Virgin America continues some serious bleeding

[Sonny Crockett]

Good luck to the Fine Folks over at VA! I have flown with some of you at a previous carrier and (I won't mention names) one of you was my old boss who I have the HIGEST RESPECT for to this day, he was truly a Chief Pilot's Pilot not to mention I believe he told UAL "thanks but no thanks!"

Good luck to us all, I am afraid things are going to get really bad later this year.

Oh-yeah I am a UAL guy and (gasp) wish no ill will to any Pilot group or company.

Fly Safe!




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[Propsync]

Collectively, we at the mainline have let the RJ thing get out of hand. I don't agree with many of the reasons posted here as to why that happened, but regardless of the reason, we have to stop it now. I think outside of 1113, scope relief is over.

Disagree. While everyone is watching the Midwest pilot group get destroyed, the next management playbook is getting written. I'll just say that I would have pushed management to merge Midwest and give all DOH without fences. Letting a dying airline flail around with a certificate and E-190's and CRJ-1000's coming into the mainstream seem more deadly than a handful of pilots that nobody cares about.

 

[Bavarian Chef]

Check your numbers. VA's lowest capt wage is $95/hour. Our lowest paid captain makes $100/hour. That's a year two captain. What other airline could you possibly be hired at that will pay you $100/hour your second year, give you an A320 PIC type rating in initial, and give you a schedule with 16 days off/month starting your second month on line? Add to that: happy coworkers, the chance to ride the top of the seniority list for the rest of your career, great layover hotels, brand new aircraft, great maintenance, no hat, no tie, and no Jepp revisions. The down side is this whole thing could run out of money before turning a proffit. For a former regional pilot the potential risks are exceeded by the potential rewards. Stop hating, or come up with a better system than global capitalism. Enjoy jumpseating on VA. Don't forget to bring your headsets.

That's right out of the JB playbook. I think Aldous Huxley wrote a book about it.

Where'd I put my soma?

 

[clickclickboom]

You're right. He should never try to improve his life unless it's for the best job out there. Instead he should have stayed at a regional for the next 15 years and competed with the other 50,000 regional pilots for a handful of jobs at FedEx and UPS. He must be brain dead and blind.

I am not referring to that I am referring to sounding like a knee pad wearing cheerleader management wet dream while existing in mediocrity.

I should know I work for the last airline that seems to have sneaked through the cracks by undercutting this industry. With attacks from every side JB has done well despite the fact that it is run by pure idiocy.

The day that VA dissappears will be a better day for everyone in this industry. The saddest part of this whole equation is that the vA press releases sound just like Deltas while they were in bankrupcy.

What other industry can you bring in 100 million, lose 42 million and talk about how great things because the year prior you lost 52 million in the same period.. ??

 

[flyipilot]

Check your numbers. VA's lowest capt wage is $95/hour. Our lowest paid captain makes $100/hour. That's a year two captain. What other airline could you possibly be hired at that will pay you $100/hour your second year, give you an A320 PIC type rating in initial, and give you a schedule with 16 days off/month starting your second month on line? Add to that: happy coworkers, the chance to ride the top of the seniority list for the rest of your career, great layover hotels, brand new aircraft, great maintenance, no hat, no tie, and no Jepp revisions. The down side is this whole thing could run out of money before turning a proffit. For a former regional pilot the potential risks are exceeded by the potential rewards. Stop hating, or come up with a better system than global capitalism. Enjoy jumpseating on VA. Don't forget to bring your headsets.

I am not bashing VA. I am just stating the facts. VA has a 70 hr/month bid and that is low pay, even at 110/hr. I am aware that you may fly 78 or 85 or 90 hrs a month...But, that is not the guarantee. So, you can not really plan on anything more than 70. Look at a 3 yr CA at SWA...176/hr. But, VA would be Chap 7 at that pay rate and Branson will NEVER pay a pilot that much..he said so himself many times that pilots are over paid. So.....

 

[FLYBOYMATTHEW]

What I'm hearing is, "I want YOUR airline to fail and YOU on the street so that MY airline can succeed and I can get a raise." Sounds pretty selfish to me. These are probably the same guys buying their toilet paper at Walmart to save $.50 off the backs of underpaid workers. In most cases, the only difference between a pilot at an LCC and one at a legacy is luck, timing (luck), and who you know. IMHO, the ME ME ME attitude many pilots display, act on, and vote with has damaged this profession more than any single carrier. This industry is ruled by free enterprise, and there will always be capitalistic competition. Perhaps focusing our energy on uniting the collective pilot group with the goal of better pay and QOL for everyone would be more productive than lashing out at individual pilot groups.

 

[ualdriver]

Perhaps focusing our energy on uniting the collective pilot group with the goal of better pay and QOL for everyone would be more productive than lashing out at individual pilot groups.

OK, let's focus our energy on uniting the collective pilot group with the goal of better pay and QOL for everyone........I see just about EVERY pilot group at every airline fighting for a better contract EXCEPT airlines like VA. I'll support them just like I did JetBlue when they finally made a serious attempt to change the conditions at their airline. When can we expect VA to become part of the "collective pilot group" and make a serioius attempt at better pay and QOL? The rest of us are waiting......My checkbook is even open........

 

[ualdriver]

Disagree. While everyone is watching the Midwest pilot group get destroyed, the next management playbook is getting written. I'll just say that I would have pushed management to merge Midwest and give all DOH without fences. Letting a dying airline flail around with a certificate and E-190's and CRJ-1000's coming into the mainstream seem more deadly than a handful of pilots that nobody cares about.

So what should the rest of us do? If you have a management he11 bent on destroying an airline, you're pretty much screwed. You can "push" for whatever you want- if your management says "no" then what do you do short of walking?

 

[PBRstreetgang]

So what should the rest of us do? If you have a management he11 bent on destroying an airline, you're pretty much screwed. You can "push" for whatever you want- if your management says "no" then what do you do short of walking?

Its called "The Final Option" if you aren't willing to burn the place to the ground, management will continue to have it's way with you. You forget at your own peril, management has more to lose than you do. Those evil toolbags will take your future, past and wont be happy till you are forced to sell your kids into sex slavery. I would think there is gotta be at least one Barrett owner who is gonna snap in the future and check his long range accuracy. The great irony is, this job isn't worth doing time for, so the execs are safe.
PBR

 

[The Victors]

You are the problem. You are the source of the gut punching. You are financing your company's ability to cut the throat of the competition and putting more pilots on the street. Do you think that an american could start an airline in Great Britian and undercut the industry with low pay and work rules? This airline is B.S. Just because you get to fly a neat shiny "big" cool jet doesn't make you a professional.