Where to find Spirits Interview Gouge?

[oz8910]

Hey skippy, was it easy? sounds like it did not go to well.
A good source of info is your friend in the MEC, we are all getting along great right now.

 

[Skippy]

Easy being relative... I should have been clearer...

Crashpad room-mate interviewed... Coming from freight, he said it was easy... The MEC person is an acquaintance. Had a few beers in DTW with a group that included him and that was the topic of conversation. I apologize if I got it wrong, but the negativity displayed bummed my roomie out and he ended up not taking it... Which scared the hell out of me because either of us would take a job picking apples in a minefield to get out of our current job....Just hate to see anyone stuck in a spot that is not the job they had hoped for....

 

[lostplnetairman]

Too bad for your roomie. Always check out the facts.

 

[enigma]

Crashpad room-mate interviewed... Coming from freight, he said it was easy... The MEC person is an acquaintance. Had a few beers in DTW with a group that included him and that was the topic of conversation. I apologize if I got it wrong, but the negativity displayed bummed my roomie out and he ended up not taking it... Which scared the hell out of me because either of us would take a job picking apples in a minefield to get out of our current job....Just hate to see anyone stuck in a spot that is not the job they had hoped for....

Skippy, Could you please clarify whether the MEC person was personally negative, or if the MEC person was negative about the company?

Longtime FI members know me to be Spirit, so I'm not looking for interview help; I am in a position to clarify some of these perceptions, but I'm not going to attempt to do so until I gain further understanding of exactly what was termed "negative". It should be noted that a small percentage of Spirit pilots are not happy with anything going on. It also happens that most of that small group are based in DTW.

Let me know, and I'll try and get you the truth. In general, we are in negotiations and management is acting pretty much as expected. I remain confident that we will make gains in all areas. I'm sure that ownerships hired gun contract negotiator thinks otherwise. We'll see.

enigma

 

[cruxx@9]

Crashpad room-mate interviewed... Coming from freight, he said it was easy... The MEC person is an acquaintance. Had a few beers in DTW with a group that included him and that was the topic of conversation. I apologize if I got it wrong, but the negativity displayed bummed my roomie out and he ended up not taking it... Which scared the hell out of me because either of us would take a job picking apples in a minefield to get out of our current job....Just hate to see anyone stuck in a spot that is not the job they had hoped for....

So let me get this straight....This guy is flying freight and turned down a job with a scheduled carrier? WTF over. I came from freight and have been here for about 3 years. Granted the pay is kinda light but unless you are divorced (as I am) it's not that bad. I had to sell my house, I live in a cardboard box under I 94, and I eat Ramon Noodles now but I still don't regret coming here.

The pilots here are very cool, well the DTW ones anyway, and the flying is great. Like Enigma said, there are some tools that rain on everyones parade, but you are going to have that anywhere. Your buddy really screwed up IF he was indeed offered a job and turned it down. He knows that even if things don't pan out he still gets to keep his A320 type rating just for playing right?

I hope things go well here, and I think they will but even if they don't, I am having a great time not being attached to the pager, flying new equipment with cool skippers and going to really great places. Lifes too short to fly freight for too long! With the exception of SWA right now...there are no guarantees in this business.

The interview should be a non event. Just be yourself and have some good stories. (not the one about flying naked, but other good stories)


:beer:

 

[oz8910]

You have to take a post here for what it is. I also flew cargo in DTW a while ago and this guy turned down this job based on a "talk" at the bar. I know of a lot of people trying like hell to get on here, and before you talk about the pay I also made a lot of money flying cargo. Oh yeah thats because you have no life and are at the mercy of your company.
Tell your friend thanks for turning it down.

 

[JonnyKnoxville]

So anyway, what qualifications are getting pilots hired at Spirit right now? Is a letter of recommendation a requirement to get an interview? Also, how many are being hired? How senior is the Fort Lauderdale base?

I meet the time requirments and I am at a 121 regional carrier. I also have a four year degree, but I am missing the all ellusive PIC turbine time. I also do not know anyone on the inside. Do I stand a chance?

 

[Freightcowboy]

I have an interview there on 11/16/06 my father has been there for 12 going on 13 years extremely senior you need 1000 PIC TURBINE and a letter of recommendation. Contract is better than any regional out there I'm currently at a regional and I think we have a good contract but I think Spirit's alot better.

4 days off mininium between pairings including reserves about 13 to 16 days off a month. Not bad since at the regional I work fo you have to hold line number 250 to get 15 off but we do get up to 19 to 20 days off being the top 50 lines.

Spirit has always been profitable since 1994 when my father joined and alot has changed. Still alot better than any regional.

 

[JonnyKnoxville]

Not good news for me but thanks for the info anyway.

 

[enigma]

I have an interview there on 11/16/06 my father has been there for 12 going on 13 years extremely senior you need 1000 PIC TURBINE and a letter of recommendation. Contract is better than any regional out there I'm currently at a regional and I think we have a good contract but I think Spirit's alot better.

4 days off mininium between pairings including reserves about 13 to 16 days off a month. Not bad since at the regional I work fo you have to hold line number 250 to get 15 off but we do get up to 19 to 20 days off being the top 50 lines.

Spirit has always been profitable since 1994 when my father joined and alot has changed. Still alot better than any regional.

Almost all correct, except for the profit part. Spirit is not currently profitable. Nor have we been profitable in the recent past. Unless your father holds a seat on the board of directors, in which case I'd love a PM, I have to tell you that he's wrong on this count.

The reasons for the losses are numerous.

Operationally: the company utilizes its fleet the LEAST of any American carrier, ground operations are disorganized, and the system is only one hiccup away from meltdown.

Financially: (and this is only speculation, although a person would have to be blind to miss it) we have compressed a three year fleet change into one year and the costs of a fleet shift are enormous. We are still paying for MD80's (six at last count) to sit, we have not been a player in fuel hedging, most everything we utilize is leased, we didn't get a "jetblue" deal on the airbus', and finally we apparently don't have a good deal on our airbus maintenance contract.

I believe that our present management is trying to improve the financial position, and it is obvious that Spirit has a large potential for investors to make significant gains because a high power venture capital firm recently made a major investment. But, for now, the DOT filings show large losses.

Now, back to the question. Interview gouge.

Refresh yourself on the AIM.

Don't act like a loser.

Show that you're a real person.

Don't act like you deserve anything.

Be able to show that you've accomplished something other than to be a line pilot.

Now, don't kill the messenger about that last sentence. I have nothing against pilots who just show up and do their job. Matter of fact, I'd rather hire the guy who does just that, but I'm not making hiring decisions.

engima