Upgrade and Reserve at Comair

[IflyAviator]

What is the latest for upgrade and reserve at Comair?

 

[9rj9]

pain, foever, pain, forever, pain !!!!!!!!

 

[V-1]

Most junior (awarded, not trained...keep this in mind as the company has a history of cancelling upgrade awards) Captain will be JFK based with a hire date of late 2002, I believe.

Reserve is bad...unless you like visiting with absolute morons they hire to staff scheduling...you'll be doing that a lot during your years of reserve...unless you go to JFK, where you'll likely only be on reserve for six months or so.

If you want to live in a better part of the world, CVG reserve is lasting a new hire about two and a half years, last time I saw.

As always, your mileage may vary.

 

[Garritto]

I was hired in December 2006 and would have had a line 3 months into JFK but I decided to go to CVG. My friend that was hired in July 2006 has had a line in CVG since July 2007.

So, JFK reserve 6 months is my guess conservatively. CVG is a year. I'm not familiar with the 70/76 seat.

Everyone that has been at comair for many years is very negative about the upgrade, because if you were hired 5 years ago, then the upgrade is 5 years. I don't think that will be the case for people hired today. There's just too much attrition each month.

 

[IflyAviator]

That makes sense Garritto. Do you know how easy it is to get CVG out of training? It sounds like CVG is the more popular base rather than JFK.

 

[RiddleEagle18]

Just talked about a week ago. Here ya go.

http://forums.flightinfo.com/showthread.php?t=102702&highlight=Comair

 

[V-1]

Everyone that has been at comair for many years is very negative about the upgrade, because if you were hired 5 years ago, then the upgrade is 5 years. I don't think that will be the case for people hired today. There's just too much attrition each month.

I think most who have been at Comair are negative not exclusively about upgrades...though there is a large amount of relatively senior First Officers who have suffered through upgrades only to be downgraded two months later. There are many additional First Officers who have been awarded Captain positions only to have those positions cancelled prior to training.

I believe most who have been at Comair for any significant amount of time...particularly four years or more, are disappointed, frustrated, equal parts pissed off and apathetic because of what has become of Comair over the last three years. Comair used to either lead, or be among the top ten percent of the pack in performance, work rules, and compensation. Now Comair is not significantly better than Mesa or Chatauqua...and it's not because those carriers have gotten better.

There is no leadership at Comair. Comair has become a ship without a rudder...and there is no sign of improvement in the forseeable future.

I agree with you Garrito that those hired today will have a different experience than those who have been with Comair for an extended period of time. They'll never miss what they never had, I guess Comair supervisors think. They should be happy to spend 300-350 hours per month away from their families for $21,000 - $33,000 for the next several years...perhaps the next seven to nine years if they upgrade at the first opportunity...though they'll get the opportunity to say they earn $65,000 annually while living in New York....less than a cab driver in that city earns.

It used to be that Comair could recruit and hire the cream of the crop when it came to pilots who were applying at the regional level. Today, Comair is lucky to get pilot applicants who have 500 hours total time...applicants so eager to fly a jet they'll sleep at night in a rat-infested crew room at JFK. This problem is industry-wide and will get worse, because managements such as Comair's have worked very hard...not on increasing revenue and customer base, but on destroying quality of life and pay at all levels of the airline industry.

 

[Garritto]

I think most who have been at Comair are negative not exclusively about upgrades...though there is a large amount of relatively senior First Officers who have suffered through upgrades only to be downgraded two months later. There are many additional First Officers who have been awarded Captain positions only to have those positions cancelled prior to training.

I believe most who have been at Comair for any significant amount of time...particularly four years or more, are disappointed, frustrated, equal parts pissed off and apathetic because of what has become of Comair over the last three years. Comair used to either lead, or be among the top ten percent of the pack in performance, work rules, and compensation. Now Comair is not significantly better than Mesa or Chatauqua...and it's not because those carriers have gotten better.

There is no leadership at Comair. Comair has become a ship without a rudder...and there is no sign of improvement in the forseeable future.

I agree with you Garrito that those hired today will have a different experience than those who have been with Comair for an extended period of time. They'll never miss what they never had, I guess Comair supervisors think. They should be happy to spend 300-350 hours per month away from their families for $21,000 - $33,000 for the next several years...perhaps the next seven to nine years if they upgrade at the first opportunity...though they'll get the opportunity to say they earn $65,000 annually while living in New York....less than a cab driver in that city earns.

It used to be that Comair could recruit and hire the cream of the crop when it came to pilots who were applying at the regional level. Today, Comair is lucky to get pilot applicants who have 500 hours total time...applicants so eager to fly a jet they'll sleep at night in a rat-infested crew room at JFK. This problem is industry-wide and will get worse, because managements such as Comair's have worked very hard...not on increasing revenue and customer base, but on destroying quality of life and pay at all levels of the airline industry.

Well I believe this thread was started to discuss upgrade and reserve at comair, but I cannot disagree with anything you said V-1. I do find it hard to believe that our experience at comair is all that different than any other regional, though. I've had plenty of captains that had worked elsewhere and are more happy with comair than the others. This is certainly an industry problem. We just have to deal with JFK in addition.

IflyAviator, i don't think it is all that difficult to get either base, but you may have to stick it out in Kennedy for up to 6 months. I was lucky and did 2 months there. In terms of bases, there are better choices than comair out there.....