USA JET PILOTS: Now what?

[Wiggums]

What really saddens me is that now I feel like we've finally stooped to the Ameristar level.

I think you went below. Average captian pay at Ameristar is about 8k ahead of USA Jet pay now. An Ameristar FO almost makes as much base pay as a USA Jet FO, and typically makes an extra 12k/year in bouns money. How many hours do you have to fly in order to make extra money at USA Jet? How much can you sell your days back for?

 

[Wiggums]

Now I've heard the rumors and even felt the "cold shoulder" from pilots who work for our "competitors". I'm sure that some of them distrust us and hold us in contempt. Frankly, I can't help but feel that it's nothing more than professional jealousy. For whatever reason, they aren't working at USA Jets, wish they were, and their "misery" inflames their egos to look at us with "tinted" lenses and project their disatisfaction as our "arrogance". I can't help that they were unwilling to take whatever steps, make whatever sacrifices to come to work for USA Jets. I can't help that they locked themselves into unreasonable "training contracts" with other outfits and are stuck where they are. I can't help the fact that USA Jets insists on our pilot's wearing uniforms, looking sharp and professional, and their outfit could care less. I applaud the fact that USA Jets takes better care of its' pilots on the road than our competitors do for their pilots. I refuse to apologize for the fact that my employer cares more about me than theirs' seem to care about them!!! All I can say to them is this, "If you're not ready to move onto the "Majors", then as soon as you can, do whatever it takes to get yourself interviewed and hired here at USA Jets. I promise you won't regret it!"

This news really puts your words from back in February in a new light, especially your last sentence.

 

[clansinclair]

As I said, our arrogance has come to haunt us. At the time, I believed what I was saying. Frankly, I was defending the honor of the company, who up until now HAD taken exceptional care of me and my family. Is that wrong? Go ahead and take your shots at us now. If it makes you feel better, enjoy our misery. Honestly, everyone knows Ameristar is part of the industry's problem. You guys break the rules, bend over willingly for your employer's big green weenie, and make it really hard for all other honest businesses to compete honorably. Everyone suspects you and yours of trying to sabotage our aircraft in Laredo. Lucky for you guys, we can't prove it.

Yes, what goes around comes around, and we're reaping the woes of our foolish pride. So be it, but I'll get through this one way or another. You Ameristar guys have yet to pay for yours'. Go ahead and gloat while you can, but I still wouldn't be in your shoes for no amount of pay.

 

[pilotyip]

A USA Jet pilot gets 4 hours pay over guarantee for every day off he sells back to the company. Last June he got 8 days off, this June he gets 13 days off. If we are busy and a DA-20 pilot sells back 5 of his days off, he will get 20 hours pay over guarantee, plus have the same number of days off as last year. So lets say in 2004 he flew 65 hours, and sold no days he would get 65 hours pay. But in 2005 if he flies 65 hours he will get 65 plus the 20 hours for the five days off sold back to the company. He comes out 20 hours ahead in pay for the same days off as last year. Depending upon business levels it could be a win for the pilots. This is all about remaining viable in a terrible on-demand market.

 

[Wiggums]

Honestly, everyone knows Ameristar is part of the industry's problem. You guys break the rules, bend over willingly for your employer's big green weenie, and make it really hard for all other honest businesses to compete honorably. Everyone suspects you and yours of trying to sabotage our aircraft in Laredo. Lucky for you guys, we can't prove it.

Don’t get be wrong, I’m not gloating. USA Jet lowering pay hurts pilots at all the on-demand operators.

However, it was you that posted a seven page thesis on how great USA Jet was. Now that it sounds like USA Jet is in real trouble I think it’s fair to revisit your own words.

Now you come and throw out some wild and crazy accusations. It would be interesting if you could offer any examples to support what you are saying. Especially when you make the reckless claim that Ameristar pilots vandalized an aircraft. I would seriously doubt that any pilot would risk both their career and major prison time to do something like that.

If Ameristar is winning out in the on-demand field it is because of smart management and efficient operations, not because they are dishonest. If you have any actual examples to refute my view I’d be glad to address them.

 

[clansinclair]

Here are a few examples of how you guys at Ameristar are known to operate now or in the recent past:

1) Loose leaf or unbound flight logs: a good trip comes on the heals of a completed trip; flight/duty limitations an issue? No problem, rrrriiippp! Presto chango, a new flight log sheet is produced to appear to comply with FAA flight/duty limitations. Why not just use a "magic tablet"? (The cause of the fatality crash in Del Rio??? Hmmm, one wonders)

2) Ditto for maintenance logs.

3) Ditto for training training files.

4) "C" checks not done in record times, but in miraculous times. This has been directly observed at the YIP facility. (Not even God can do a "C" check in 24 hrs., at least not to FAA standards.) OK maybe 24 hrs. is a small exageration, but the times are "miraculous" none the less.

5) Misrepresenting to customers your ability to complete trips by direct flight legally and safely during the bid process. (Many examples of this, but the dash and splash into the Mississippi River in St. Louis is the most remarkable)

6) Bidding trips at incredible prices, sometimes at less than the cost of fuel. (Everbody wonders where and how your owner gets the money to be able to afford to do that! He must be richer than Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, and God! Makes one wonder if being based in relative close proximity to Mexico, Columbia, etc. has anything to do with it.) Or perhaps dubious connections to the oil industry?

If you want to characterize how your management treats your pilots, maintains your aircraft. and serves the customers as smart and efficient, that's your perogative, but you're the only ones in the entire industry that sees it that way. There is one exception to this, and that's Bud Rude at Air Tahoma. You guys are Bud's heroes. That says and means a lot!

Wild accuasations of vandalizing our aircraft? Funny how the only times we find FOD material in our plugged intakes just happens to coincide with the times we've parked next to or near your aircraft.

Your pilots literally risk their carreers and prison time (as well as their very lives, i.e. Del Rio) just to go and work under the conditions at Ameristar. It's no stretch of the imagination to envision a little thing like throwing FOD into the REAL competition's engine intakes. Besides, I said we only "suspected" and "could not" prove it, but the coincidences in timing are remarkable.

Finally, Ameristar isn't "winning out" in the on-demand field at all! No company that uses those kinds of tactics ever wins anything except contempt and disgust. Like I said, "What goes around, comes around." I fully admit the mistake of my/our arrogance, and perhaps we are reaping a little of what we've sown. I/WE accept this. Your time's coming too pal!

Whether or not USA Jet's in "real trouble" remains to be seen. I do know that the auto industry is in real trouble right now, and all of us who depend on their success are suffering because of it. I also know that when the auto industry is doing well, your company isn't their first choice to haul their cargo! SNAP!

 

[falcon20driver]

Dude, you need some serious vacation time, sounds like you're going nuts.

I worked for Ameristar for a short period and never once was asked to take a flight without my legal rest, may have been tired a couple times but did have 14 hours of rest, and no crew that I was part of pencil whipped any flight logs and I was never asked to do anything illegal either.

And I think you're confused on which company decided to see if a Falcon could swim.

Take a chill pill.

 

[iaflyer]

5) Misrepresenting to customers your ability to complete trips by direct flight legally and safely during the bid process. (Many examples of this, but the dash and splash into the Mississippi River in St. Louis is the most remarkable)

Like Falcon20Driver said, that wasn't them - it was Grand Aire that took a swim in the Mississippi.

For whatever reason, Ameristar is providing the same product for a lower price. Just like Walmart, Southwest and Jetblue. Perhaps the on demand industry is starting to experience the same diminishing profits that the passenger airlines are feeling. I don't know if Ameristar is flying less than they used to - I've heard that USA Jet and Active Aero have a lot less trips.

I can't imagine that Ford or GM are excited about using airplanes to fly parts around. Hopefully the slowdown is just temporary and our industry will recover.

iaflyer

 

[atpcliff]

Hi IAFlyer!

Howz it going over there? I here you're close to upgrade. When do you think you'll start upgrade?

I hope you're enjoying your visits to those far-flung countries!

C U!

CLiff
GRB

PS-I AM enjoying more days off.

PPS-For those that may not know: Grand Aire ran out of fuel and crashed in the river near STL. They changed their name after that day (2 Falcon 20 crashes in one day) and are now known as Tri-Coastal.

 

[Gearmonkey]

If Ameristar is winning out in the on-demand field it is because of smart management and efficient operations, not because they are dishonest. If you have any actual examples to refute my view I’d be glad to address them.[/QUOTE]

It's not smart management, it's more like bad business ethics. It's amazing how you fly a bunch of flights over a couple days between 2 cities and run outta planes(because you are actually honoring your mtx program or whatever)and have to resort to subchartering Ameristar, then all of the sudden you aren't doing any of them and they have all the trips. Once they get their hands on the paperwork they go over your head and the brokers and contact the vendor directly. I've seen it a bunch of times. And the bid board. Yeah, I am sure they aren't seeing any of those bids and undercutting other carriers prices after they see them all. They also started the one way, point to point billing BS. Remember when everything was round trip just a couple years ago? We all operate the same equipment, how can they do it more efficiently? They must have some nice tight, low-time JT8D's, CF700's and CJ610's. I don't really care about anything but the point to point stuff. Why do we have to try and stoop to their level and barely profit on our trips. It's too late now I guess, we can all just sit back and watch them fly while we sit during what is usually the busiest time of the year.

As far as sabatoge, I don't think that is going on. Maybe some stealing of apples or whatever, but that's just not cool to be messing with safety. I would kick someones arse right then and there if I saw it happening, I hope you would too.

 

[T-REX]

STFU Clan!! You dont know what your talking about.

Is that car for sale? bc I just got a big raise.

 

[asipilot]

Hey Clansinclair,

How about we act like professionals instead blaming others for our company's problems. I'm not happy about my paycut, but I have enough tact not to attack Ameristar, even though some of what you said may be true. I mean come on, this is on demand cargo, anyone who has done this job knows the best you can hope for is everyone getting screwed equally. At least this is the case within the pilot group at USA Jet right now. Last time I was one of those who got furloughed, which is not an equal screwing!!! IMHO. The question I have right now is whether our management took pay cuts??? There was no specific mention of it during our Tuesday meeting, I didn't make it to yesterday's COO/VP meeting so I can't say for sure. Anybody go to that meeting yesterday that might want to PM me with the meat & potatoes??

 

[clansinclair]

OK, OK! For the facts I got mixed up with Grand Aire, I sincerely apologize. If I'm wrong on anyother points, I apologize for that too.

However, the flight log pencil-whipping was told to me by a one of our former captains that used to work for Ameristar before coming to USA Jet. The "C" check issue was related to me by one of our senior management.

I failed to mention the "plant" in our customer service department that was discovered, fired, and if not mistaken again, legally pursued at one point.

I have no problem with "fair" competition. If Ameristar can operate legally, safely, on a "level playing field", then more power to them. That's not been the case for a long time, and everyone in the industry knows it.

I don't blame Ameristar for our fiscal issues. I said at the beginning that they were only part of the problems with the industry. Can anybody honestly say that they are the shining example of what's "right" in the industry?

Equal screwing? Are you serious? How's it equal screwing? Guys that have been here for years, endured layoffs, frozen pay raises, stayed with the company through thick and thin, worked their bums off, some even had to go through bankruptcy due to the previous layoffs, are taking the lion's share of the paycuts. The most senior Falcon 20 captains are losing almost $1500/mo vs. the most junior losing only around $660/mo. After taking our turn at being the junior pilot on the seniority list and accepting whatever came with that, staying with the company and building our seniority, enduring the downside of this business for years, and now we have to bear the lion's share of the paycuts to save the jobs of the most junior pilots who haven't had to endure any of the previous? How's that equal screwing? What's the point of having a seniority program then?

Don't get me wrong. I wouldn't relish anyone losing their job, but most of the guys who would've been laidoff haven't paid their "dues" at this company. Most of them haven't even comparitively paid their relative "dues" in aviation. Most of them are young and have several decades of career left to recover any losses they might have had to endure. While most of us senior guys have less than a decade left in our careers, and we'll never recover the losses. Now how is that equl screwing in anybody's book? Not to mention the fact that most of the junior pilots are only here long enough to build enough time and resume to move on to bigger and better things. For the rest of us, this is probably our last job in aviation!

 

[PRO AV8R]

Clan as said before you really need to relax. No Ameristar crews are sabotaging your airplanes, and I for one am seriously insulted by that statement. If I saw ANYONE screwing with ANY airplane, I and all of my co-workers would be there to stop that from happening.

It sucks that your pay has been cut, it is slow everywhere in the on demand business. Just dont attack Ameristar pilots personally for something that is going on at your company.

Hopefully everything will start to pickup for all of us soon.

 

[clansinclair]

Alright, I'll relax now.

You're right, it's probably true that 99.9% of Ameristar's pilots are decent and honorable guys just trying to eek out a living like the rest of us. To those 99.9%, I salute you. I've offended you. Please accept my sincerest apology, and I really mean that.

Please just don't try to feed me the cock and bull about how honest and efficient Ameristar the company is. Deep down in their hearts, I'm sure their pilots know that isn't the case, but hey, we all gotta work to feed our families right? I've had to work for shady scumbag outfits in the past myself, but at least we were honest and called it a shady scumbag outfit. Although we didn't say it to the management's face because we needed the job, among our peers we called the scumbag duck a "scumbag duck"!

Even though I am not happy with what the management here at USA Jet has done in the current case, I can honestly say with a firm conviction that USA Jet is a "stand up" company, a company with integrity that far surpasses any of our competitors. There are many things I wished they'd do differently, i.e. not depend on the auto industry for our survival as an airline, but I've never doubted that their intentions were anything but honorable.

I've said it before. If I was so smucking fart and had all the answers, I'd own my own airline. Well I'm not, and I don't. However, I'm not stupid nor clueless. I've been around long enough to recognize a shady scumbag outfit when I see one. As far as I'm concerned Ameristar the company is a shady scumbag outfit, and for that I offer no apology whatsoever!

 

[T-REX]

It just took a couple clicks and keystrokes to find some facts rather than just some second-hand info regarding one particular "scumbag" outfit.

There are numerous filings by USA Jet against Ameristar attempting to restrict growth based on lack of financial resources, flight following, record keeping, administration,....etc. Basically just an attempt to cost your competitor $$ by delaying growth into larger aircraft.

See for yourself:

http://dmses.dot.gov/docimages/p78/281318.pdf

http://dmses.dot.gov/docimages/p80/324416.doc

Im not getting into a holier than thou arguent, Im sure we'd do the same to you. My point is we both fly the same 30 yr old aircraft to the same POS towns in Michigan and Texico. We are all scumbags in the eyes of RJ gear slingers making 20K a year but we continue to do it for necessity or pride in getting a descent check.

Keep it civil. We're both just pilots doing our jobs.

PS: If an Ameristar pilot tried to sabotage your plane we'd kick his arse for you.

 

[Clyde]

It just took a couple clicks and keystrokes to find some facts rather than just some second-hand info regarding one particular "scumbag" outfit.

There are numerous filings by USA Jet against Ameristar attempting to restrict growth based on lack of financial resources, flight following, record keeping, administration,....etc. Basically just an attempt to cost your competitor $$ by delaying growth into larger aircraft.

See for yourself:

http://dmses.dot.gov/docimages/p78/281318.pdf

http://dmses.dot.gov/docimages/p80/324416.doc

Im not getting into a holier than thou arguent, Im sure we'd do the same to you. My point is we both fly the same 30 yr old aircraft to the same POS towns in Michigan and Texico. We are all scumbags in the eyes of RJ gear slingers making 20K a year but we continue to do it for necessity or pride in getting a descent check.

Keep it civil. We're both just pilots doing our jobs.

PS: If an Ameristar pilot tried to sabotage your plane we'd kick his arse for you.

"We are all scumbags in the eyes of RJ gear slingers making 20K a year but we continue to do it for necessity or pride in getting a descent check."
T-Rex,

Having been there, done that, you have a thankless job. You also have one of the toughest jobs that many pilots won't even go near with a 10-foot pole. With that being said, let me be one of the first to say thank-you. Let me also mention that you guys are good sticks, you would be dead if you didn't know what you are doing. And there aren't too many people out there who would know the right things to do in that type of environment.

You all deserve a cold one, and I'll also be the first to buy the first round.

Be safe and be careful, it gets better.

- Clyde

 

[clansinclair]

For some reason I am unable to access the referenced documents.

But tell me why shouldn't your company have to abide by all the rules and regulations regarding the type of operations we all work under? Why shouldn't you have to have all the supporting elements required by law regarding your aforementioned areas, such as flight following, record keeping, adiministration, etc.

Why shouldn't USA Jet seek legal redress when you attempt to gain an illegal, unsafe, and unethical advantage in a business that is customer service oriented, when ultimately you end up doing the industry a tremendous diservice as well as the customer?

You say our motive was to price you out of the competitive market and prevent your growth. I say our motive was an attempt to keep the "playing field" level in the interest of safety, the industry as a whole, and quality, reliable service to the customer.

 

[av8ter79]

Bmw Driver

Maybe when you learn to do your SOPA and your Checklists you will get a 25 percent increase instead of a decrease. Put, that on your resume when you send it across to the other side of the field. Good-Day

 

[clansinclair]

Now that's laughable, Gaylord. Sounds like you're in real need of a spanking again. Come off your momma's breast long enough to get some experience before you start criticizing real pilots.