SkyWest or ExpessJet

[11thHour]

Maybe, just maybe I'll be seeing you at XJT. I was hired last week - but then today they said they losing 25 jets to Mexican flying. Needless to say this makes me extremely nervous. Did they give you a start date? They just said sometime in September for me, so I'm treading water, and wondering if I'll ever get out now.

 

[ERfly]

but then today they said they losing 25 jets to Mexican flying.

We did? I haven't seen a press release. If you take what you read on here as Gospel, I've got a bridge in New York I'd like to sell you.

 

[11thHour]

Actually I just read about it at ExpressJetPilots.com But I cannot verify if it's valid or not. It seems strange to hire so many of us only to furlough. I asked in the interview about this very thing, and she seemed confident that they had a plan for the 69 planes. I am very excited about working there, so I hope things work out, and that I'm worried over nothing. Blue skies!

 

[ERfly]

Actually I just read about it at ExpressJetPilots.com But I cannot verify if it's valid or not. It seems strange to hire so many of us only to furlough. I asked in the interview about this very thing, and she seemed confident that they had a plan for the 69 planes. I am very excited about working there, so I hope things work out, and that I'm worried over nothing. Blue skies!

Well, if you believe the stuff on there, I'll throw in a statue as well.

 

[dojetdriver]

Actually I just read about it at ExpressJetPilots.com But I cannot verify if it's valid or not. It seems strange to hire so many of us only to furlough. I asked in the interview about this very thing, and she seemed confident that they had a plan for the 69 planes. I am very excited about working there, so I hope things work out, and that I'm worried over nothing. Blue skies!

Yep, they may have a plan for those 69 airplanes. Whether or not it entails that XJet pilots will be flying them is an entirely different matter.

 

[Apache 5]

Its probably going to happen...25 of the older LRs re-leased to Aviasca....we pay CAL for the planes and Aviasca pays us that amount plus a little more I guess...so a profit for 25 of them, plus I am sure the training center will get in on the initial and recurrent trng. So, not the worst thing in the world- the company makes some cash and hopefully thinks about re-investing that cash into other airplanes or other ventures for the ExpressJet pilot group.


At least its not giving up the 25 to CAL and Chautauqua. Hopefully management knows what it is doing.

Now, 44 XRs to go...if you see us selling winglets at a garage sale in Houston, then we've got problems....

 

[ehoulli]

I was hired on the 18th too...the problem is I can't make it to orientation on the 30th. I emailed HR on Saturday and I'm waiting to hear back about an alternate day to do the paperwork and fingerprinting-type things. Anyone else not able to make it back to Houston on the 30th?

Hope to see y'all that were hired with me in class in September (whenever it begins!)

 

[ttravis]

I heard 400 new hires in 07

 

[FlyinPiker]

At least its not giving up the 25 to CAL and Chautauqua. Hopefully management knows what it is doing.

Maybe CAL didn't want these a/c going to CHQ in the first place. Didn't they only sign a 2 year contract w/ CHQ. There's probably a reason for that, 2 years from now they could have an agreement in place with their own pilots to bring their own 170's or 190's online. Aren't they already replacing some of the 69 a/c with their own 737's? Which 50 seaters do you think would be the first to get swapped out if that happened?

At least this way they can find a home for these a/c outside the CAL/XJT family without shooting themselves in the foot.

With that said, I still haven't seen anyone verify this is true so for your guy's sake I hope this is all @#$@#$.

 

[btrthn5n5]

Dude...

Well, thank you for all the post. I will be going to ExpressJet!

Give me a call when you need me to walk your resume in at SkyWest to get another interview. I think you just turned left when you should have went right. But who knows really? Best of luck to you though. I have a ton of friends over at XJT and I hope you guys can weather this sh#%.

And to all the "lowering the bar" talkers out there. I'm 4 months into my 2nd year here at SkyWest... on pace to pull in $46,000 (my lines average 13-14 days off) this year. I could make more if I tried to pick up anything. So I would like to know what you made when you were an F/O at the bottom of the industry ladder. If it was comparable then I guess you had already lowered the bar before I got here, so let me say thanks...if you made any more than that at a regional then you may have some ammo to your argument. But this job sure beats the 135 Lear job I had before.

 

[Dave Benjamin]

Well, thank you for all the post. I will be going to ExpressJet!

Doh!
Isn't that the airline that just announced a couple of dozen planes going away?
Might be OK if you can live in domicile and there's enough attrition to prevent you from being stuck on reserve forever. Best of luck to ya!

 

[007]

Doh!
Isn't that the airline that just announced a couple of dozen planes going away?
Might be OK if you can live in domicile and there's enough attrition to prevent you from being stuck on reserve forever. Best of luck to ya!

yeez man, it's his decision, don't slam him for it. Doesn't bother you any.

 

[princeton]

Xjt

I don't think you need to be so worried about stability at XJT in spite of 25 aircraft going to mexico. CAL is to keep hiring from XJT at the rate of approx 22 per month for at least the next six months plus all the pilots going everywhere else. The line divisor is at 88 hours, the max contractually permitted, basically we are all flying like crazy; line holders and reserve. Continued upgrade classes will be announced soon and continued hiring into the new year should follow.

Then again, maybe I am too optimistic.

 

[Avpilot]

Give me a call when you need me to walk your resume in at SkyWest to get another interview. I think you just turned left when you should have went right. But who knows really? Best of luck to you though. I have a ton of friends over at XJT and I hope you guys can weather this sh#%.

And to all the "lowering the bar" talkers out there. I'm 4 months into my 2nd year here at SkyWest... on pace to pull in $46,000 (my lines average 13-14 days off) this year. I could make more if I tried to pick up anything. So I would like to know what you made when you were an F/O at the bottom of the industry ladder. If it was comparable then I guess you had already lowered the bar before I got here, so let me say thanks...if you made any more than that at a regional then you may have some ammo to your argument. But this job sure beats the 135 Lear job I had before.

I can't believe I'm jumping in on the "My *&$*'s bigger than your *&$*, My pay is more than your pay" bandwagon....but here I go. Just for comparison sake. Here is why XJT is such a good place to work. You can choose whether you want money and fly your ass off, or you can go for the quality of life...which is what I do. Here are the numbers through the first 9 months of 2006 which will all be 2nd year FO pay. After that it increases.

9 months of pay = $30,420.99 That's an avg. of $3,380.11 per month. Total days off through 9 months = 172 Avg. 19.11 days off per month. Extrapolate to a full year of year 2 pay = $40,561.33 with 230 days off out of 365. 230 days off...that's what I'm talking about. If I wanted to have 13-14 dys off per month like you, I could pull the $46k...but that $5,440 isn't as important to me as those extra 68 days off. That's more than 2 extra months OFF per year.

 

[XJETDriver]

Well, thank you for all the post. I will be going to ExpressJet!

Welcome!

 

[Dave Benjamin]

yeez man, it's his decision, don't slam him for it. Doesn't bother you any.

He needs a thick skin to survive in this business. I'm sure he can handle it. I don't know his particular circumstances but I think he might have been better off going to an airline that is actively growing versus one that is shrinking. That's not to say there isn't movement at X-Jet but it seems to be from attrition as opposed to growth. If CO or other majors stop or slow hiring then the attrition will slow. Then you're looking at the possibility of a furlough. X-Jet is losing 25 planes now and could potentially lose 44 more. Those of us who have been around a while have seen the cycle of "hire til you start furloughing and furlough until you start hiring."

No reflection on the ariline or the pilot group, just stating facts. I hope it works out well for the guy. In a year or two things could look totally different. I don't fault anyone for going to work for X-Jet but given a choice between X-Jet and SkyWest I think he might regret his decision down the road. But if he lives in IAH or another X-Jet domicile he made the right choice. Commuting sucks.