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.