SkyWest + Continental = Love

[socalpilot]

I don't think it's right. While I sit on furlough, I see companies like Commutair and Skywest growing by flying the pax I once flew.

Everyone who is on furlough at Xjet was offered a job flying at CommutAir as long as you met company minimums. 900tt 100 multi. So, why are all the furloughed Xjet pilots complaining that they don't have a job. The only reason I can see is that they don't have 900 hours or they turned it down. Your company (Xjet) doesn't want to fly turboprops. Sounds like the proper place to channel your anger is to Xjet management for going to an all jet fleet. Some routes are just better served by props. Just take a look at the passenger loads from HPN to EWR. It doesn't make sense to fly these planes on short routes with no people. If it was your company would you just sit back and watch the money burn away.

 

[RichardFitzwell]

Everyone who is on furlough at Xjet was offered a job flying at CommutAir as long as you met company minimums. 900tt 100 multi. So, why are all the furloughed Xjet pilots complaining that they don't have a job. The only reason I can see is that they don't have 900 hours or they turned it down.

socalpilot,

I can't speak for anyone but myself. I was furloughed from CAL (with more than 900 hours TT) and didn't have the senority to flow back to Express.

Please don't take this the wrong way but I couldn't aford to support my family (aka. buy food, pay bills and make house and car payments) on Commutair's starting salary. I think it was somewhere around $16-17,000. I turned down the offer.

I couldn't risk loosing what I now have to jerk gear in a 1900. Granted, its a flying job and I'm sure a lot of furloughed guys are happy to be doing it. Like I said before, its nothing against those pilots. We all have different situations to deal with.

I don't blame the pilots. I blame the industry. I blame the people that have found a way to exploit pilots by paying poverty wages as a way to 'gain experience' for the majors. For many, that big airline salary will no longer be an option and the commuters could very well be their entire career (not that that's a bad thing if the pay was higher).

I'd like to see pilots' wages come up to match their level of responsibility. Being a professional crew member and flying passengers under the name of any major airline should pay more than $17,000 per year.

CALALPA cannot prevent companies from paying this low salary but they can, hopefully, prevent Continental's erosion to the lowest bidder and bring livable wages to entry level positions within the Continental Airline's passenger structure.

 

[GuppyPuppy]

Re: Re: News Flash

DELETED BY GP

 

[Ben Dover]

Re: Re: News Flash

Hey Ben,

Please go back to restraining yourself...

Dam that's funny....you have me rolling on the floor. And in fact you made my point even better than I did.

Originally posted by RichardFitzwell
Continental advertised to attract the pax, sold the ticket, rented the terminal space and hired the ticketing agents, baggers, etc.

All this cost $$$. Now another company with lower costs pops up and says, "we can do the flying part cheaper". I don't think it's right. While I sit on furlough, I see companies like Commutair and Skywest growing by flying the pax I once flew.

But the part you left out is that Continental has made a business decision to out source a part of it's business because it helps CAL make more money. You see Continental isn't in the business of flying their routes, owning planes, or courting loyal passengers. Continental is in the business of making money (something many pilots forget).

It sucks to be furloughed, trust me I know. And I don't blame you for being pissed if someone else walks into the job you had. Unfortunately, that's part of the price we pay in a cut throat industry in a market economy.

Back to lurking,
B. Dover

 

[Obi-Wan]

Well we are hearing a different thing from our union and mgt people. The word out there is that there is going to be a system wide bid here at coex which includes the prop flying out of IAH. Its kinda like subcontracting the training and maintenance to Skywest. CAL already owns a fleet of 120's (I used to fly one) As far as employment goes we will all be express pilots. Training costs will be picked up by CAL same as they did with Commutair. The only difference is that as a result of the CLE flying now we have a much stronger MOU. Now as the jet flying picks up and CAL flowbacks go back to CAL skywest pilots trickle in. Now I grant you all that nothing is set ins tone yet, and its all speculation, but if it did happen this way why would it be bad for skywest. If united liquidated tomorow many skywest pilots would be furloughed. This deal would make money for skywest and open up future jobs. Also, if skywest turnes it down I gurantee you some one else will pick it up. Many here make it sound as if Mesa could not handle the job. Working for any airline flying the 120 while you are on furlough is a great deal, I dont care if its Skywest, Mesa, !!!etc... Its all about job security. What if our furloughed guys get hired at Skywest and united goes out of
business and then you have to furlough. Do our guys go back on the street again while a skywest pilot does the IAH flying? The whole point of this deal is to provide job security for our pilots. I do not believe the union would approve a deal that does not protect our pilots.

 

[MYFpilot]

This isn’t Skywest’s flying, this is flying that I used to do on the 120 and currently do on the 145. When has Skywest flown to CLL, BPT, LCH, VCT ect. This is flying we currently do, is it fair that Skywest pilots fly to those destinations.

...Not anymore. Apparently Express Jet doesn't want Victoria

From the DOT docket...

One of the first markets they have ask us to serve is Victoria, Texas. We understand that Express Jet has filed a 90-day notice for that market, and that proposal for replacement service are due today, SkyWest submits the attached bid for Victoria utilizing the 30- passenger Embraer Brasilia.

 

[mckpickle]

Re: News Flash

I've be restraining myself, but can't hold back any longer.

FLYING DOESN'T BELONG TO ANYONE!!!

IF it belongs to anyone, it belongs to who ever is doing it at that moment in time.

If someone comes along and starts flying a route and pushes the other carrier out, guess what? Now it's their flying!! If management promises you it's YOUR flying and then gives it to someone else, too bad it NOT YOUR FLYING. Unless of course you hire a bad ass attorney who can wrestle it away from management and give it back to you? GET IT??? It's gorrilla war fare.

If you want flying to be bequeathed to someone then lobby your congressman for the industry to be reregulated.

I'm not saying I agree, I'm saying it's the way it is in a market economy.

Just the messenger,
B. Dover

You are wrong. How fair is it that a company builds up the routes and then when another company can do it cheaper company A furloughs the pilots and lets company B fly (with company A's Brand) for less money. Is bullsh1t. CAL did it by farming the CAL flying to express because CAL didn't have scope. Now CAL is farming the express flying out to someone cheaper. This is why we have labor unions. Just like machinist stop ford and GM from allowing the production lines from going to Mexico, we ned to stop the companies from farming our flying out.

If you don't think that the brand flying done belongs to you than you are one of the alter ego carriers that the flying is being farmed out to. This sh1t needs to stop and it needs to stop now. We need scope.

 

[BLWME]

Alpa needs to pull out the S.O.S

 

[embdrvr]

Yeah right. ALPA 's gonna call for a SOS over a squabble between some regional guys. Noone on this board is even involved in the negotiations or in the know. Some of us don't even have a dog in this fight and we're just throwing our .02 in to pass the time. For those of you wondering about SOS it stands for suspension of service. Read Flying the Line to learn more.
Why don't you explain to the readers of this Forum what brought about the last attempt at a SOS and what the outcome was?

No rush on the assignment. Maybe you can get back to us when you break the 1000 hour mark. Jeesh.

 

[hotwing]

embdrvr - you are right...

You are right... We are all just throwing in our .02 worth. What is so funny is to watch these guys get bent out of shape and tell us all how their union is going to do this and do that when, they do not even know what their powers truly are or where their limits of power are... ALPA -- do they even really care? This is all very funny -- Well, as for me, I am in the pool just waiting to see what will happen. I, at least, am educated in this stuff to know that I do not have any amount of pwer in the outcome of this... I wish that these other guys could figure it out!

Good Night!

 

[Rogue5]

I'm sure the furloughs are happy...

So the latest word from those who know is that the agreement is that any new positions available due to the new codeshare will be filled by jobs offered to XJET furloughs who will be offered SkyWest jobs as newhires at the end of the SkyWest seniority list. Other positions filled by internal growth (approx. three jets per month) will be taken from our boys in the pool.

Roughly speaking, I guess we could imagine 50/50 in the next newhire class.

Skyward: is that OK with you, or are you still bent out of shape seeing your company's furloughs being offered jobs?

 

[hotwing]

Rogue5 -- questions --

So, as a poolie what should I expect in the near future? I have been sent training material to study... Do you think that the people in the pool will be offered positions soon or will it all go the XJETS girls? Just pondering these thoughts...

Have a great one!
Out

 

[Metro A-Team]

Rogue5,

It is my understanding, that a persons "#" depends on your class date and soc #...(please correct me if I'm wrong). So, if this is right, than can I expect that the Xjet guys will be "ahead" of us poolies on the senority list if they go to class first?

And it sounded like you wrote that ALL positions for the new deal will be filled with Xjet guys...? So, SkyWest dudes won't be able to bid for the Captain jobs?

Thanks for the info.

 

[Rogue5]

Magic Eight Ball says...

First of all, do not misunderstand: I am but a lowly line-pilot (an F.O. at that) and have no inside track as to the minds of those who are makng the deals. That being said, I do have reasonable intuition (as do many here in the crew lounge) as to how this will play out...

My understanding (again, just an understanding, NOT fact) is that "positions" made available b/c of the new codeshare will be offered to COEX furloughs, not that that means COEX guys flying those old routes. As they would be appended to the bottom of the seniority list (as they are, in fact, regular newhires), their domicile/seat etc. would be based on a combination of what the company needs and what their seniority would allow. Poolies will be taken in as "positions" open up do to CRJ arrivals (again, not that they will necessarily go into the CRJ). I don't know what the class makeup will be, but I think a lot of growth exists due to both factors.

Metro - seniorty is based on newhire class date and last 4 digits of Social within that class date, regardless of where you came from or who you flew for before. In my class a (furloughed) United 737 F.O. sat 5 seats behind me.

I don't believe many SKYW guys relish the idea of texas flying as west coast domiciles are most senior (although two in my crash pad have said they would bid there), but anyone senior in the company would appear to have that option first. That is the definition of seniority.

Poolies who were sent aircraft specific material to study: I have no idea. I have two friends in the pool who were sent CL65 study guides after they were offered a job. I believe that that too would be subject to change given any change in company requirements re: more Brasilia vs. CRJ F.O.s.

To all involved I say: be happy. This is a great company to work for and all brothers/sisters are welcomed with open arms.

 

[hotwing]

pool

.