, thank you for the kind words. We've been excited, optimistic, and nervous over the last few months. We've also learned patience. We don't have the biggest jets or the highest pay, but we are sheltered from all the other crap that is happening to the majors' feeders. That speaks volumes to us, no major battles with management, no worries that someone else will take our flying, including our own company (HoJet slam), etc. We have hired many great people, and we all hope this works out well. If not, those that have been hired in the last year will get furloughed, probably to never come back, and have to start all over somewhere else. I realize they took a gamble, but for once I'd love to see something good come from it. We'll see.

Waiting for the press release.....

 

[ShadowFlight]

March numbers

Here's some good news...

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050408/cgf008.html?.v=6

Although yield is down and fuel charges increased, RASM and number of flights are up. Hopefully, this is a step in the right direction.

Peace

SF

 

[ilinipilot]

Hey thanks for the thoughts. I obvioulsly dont like the downgrades, and thought they could have been handled better but its a marathon not a sprint. Canceled flights help no one, but hurt everyone.

I would like to see more communication from all parties involved. That would solve a lot of problems, and stop the rumors. Even if the communication is we know nothing, that is better than silence. I think JR did the right thing in talking to the pilot group, but it should have been done before the bleeding started, not after. Who knows it might have saved all of us a some problems.

I hope this all works out for everyone, and I will see all of you a lot more in the crew lounge now.

Regards,
D

 

[DOJET1]

dal c.........

delta airlines...
if dc does not act by the end of april its ifeee. no new yet .
any more people leave syx .. for skywest.

 

[DrewBlows]

There are quite a few Beech FO's who are bailing right now. Personally I don't understand why. I think we are in a good position to fly for Delta, and if that happens things will be very good. Besides when I interviewed, I was asked how long I intended on staying and I said five years (which I think was reasonable). Call me old fashion, but I like to think that my word means something. If I get furloughed though, all bets are off (I don't think I will).

 

[DOJET1]

dc

thanks for the info good luck you guys ....

 

[CapnVegetto]

Greenpickle.

LOVE the avatar!

 

[GOULET!]

Long time listener, first time caller. Greenpickle has one of the best avatar's on here. I laugh everytime I see it. I hope nothing but the best for Skyway. Great people, great airline. Happy to be a member of the Skyway team. Everybody is really sick of waiting for the call but I think the wait will be worth it. If the Delta deal goes through, the whole airline will be booming and those bailing FO's will really be kicking themselves. Keep up the Skyway postings with any new info!!

GOULET!

 

[DrewBlows]

Heard second-hand from someone who attended the chat with JR this morning that there was no new news on the Delta front, but that the deal isn't dead and there is no set "drop dead" date. Oh well I guess "no news" is good news (I'm still collecting a pay check).

 

[ilinipilot]

I hear 2 more FOs are getting out of the Beech (leaving) , I wish them luck.
Thats the only news to report, I heard rumors of a third but the other 2 are off the May bid.

D

For those keeping score at home that is only +3 FOs with the 5 CPT downgrades, hmmmmm

 

[248to2.8]

For those keeping score at home that is only +3 FOs with the 5 CPT downgrades, hmmmmm

If we were to only downgrade as many as have left, that would be just as smart as management was last time they downgraded. Hmmm, lets see, we need 29 FO's today. Lets downgrade 29 Captains. Then 10-15 FO's walk as well as a few Captains. Then we are shorter then Hell, and the company refused to run a class for several months. We were so short of pilots, I was on reserve one month and flew everyday of reserve, and was JA'd a day. Believe me, the numbers of FO's leaving hasn't stopped yet, unfortunately, and if DAL doesn't sign quickly, I'm afraid more will be leaving soon. Back when I was hired, I was advancing on average, about three to four senority numbers a month. I think Delta will happen, just when though is the big question.

 

[last call]

question

I have a serious question. I am an FO on the jet. I haven't sent out any resumes yet. I really like Skyway but I have to look out for my family. With the way things are going, will it even be necessary to make a latteral move if the Delta deal doesn't go through or are we short enough staffed that I won't get furloughed just retrained to another airplane.

Another question, did anyone go to the meeting with Jim Rankin last week? Curious to know if it was good or just indifferent news.

just holding up the bottom of the list! Dirty job but someone has to do it.

 

[248to2.8]

Well if Delta doesn't go through, and we don't get any more planes, then we will be very overstaffed, and furloughs will happen. However JR stated that the chaces of both not happening are very slim. Even if DAL doesn't happen, he is pretty sure we will get some more airframes. So what should you do? Good question. I would stick it out, but I'm not in your position, so it's hard to make a decision like that. I don't envy you at all. Good luck.

 

[last call]

new rumors

I am starting to hear rumors again, these are new though. I heard that Jim Rankin approached the union to get 70 seat pay put in on contracts because United was very interested in our operation. Any truth to that or has anyone heard anything along those lines?
I am happy to just be hearing things at all.

 

[GOULET!]

Haven't heard that one but that would be great. The reason I don't believe it though is because there is a huge back log of 70 seaters, in particular the Embraer's so even if you ordered them today they would take almost 2 years to get on property, but who knows.

Lost another Beech FO today. Rumor has it that HR has had 70(ish) or so requests for pilot records in recent weeks. Sound like a bunch of people are going to be jumping ship shortly. The Beech is getting VERY short on pilots. Going to be interesting to see what management is going to do about this problem, if the trend continues and no word on Delta. I think we are going to see some Jet FO's going over to the prop side. The Beech is getting short on Captain's as well so I doubt they will downgrade anymore CPT's to FO. This waiting game is no fun.

Im out folks.

 

[jobear]

No idea about UAL or DAL. Did hear about the FO's leaving and I would presume a whole slew of people have apps out to other airlines. And I would also think there maybe some jet FO's made into Beech FO's. Pay protection for them?

When your not told anything from management that leads to WILD speculation about what is happening, I'm not saying they should tell us information of a confidential nature but a short memo saying nothing new and we Expect to start date sometime in 2010 would be nice..

tirade over

Jobear
Master of trapping farts in lambskin

 

[Z28_Pilot]

To all the skyway guys out there....I know this is off topic, but I jumped a ride into Escanaba the other day and I really appreciate it!...you are more than professional and I just wanted to thank you