SkyWest whats the deal??

[Aerobat007]

I was looking forward to applying to this company, heard morale is good there etc, it appears they are not union. why are they not union and how is this percieved through out the industry? Would like to hear the perspectives of insiders and non skywest folks alike. Whats the deal what are the implications to this issue? I want to be in the union but i hear QOL is good there. Thanks in advance for serious replies and valid, useful insight.

A fellow aviator.

 

[starshipdrvr]

SkyWest is a good company to work for and I wouldn't guarantee that it will stay non-union. The general consensus among most of the pilots is that management has squandered most of their good will with the ridiculous TA that we signed because they promised us to make it up to us. Well, that hasn't happened and a lot of pilots are fairly fed up with management's promises.

In the past SkyWest has remained non-union mostly because management has treated us fairly well and there has been enough movement and growth that the pilot group has been happy. That is starting to change and more and more pilots are beginning to realize that this may be a career rather than a stepping stone. The feeling that I have felt among most pilots is that we would reluctantly welcome a union because we don't feel like the company cares about our needs and QOL of life any longer.

That all said, SkyWest has been and will continue to be a great place to work. The folks you work with are awesome, and even with their faults, management isn't that bad. I think that you would be happy here and we'd love to have another pro-union pilot on the property.

 

[RoyalAviation2]

I was looking forward to applying to this company, heard morale is good there etc, it appears they are not union. why are they not union and how is this percieved through out the industry? Would like to hear the perspectives of insiders and non skywest folks alike. Whats the deal what are the implications to this issue? I want to be in the union but i hear QOL is good there. Thanks in advance for serious replies and valid, useful insight.

A fellow aviator.

We'll see what happens in the next vote!

 

[Ben Dover]

"Why are they not union?" Because they used to be a very good airline and treat their people very well. Now it's a decent airline, but not as good as it was. In order to maintain very nice profits the company has squeezed it's employees and as a result morale is not what it used to be. People are getting tired of hearing the phase "we need to do more with less." Unless mgmt can change course, a union is just a matter of time.

As far as QOL, it ain't what it used to be. The company makes a practice of understaffing the airline. They figure it's cheaper to pay Jr. man pay once in a while than hire and train a new pilot. You can still have a pretty good QOL if you are willing to give up advancement (i.e. upgrade/transition). There are still some good lines that go senior, but not nearly as many as there used to be. If you are lower down your respective list, your schedule can suck hard (i.e. 4 day trip with 2 legs in the middle pays 3:45 to sit in hotel all day). Reserve is an even bigger crap shoot. With a policy manual that has more holes than swiss cheese, it's easy to get screwed.

That said, the company has potential to be great again depending on the direction mgmt goes.

 

[Aerobat007]

How about the "rumor" which ive heard, it said they are only looking for higher time, turbine time people right now. Any validity to this? Im sitting at 1400/206. Any more good insight to skywest would be appreciated. And thanks for the earlier replies.

 

[starshipdrvr]

Aerobat,

That may be true right now. I don't believe that they are planning on running any brasilia classes until early summer and they tend to try to fill the jet classes with higher time folks, preferably those with some turbine experience.

Having said that, I've seen some new hires out online in the jet that have only previous flight instructor experience and no turbine. Just keep applying, networking, and hoping and they'll give you a call.

Take care.

 

[Redeyes]

Ben Dover took the words right out of my mouth. Moral is lower than I have ever seen it. Management better start paying attention and fix things.

 

[ArcticFlier]

Ben Dover took the words right out of my mouth. Moral is lower than I have ever seen it. Management better start paying attention and fix things.

SGU won't pay attention to a thing besides their interests until they get a 2X4 upside their head................................Don't hold your breath.


AF

 

[CheckandSet]

A union at skywest will fix everything and everyone will be one happy family just like United!

 

[nimtz]

A union at skywest will fix everything and everyone will be one happy family just like United!

So are you claiming UAL's problems came directly from having a unionized workforce?

 

[ArcticFlier]

Seems to be his/her opinion, huh?


AF

 

[mesaba2425]

So are you claiming UAL's problems came directly from having a unionized workforce?

Aren't most problems caused by the unions?

 

[BluDevAv8r]

Aren't most problems caused by the unions?

Management gets the union it deserves.

-Neal

 

[CheckandSet]

So are you claiming UAL's problems came directly from having a unionized workforce?

ya and no! You will never get paid much more for flying an rj ! A union for skywest will only help with a few work rules. At the end, it will create more problems than fix. Did you know the highest paid 737 pilots work at United!! It worked for them, so it should work for us!(right)

 

[Dave Benjamin]

Management gets the union it deserves.

-Neal

Yep....

 

[Ben Dover]

A union at skywest will fix everything and everyone will be one happy family just like United!

A union, in my opinion, is not the optimal scenario. Best case would be fair treatment and compensation such that a union isn't needed. However, as QOL continues to hemorrhage, it's beginning to appear the a union would be the lessor of two evils.

 

[Aerobat007]

So, morale there is actually down then not up like ive been hearing and a union is in the craw of my pilot brothers and sisters at SkyWest? is that what im seeing here?? Just want to have a good glimpse at a potential final destination airline. Prefer fedex but i have no crystal ball.

 

[Gr82Aviate]

You "prefer FedEx"???? I was flying freight with 1400 hours, but it was feeding DHL at LAX under a contract in Chieftans and Lears....

 

[Aerobat007]

eventually i mean fedex...im just saying you never know what the future holds..the next place i work may be the final destination...i hope not but one never knows

 

[GuppyPuppy]

ya and no! You will never get paid much more for flying an rj ! A union for skywest will only help with a few work rules. At the end, it will create more problems than fix. Did you know the highest paid 737 pilots work at United!! It worked for them, so it should work for us!(right)

I think you are being a bit sarcastic. UA pays near the lowest for 12yr 737 captains.

One thing that needs to be fixed at SkyWest is the way new-hires are treated. They are required to be in class approximately 40hrs/wk. They have a badge. Their benefit clock starts on the first day of class. Newhire RJ pilots do not make one dime for their first two months of "employment" at SkyWest Airlines.

This is arguably illegal, but no one is willing to stand up on day one and tell their boss, "this suck$". Newhires know that if they were to say this, they'd be fired. They will just suck it up because they are flying and working for a "good company". I know. I've been there and done that.

Cheers!

GP

Former SkyWest (x2) and current stockholder.

 

[SkyWstman]

I hear they can't get pilots to show up at ground school so don't let them make you think you are a dime a dozen. No pay in training is good incentive to walk out as soon as you get a better opportunity.

 

[FlyboyPhil]

I heard a couple pilots walked out of initial ground to start with mesa.. embarrassing for us.. a wakeup call for management.. but I think their phone is off the hook..

 

[Redeyes]

We need more pilots to walk out like that. Management needs to change and quick.

 

[Bluto]

You will never get paid much more for flying an rj ! A union for skywest will only help with a few work rules. At the end, it will create more problems than fix. Did you know the highest paid 737 pilots work at United!! It worked for them, so it should work for us!(right)

Yeah, unions are definitely the root of all evil . Just ask your favorite Comair or Expressjet pilot, both of whom make more, with better benefits, QOL, and job security than their equivalent at SkyWest. Why is that? Are they that much better at those companies? Do SkyWest pilots deliver an inferior product? Or is it just that SkyWest is doing so poorly financially that an industry standard pay and benefit program for the pilots will break the weak, financially-struggling company? Are Comair and Expressjet secretly struggling under the enormous debt incurred by paying their pilots more?

REUTERS ABRIDGED FINANCIAL SUMMARY for SkyWest: (For the fiscal year ended 12/31/04, revenues increased 30% to $1.16 billion. Net income increased 23% to $82 million. Revenues reflect an increase in ASMs and an increase in fuel cost reimbursements. Higher net income was partially offset by an increase in flying operation costs and higher interest expense.) http://finance.yahoo.com/q/pr?s=skyw

I'm not a financial whiz or anything, but 30% increase in revenue and 23% increase in net income does not look to me like the vitals of a struggling company.

It will only create more problems than it fixes? For whom?! Maybe what you say is true for SkyWest management, but I'm seriously starting to wonder how things could get worse for a union-represented pilot group. If you really think that things can't get much better for the pilots at SkyWest you need to read through Comair and Expressjet's contracts and see the countless benefits to their agreements compared to SkyWest's policy manual. After you've done that, come back and we can talk about why SkyWest pilots deserve so much less.

 

[CheckandSet]

Post some specifics of what would be better at xjet because of your union. xjet guys make less than I do! Maybe better per diem? I don't think so. If pay is not the issue than better work rules! how about schedules? Not much difference! Xjext does have a better looking FOM though.

 

[Dave Benjamin]

Post some specifics of what would be better at xjet because of your union. xjet guys make less than I do! Maybe better per diem? I don't think so. If pay is not the issue than better work rules! how about schedules? Not much difference! Xjext does have a better looking FOM though.

Last I checked noone at Xjet was operating a 70 seat aircraft for near Mesa level wages. Does SkyWest have a commuter policy? How about a company funded B plan? Trip rig? Reserves at SkyWest get how many days off compared to Xjet?

 

[bayoubandit]

Line Improvement Windows
Minimum Domicile Rest
Max duty periods
Reserve system
Merger/Aquisition language
Haven't heard of a 401k imbalance
Better vacation
ACARS reassignments
Letters of discipline time limit
1 calender day off for a 30/7, not 24hr on an overnight
Less than adequite reserve coverage, all open time at 150%. No 10 day window.
The list is endless I'm sure!!

And yes a more organized FOM would be nice rather than the generic one on file.

 

[Ben Dover]

Training assignments on days off (now 10 days off become 8/month)
Retro Pay

 

[NightFlight]

Just wondering if anyone knows how long after the group interviews/career fairs they call to set up an interview?

 

[Dave Benjamin]

Training assignments on days off (now 10 days off become 8/month)
Retro Pay

Or 5 days off in a 23 day period