TSA Interview

[Kingair1181]

I got a call the other day for an interview with Trans State in mid March. I have been reading several boards and just trying to get a feel for what I can expect at the interview and also how TSA is - QOL, vacation, upgrade time, ect - along with just any general information on TSA. Thanks for any input...

 

[ex j-41]

Tsa

Dirtbag company!
Hate their employees.
1 week vacation/year.
Pay is industry normal.....crap!
Aircaft Maint is as good as it gets.....that is if you pay someone crap
that is what you get in return.
Days off minimal...ie 10/month.
Upgrade is 3yrs ----and up.
But noticing that you have 600hrs i would expect that they are dipping
very low in the pilot bank to find people that would actually want to
work there. No offence of course.

Good news is that once you leave, ....life can only get better.
And it does after TSA.

 

[rjacobs]

The interview will be pretty short and will leave you feeling like you didnt do very well, everybody that I interviewed with had about 10 mins maybe a few more. I dont think that QOL is bad, but I live in domicile, vacation is 1 week after your first year, two weeks after that, pay is decent(its at least average). Upgrade time seems to be around 3 years right now, but that could change. We have a great group of pilots, our management seems to be 180 degrees to us at times. Our MEC also seems to be a good group of people. PM me if you have any more specific questions.

 

[great cornholio]

If you don't live in RIC or STL and you can go somewhere else then don't come to TSA. QOL here sucks right now. The management and pilot group hate each other. Management keeps kicking us while we are down. TSA is also shrinking right now. So you might either get furloughed or be on reserve for a long long time. Upgrade time is running right around 3 years right now but that can always change. Our contract is up in a few months and it looks like things are gonna get very nasty here for the next few years until we get a new contract. Days off are 10 per month but you will be on reserve so if you commute you can easily loose 1 or 2 days off a week on the commute. IE you can either get released early on your last day so you can commute out that night, but you have to be back on reserve early in the morning on the first day of reserve so you have to commute in the day before so you loose lots of time off that way. Plus sometimes you get 6 on 1 off 6 on so you will be away from home for 2 whole weeks. And when you finally do get home you might only have 2 days off and since you commute you only barely get 1 full day at home. Once you can hold a line you will get 11 days off (yaaay) but once you can hold a good line you can get up to 14 or so days off. However most trips are not commutable on both sides, and some are not even commutable and all so you have to commute out the day after and commute back to work the day before because day one show time is at 500 am and you get back on day 4 at midnite. (especially true for RIC). STL has better luck with commutable trips. Well hope that helps. The pilots and flight attendants here are good people (we do have that 2% jacka$$ rate like everywhere else). So the people are great the company sucks.

 

[flyer172r]

So the people are great the company sucks.

That pretty much sums it up right there. After you've been on line a few months, captains will start asking you why you're still here. It's a valid question.

 

[labbats]

Think of the longest day you've had instructing. Now do that 20 days a month. That's the regional lifestyle and its novelty wears off quick. I'd like to see a thread with people posting their real schedules every month and their take home pay alongside of it. If I could copy mine and post nameless to all the flight schools in America I would. It's not what you think at all. I just did two 13 hour duty days in a row with 7+ hours flying/deadheading each day scheduled and didn't bat an eyelash I'm so used to it now. And I supposedly work at one of the "better" regionals.

With that said, TSA people are very cool, but the situation they are in is probably the worst in the industry. If you get hired, by all means take the job, then get the heck out asap. Where are you going to go? Good question, I wish I could tell you.

 

[BoilerUP]

labbats, you still on reserve?

 

[labbats]

Going on 16 months now.

 

[Flying Illini]

Going on 16 months now.

Express Jet?

 

[labbats]

Eagle

But hey! AA should recall soon, right? Right? right?