Mesa Airlines
I'll qualify my .02 opinion by saying at the outset that I worked there very briefly nine years ago during the Risley regime. This was before ALPA and while Larry Risley resisted unions.
I didn't like the place. I was hired at Mesa to work at MAPD. I had come off an involuntary job separation which I disclosed fully on my application and explained fully at my interview to the Chief Instructor and to Risley's brother, Gary, who was some kind of corporate counsel or something. The real deal about instructing at MAPD was that instructors were sent to ground school after a time to be 1900 FOs. I had been trying for years to be hired at a commuter and I was jumping for joy about being hired. I thought that I finally would get my chance.
The long and short of it is I moved myself from Northern California to Farmington and went to Corporate to be processed. The personnel lady asked for a five-year employment history. Although I had disclosed it fully on my app, I still provided it to her, including paperwork on my job separation. She looked at it and said that I might not be eligible for employment because I had a termination. I recall telling her that I stated all this to the Chief Instructor and Gary Risley and was told that it was okay. So, she went back to her boss, came back, and told me that I was fine. She told all this to the Chief Instructor.
He sees me a couple of days later. He told me that it was true that Mesa AIRLINES will not hire pilots who've had job separations. He said that I can work for MAPD but would not be considered for the airline. This was after I had disclosed my job separation and explained it fully to him and Gary Risley. So, I felt that I was lied to about my chance to fly for Mesa Airlines.
That's why I don't like Mesa.