SkyWest questions

[DCT]

This is my first post (although I've been browsing the SkyWest threads for a while), so let me say how impressed I am with the dedication of so many of you SkyWest folks to help inform the job seekers and the curious.

Here's my situation: SkyWest has always been my first choice airline. I have a few friends on the inside and attended the March SLC open house, passed the tests, and have heard nothing since. Another carrier called shortly after the SkyWest open house. I put them off for a while, but in June decided to take the proverbial "CRJ in the hand" since it seemed that my experience level was a little low for SkyWest at the time.

Now that I have more experience (and CL-65 pt.121 time) I'm thinking about reapplying to SkyWest. I'd love to continue flying the RJ, but I am more interested in the company than the aircraft. So, having said all that I have a few questions:

1. With my experience level, how long would it take now to get an interview and then begin class (both emb and rj).

2. What domiciles would be realistically available for each aircraft for someone with a pretty good SSN. I'm asking this because I am commuting now and it stinks. My wife (whose happiness is more important than which airplane I fly) would love SMF, PDX, SBA -- but I know that those are senior bases. A good compromise might be SLC, but I've heard that's senior except on the jet.

3. Is there a hard rule about aircraft assignment for new hires or is it solely case by case (quality of interview, etc.) My biggest motivation for wanting the jet would be the SLC base.

What do you all think?

Thanks again for all the insight.

 

[Andy Neill]

1. In a perfect world, not long at all. The best thing you can do is to have your friends on the inside promote your case to Camielle. In theory, we do rank online resume' applications for time and the types of time and qualifications to move people to the top of the stack. In practice, it's a lot more fuzzy than that. Once you have passed an interview the class date is typically no more than six weeks away (candidates interviewing yesterday were considered for class slots in the January 6th newhire class).

2. Domiciles often awarded to newhire Brasilia pilots include FAT and PSP. Others have been awarded SAN, SMF, MRY, SBP, and SBA. It's been a while since any newhires were awarded SLC, PDX, and DEN.
On the jet side, I would expect SLC with an occassional TUS award. I wouldn't count on FAT. SBA, DEN, PSP, and SMF are going primarily to more senior folks already flying Brasilias at those domiciles or wanting to get back home. There would be a FEW reserve line slots available at DFW.

3. Those newhires who are offered the jet are typically more experienced folks who give great interviews. Sometimes (like now) we place ALL newhires in the Brasilia as long as we have an adequate supply of existing SkyWest pilots willing to transition into the jet for the domiciles available. I don't expect to see any newhire jet pilots again until around March at least. Brasilia newhires will earn more their first year since they are paid at the same rate as first year jet pilots, fly more hours, and spend less time on reserve. After the first year, each may transition to the CRJ anyway.

 

[DCT]

Thanks for the reply, Andy. A few follow-up Q's:

Will SMF continue to have Brasilias or will it be jet only?

Is it possible to change domiciles? If so, how long would it take? The example I have in mind is if i'm assigned PSP, how hard would it be to change to SMF (if it still has props), MRY or FAT?

Thanks again!

 

[sstearns2]

......

Hello

The current rumor is that SMF will retain some EMB flying, but be mostly jets. It will be a senior base as some of the current EMB crews will still be displaced to other domiciles because they will not be able to hold either aircraft.

SBA should be pretty easy to get for a while as an EMB pilot. SBA is rumored to pick up some of the EMB flying from SMF. 3 newhires out of the last class got SBA and I think only 1 really wanted it.

Forget about PDX.

Good luck,

Scott

 

[DCT]

transfers?

What about the base transfer option. How does that work and how long does it take---e.g. PSP to FAT?

 

[Andy Neill]

A pilot may request transfer as often as he pleases. SkyWest once had a pilot who want the "total SkyWest experience" and so would bid a domicile change each month as his seniority would allow and took in all the existing domiciles at the time.

For instance, if you are assigned to FAT and have a standing bid in for 1) MRY, 2) SBA, 3) SAN, and 4) SBP. If an opening came up on the next bid cylcle for SAN and you were the most senior pilot waiting for it, it would be awarded to you. Your standing bid would then be MRY and SBA. On the next award cycle MRY and SBA came open, you would get MRY.

Pilots are not locked into a domicile unless they turn down a domicile move for which they had a standing bid in. For instance, in the example above, if you were awarded SAN from FAT but decided you didn't REALLY want SAN that much, you could stay in FAT but you would not be allowed to transition, upgrade, or transfer for 6 months thereafter.

To answer your specific question, if you were assigned to PSP with a standing bid in for FAT, I feel confident your transfer request would be awarded on the very next cycle (within a month).

 

[DCT]

Once again, thanks for all the great info, Andy. You do your airline a great service. I look forward to meeting you one day.

Thanks again and fly safe,

DCT

 

[Andy Neill]

Nov 5th Domicile Awards at SKYW

Since some concerned are currently in FTD and sim, I thought I would post this here:

Nov 5th class domicile awards =
-- 11 FAT
-- 7 SAN
-- 4 MRY
-- 3 SBA
-- 3 SBP
-- 2 PSP

My score = 70%.

 

[utahpilot]

Andy,

seems like there has been quite a drought of SLC awards to EMB120 newhires, why is that? wasn't it more the norm a year or so ago? think it'll become that way again, and if not, how long for a newhire to hold a line in SLC?

thanks for the guesses

 

[Andy Neill]

I know what you mean. A couple of years ago SkyWest was assigning newhires to SLC involuntarily (just like they did in PDX in 99). Now SLC is the third hardest to get domicile.

Much of that has to do with the geographic orientation of newhires. When SkyWest hires a lot of west coast pilots, the demand for transfers there goes up. When they hire a lot of Utah pilots, SLC becomes hard to get.

Exacerbating that reality are the openings of several other jet domciles at places previously all Brasilia (PSP, SBA, DEN, SMF). These slots tend to be filled by more senior Brasilia pilots already at those domiciles. This puts the more junior pilots at SLC (the usual feed source for jet transitions) on the back burner as the line waiting to get in gets longer.

The junior pilot at SLC on the December seniority list (in the Brasilia) was 184 from the bottom. It's looking like a 3-6 month wait before getting to SLC in the Brasilia.