stay here @ SKYW or move to ASA

[ductleak]

stay or come on over?
Guys --

Hey, I have something to ponder now. I am holding a line here at Skywest, but commuting. As with all of us, the regional level is not my ultimate goal. Upgrading to Captain is most valuable as soon as possible. With only 100 newhires predicted this year for ASA, I am begining to think that moving over may not be a smart thing to do right now. The only thing that it would do for me is provide an end to the commuting (possibly). Skywest has the possibility to double in size in the next year to two years. As Southwest is my career goal, I am begining to think that the pain now (commuting) maybe worth the gain in the near future.

GENERAL LEE -- step in here -- I am requesting input here -- you are being propositioned for your input...!

Everyone -- fire away -- ready to receive your input!

Thanks in advance!

 

[General Lee]

ductleak,

If Southwest is your goal, then you will need atleast 1000 pic and a 737 type rating for now. It sounds like ASA won't be upgrading much in the near future and , due to our scope, can only be a DCI carrier. Skywest, on the otherhand, can fly for more than one carrier and has opportunities to expand. With ACA moving from ORD to IAD to start up INDY, I think ORD will expand for you and cause many upgrade opportunities. Maybe ORD will be easier for you to cummute to (From ATL or DFW etc...where you live). I would stay at Skywest and go for the upgrade. If you are on the CRJ, wait for that particular upgrade, unless you have flown the Brasilia before and are comfortable with those systems and that type of flying. Go for the upgrade that will be easiest. It sounds like Southwest will be hiring a lot of people and eventually there will be a lot of retirements there too, so go for your goal. Atleast you have a goal, many people give up when times are bad. Stay at Skywest, move to the eventual ORD base and try that commute, and enjoy your time at the regionals. Your goal will come true if you stay focused and have a good attitude. Go for the upgrade. Good luck.

Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[General Lee]

80for80,

It is amazing, but hopefully some of the Majors will still be around in the future. The LCCs have one particular type of flying, which probably won't include INTL. We shall see what happens to the remaining Majors, but there will always be someone flying those lucrative INTL flights....

Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[trip]

80going0n8--Why dont you slither back under the rock you crawled out from under, we all know what your about.
If you really are a pilot for Eagle than you are a disgrace to the profession.

 

[ductleak]

thanks again

General Lee --


Thanks again for the reply. I do appreciate your input here. I always seek input from experienced people such as yourself before making a decision on things that will impact me for the rest of my life. Any other input that you can provide will be greatly appreciated.

 

[General Lee]

ductleak,

Give me an idea of where you live, like a region or State, and I will try to give you info on a possible commute from DEN or ORD etc... If you want Southwest---you need that PIC--and you will get it faster at Skywest. Take care.

Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[Socalplt]

Ductleak where are you at on the seniority list? How long do you figure it will take for the Upgrade with the confirmed deliveries over the next 2 years?

 

[ductleak]

seniority list

I am on the backside of the list. I was hired at the end of last Spring. (2003)

 

[ductleak]

DFW

General Lee -- I live in the DFW area

 

[Socalplt]

SkyWest would have to be the better option compared to ASA. Who knows something crazy like an EMB base in FLA for Continental might happen. If you were around when they announced HOU you know how junior that went.

If you just got have the PIC time now, I'd go get a 135/91 job. From what I've heard it really doesn't matter to Southwest where the PIC time comes from.

 

[Russ]

Why not the BRO in IAH? DEN also would not be too bad a commute. You could probably hold captain reasonably quick. There are no seat locks from RJ FO to EMB CA, so put in for it now. The last award from a few days ago for RJ captain went to guys hired in July of 2000. On the other hand guys with a year or less are BRO Captains in IAH, likely holding a line. SWA has hired plenty of out BRO pilots, heck its harder to fly than the RJ. I have talked to a lot of SWA guys in the SWA airlines bar and grill (ABQ hotel) They say there are lots of former SkyWest pilots there.

 

[ductleak]

thanks -- BRO

Hey man, thanks for the reply. I think that you are right about the 120. I will look into that. It looks like the guys that go to Houston want out just as fast as they get in there... I would enjoy that flying - right at home.

Thanks again!

 

[~~~^~~~]

Re: thanks again

General Lee --
Thanks again for the reply. I do appreciate your input here. I always seek input from experienced people such as yourself before making a decision on things that will impact me for the rest of my life. Any other input that you can provide will be greatly appreciated.

Huh - I thought General Lee worked at an airline separate from ASA, or Skywest, and was a member of an LEC intent on both limiting ASA and Skywest jobs, or outright hijacking those jobs (jets for jobs) for their furloughed buddies who were above applying at the regional level.

But he was correct, upgrades will be a long time coming at ASA, or Delta for that matter. We have a whole bunch of very young Captains that got hired in 1999. They are not going anywhere.

Further, the Delta pilots who are not in denial about the future of the functionally bankrupt company ( $620,000,000.00 in negative equity not counting pension obligations ) are going to be looking for driftwood to hang on to so they don't end up at an $18,000 a year entry level flying job. There is going to be enormous pressure to put the Delta boys in these 45 request for proposal airplanes. Of course you already know this because you fly for Skywest and are already dealing with ALPA's jets for jobs efforts related to the United debacle.

Oh - what fun. General, can you help me get hired at Airtran?

~~~^~~~

 

[General Lee]

Thanks fins for that great review. I happen to be someone who has experience in both the "commuter" (pre-regional days), and getting on with a "Major"--which was not easy when I did it. I am not an unhappy regional guy like yourself who is always blaming other people for things that cannot be controlled by one person. Any views I have about scope or J4J would be yours too if you were in my position, and you know that. What kills you is that I am RIGHT about those positions, and I have defended my opinions with LOGIC. Do you think it is right to have CR7s flying from DFW to JFK on a 4 hour flight? I don't---and it isn't my fault--it is a marketing problem. But, you will agree to it because it furthers your cause--and that is what is wrong here. We all should want Mainline to expand, and then allow DCI people to come up---not the other way around. You don't like that view, and that is what is wrong. Moving up increases your lifestyle and pay--not moving down.

Ductleak,

I still think you should go for the upgrade, and if you feel comfortable with the E120, I would do the IAH deal and see Tyler and College Station upclose etc....Good luck.

Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[sleepy]

I am at ASA now. I have been here for over three years and I am still over 100 numbers away from upgrading (if I want to move to DFW, which I don't). If you are hired here now, and things remain the way they are now, you will not be able to upgrade for at least 8 years.

If you are smart, you will stay at Skywest and upgrade as quickly as possible. That is what you should do.

 

[ductleak]

General Lee

General Lee --

Thanks for the reply again. For those of you that do not like the General's responses on here, I have found, over the last year and 1/2, that he has been on key with things out there in the real world. I have read and learned from him and find his experience to be of greatest value. It is always nice to have people your areas of interests and subjet matter that you can go to and ask for their input based on their life experiences. It only makes sense for me to ask him about this type of stuff. He has "been there and done that". (make sense?)

Again -- General Lee, I see you on here a lot and thought that you were one of the best minds to inquire... Thanks again and keep your ideas coming this way. Thoughts from others always open other door in the thought processes of many people -- remember that!

Later!

 

[~~~^~~~]

What kills you is that I am RIGHT about those positions, and I have defended my opinions with LOGIC. Do you think it is right to have CR7s flying from DFW to JFK on a 4 hour flight? I don't---and it isn't my fault--it is a marketing problem. But, you will agree to it because it furthers your cause--and that is what is wrong here. We all should want Mainline to expand, and then allow DCI people to come up---not the other way around. You don't like that view, and that is what is wrong. Moving up increases your lifestyle and pay--not moving down.

General : It is not personal, I actually like you and would be glad to buy you a beer some time in, or near ATL. I just marvel at the idea that you are considered the Grand Pooh Bah of Airline Knowledge because you are a Delta pilot.

Where you and your MEC are wrong is that we should maintain a "mainline" and "DCI" structure. What you see going on in our insdustry is not a "marketing problem." It is a labor problem. brought on by your MEC's refusal to recognize that when an RJ replaces mainline service we are alter ego pilots performing alter ego flying. Your MEC started the race for the bottom when they agreed to unlimited contestants in the competition for Delta domestic flying.

You and your MEC continue to be wrong when you believe the "fix" is to cripple Delta's ability to operate the right sized aircraft, separate out the flying you don't (or didn't) want and take the jobs you want back from whoever was flying them under your previous scope agreements.

The best way to fix that problem was, and is, ALPA's own Constitution and Bylaws, in combination with the laws of our nation that allow us to form unions for the purposes of collective bargaining.

Look around the industry. Those with the most restrictive scope failed first ( US Air ). Those with the least restrictive scope ( mainly Delta, but also Airtran ) did better because management had greater flexibility. At Jet Blue and Southwest, there has never been a scope problem because the pilots stuck together and all flying is performed by seniority list pilots.

Anyway, any one with one ounce of common sense can see ALPA, at the direction of the Delta MEC, screwed the pooch on this one. For both of our sakes, I hope some rational thought replaces unjustifiable arrogance at the negotiating table.

~~~^~~~

 

[General Lee]

Fins,

I personally don't have anything against you either, but sometimes, like I said in my earlier post, it comes off that you are mad at the world and not liking your situation. I can understand that, and if someone wants to give me some praise that I do or do not deserve then let it be. I don't think he labeled me the "Grand Pooh bah" or whatever because I was a "Delta Pilot"---he probably asked my a question because I obviously spend a lot of time on this board (1700 or more posts---yikes) and he just wanted my opinion. I try to give my opinions based on truths and my own experience through out the years----and I wish everyone a good career. I don't have anything stating that I am a "know it all"-----I just give my opinion on what is going on and listen to others give theirs. Some people call it spin, I just call it what I see in the lounge or on the line. I know Delta and Dalpa aren't perfect, and it sure would be nice if they would sit down and play nice, but I personally can't control that. You could write five pages of your opinions about how Dalpa/ALPA has screwed everyone, and all I could do was agree or disagree.

As far as current operations, I personally want them to come up with a paycut solution so we can move on and compete better. But, I don't think we should give 30% etc when others do not give also. We all have a lot to lose if this thing tanks, so everyone should be a part of the "giving"---including management. Our CFO has already given 8%, and that is great. We said we would give 13.5% (9% plus the May raise), but that isn't good enough. How about everyone give 20%? Everyone. Would that be fair? I think so. But, some people don't want to be a part of that. I think most of the pilots would give 15% and the May raise of 4.5%= 19.5%. Let's see where that goes, but right now management doesn't want to negotiate--and that is what has to happen when we have a contract.

I know you don't like this postition, but our Scope protects us. We have allowed DCI to fly up to 49% of all of our flying, and I think that is pretty good. You guys have gained quite a bit since 9-11, and now that the market is coming back (in numbers, not higher fares), you will still keep those higher percentages, not go back to pre-9-11 levels. We have more RJs than any other Major, and that has helped us when we needed it. Now things are changing. The LCCs are threatening us more with newer airplanes and lower fares. We actually need larger planes to compete---giving the pax more room and allowing us more seats to spread out the costs better. A lot of our best customers don't like flying RJs on long stage lengths. Yes, our costs need to come down, but also we need to compete with the likes of Airtran and Jetblue with their newer planes and entertainment (XM radio, Live TV etc.). What do you guys want at DCI? Do you want to compete with us for the right to fly 100 seaters or 737s? We still have 1060 guys out on the street, and Comair won't even help them without them severing their Delta ties.... What exactly do you guys want with regards to scope? More CR7s are coming this year, and they are being placed on routes like JFK-DFW. That is crazy. What is our marketing department thinking? Can't they find more than 70 people who want to fly between those two large cities? It baffles me.

Well, I might have been a little harsh on you before, but you have to remember that I just give my opinions and actually enjoy this forum. If someone thinks I have some sort of special "wisdom", then great. I don't claim to be a "know it all", and I don't think all Delta pilots are "know it alls" either.


Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[XRMEFLYER]

it sure would be nice if they would sit down and play nice, but I personally can't control that

Hey GL, isn't that what a lot of the Comair guys are saying about their MEC and its role in the furloughed Delta people not being allowed to come over without resigning seniority numbers. Yet you insist that they are all responsible for that policy and that they are more or less blackballed from getting hired at Delta when/if that process resumes.

That policy by the way has very little to do with Comair's pilots and everything to do with Delta boardroom types looking for ways to continue to divide and conquer. They did a fine job with that one too if your views are at all representative of the other Delta pilots.

AMF

 

[79%N1]

Hey General Lee.....

Here is why your suggestion is not only rediculous, but assinine...

I make $19.02 per hour as a first year FO at ASA. A 20% pay cut for me means a whopping salary of............15.20/hour!!!!!!! WOW, thats $13,680 per year ----- BEFORE TAXES!! Or $1,140 per month. Thanks for offering to put me well below poverty/food stamp wages. I made almost $10,000 as a flight instructor with 250 hours total time. My 4 year degree, and 5,000 + hours of flight time are not worth a job that pays 14,000/year. That is rediculous! How much do you make per hour??? Is 20% going to hurt you more, or me?? Will you and your DAPLPA cronnies have to move to a CHEAPER apartment on your pay cut? How about sell your car for a cheaper one? Maybe go back to Ramen noodles and PBJ sandwiches for dinner, maybe hamburger helper for special occasions! I dont think so. This is where your rhetoric gets tiring, and makes no sense. Why should I, an underpaid FO at a company that makes a profit further reduce my salary to poverty, so you can maintain your higher standard of living? Is that really fair, General???