USA Pilot Pay Restored

[Sameold]

Do you think 2005/2006 will be a repeat of 2004/2005?

Late summer 2004 things got busy, so they hired to be ready in 2005. Things slowed down again spring 2005, but a little more than 2004, so mgt reacted by cutting back everyones pay until Aug 2005. So in Spring 2006 should everyone be prepared to take it on the chin, or will this hiring and restored pay period be the signal to the pilots to finally set things in stone and get some solid workrules and pay that can't be taken away at a the sound of a mouse fart?

 

[pilotyip]

Mouse Fart?

sameold only time will tell. Everyone we interview is being told to expect a cut back in the spring, to come to work at USA carries some risks. If you are not willing to accept any risk then USA Jet is not the place for you. On the good side, no one who has gone through the spring thinning process has ever waited more than three months to have things restored. You can't be an average airline pilot until you have had 2.5 laid offs, USA Jet could be the place come to build up that average. Sameold if you want to be involved in the interview process, we would welcome your scintillating input and you can make the sound of mouse fart so everyone will afraid when they hear it in the spring, how about that?

 

[HopeLess]

Pilots hired in Dec `05 will not be trained until mid to late winter. That is right about the time things start slowing down, right? Why not wait until mid to late spring to hire and train so that you are ready for the busy time instead of hiring for the slow times, lay off, lose all new hires and training costs and have no pilots for the busy times---maybe it is just me, but it seems like you are hiring during the fast times so that they are trained for the slow times and laying off. Then there are no pilots for the fast times---maybe you should try to change things up a bit and hire so that you don't have to lay off. Seems like you are always six months behind or ahead---however you choose to look at it.

Things will be slowing down before your pilots are trained. They will be lucky to get out of training before they are on the street.

 

[pilotyip]

We can only train 4 New Hire pilots ever 6-8 weeks. Even for the DA-20 it is a Part 121 training program. This considers the limitation of sim IP’s, and IOE IP’s. We have a number of training evolutions to go through to meet our projected manning for summer flying. After we train the 4 DA-20 F/O’s we open up a DC-9 F/O bid and move pilots from the DA-20 to the DC-9. Then we have a DA-20 Capt bid and move pilots from the DC-9 back to the left seat of the DA-20, then a DC-9 Capt bid. Each one these evolution takes 4-6 weeks. Each one of these building block movements has to be done in sequence to avoid pulling too many pilots off line for training. It is about a six-month process and December is the right time to start. If you get behind for some unexpected reason, you can not make up before it gets busy. If we have no turnover, then we can delay having classes later in the spring.

 

[pilotyip]

More money for DA-20 pilots

Effective Nov 1, 2005 USA Jet has raised the DA-20 pilot pay by 18%, starting pay scale on DA-20 F/O $51+ per hour, top for DA-20 Captain $122.+ per hour. Guar is now 55 hours instead of 65, take home is the same if you do not break guar, but when you sell a day off you get another 18% over what the old plan paid. Any who sold a day or flew more than 55 hours in a month takes home more money under this plan.

 

[Batfish]

DC-9 pay?

Did the DC-9 pay change? If so to what and how many hours is the guarantee? How many years does it take to get to top pay, is it still 16 years like it says on airlinepilotpay.com? Thanks batfish

 

[pilotyip]

No change in DC-9 pay, the incentive plan works in the DC-9. It takes 16 yrs to top out on the DC-9, we have two DC-9 Captains at the top of the scale. It takes 11 yrs in the DA-20 to top out. No one there yet.

 

[psysix]

How long to upgrade to the DC-9?

 

[pilotyip]

right now it is about 7 years, average senority for a DC-9 Captain is about nine years, no one is going anywhere anymore.