CAirBear

Things are definitely moving here. I have been here 1.5 years now. They have hired a couple hundred below me and I have moved up over 130 spots. Siting around 160 from Junior CA.

They just announced January CA Upgrades so that is two months in a row now. From what our CP has communicated he believes we will be upgrading 10-15 idefinitely. I'm sure there might be a month or two that doesn't happen, but overall things are moving here and I definitely enjoy it. Not an awful paycheck for being at a regional.

nuball5

If you're referencing the "Losing Delta" email our CP sent out, he said 10-12 Captains leaving a month not 10-12 upgrades which is a big difference.

CAirBear

Ahh okay. Well I guess I fail to understand how losing 10-12 a month wouldn't result in continuous upgrades. I mean if CAs leave they have to replaced. I dont think we are overstaffed on CAs, but maybe we are.

buddies8

not if your contracts are reduced. did not parker say to awac management 4 months age he will not need 20 aircraft next year?

nuball5

If we lose 10 new-hires/month, then it will be the same pace as it's been for years now. Decrease in block hours is another way. I hope for both of our sakes it stays at the pace it's been the past two months.

CAirBear

News to me. I highly doubt it. There is no reason we would be hiring non stop as we have, the past year, (while continuing to do so) if were really about to lose flying. Ive heard from a number of credible sources here that this summer is our busiest in block hours, nearly to the point where we would need additional -200s to do it all.

People can say whatever they want about AWAC, but they do a hell of a lot of daily departures for AA (goodluck covering that in a few months whim) and we have repeatedly done some of PSA and Republic flying over the last 12 months when they couldn't do it.

CAirBear

Amen to that!

BetOnIt

Nothing is new at AWAC. No iPads, new flying, new paint, AA travel benefits. If you left this place in 2009 and were to come back right now, it would be just like you left it except for a crew self service site that may or may not work on any given day or computer.

As far as all this movement goes, there really isn't that much. The last vacancy results rendered 12 new captains of which I think 4 had been bypassing for a long time. These new captains have a start date of March so assuming this pace continues it will net 48 captains for the entire year. A lot of FO's are leaving before they even reach their one year mark, so that is why a lot of the newer guys are seeing so much movement.

I have no idea what these goals are or were that FOD keeps talking about that we have met to extend our flying with US/AA. If we had to meet goals that would help us keep flying, don't you think they would tell us so that we could help meet them? I think they would. Management likes to just tell us stuff to keep our hopes up so that we won't all deplete our sick banks and leave them unable to do the flying.

You can make more money here than at a few of the other regionals by picking up a lot of open time, which is probably how Chip made that much on second year pay. I never broke 50K as an FO without per diem, but I don't pick stuff up.

l2flare

I'm at awac. Probably biased, but trying to be objective. So these are just facts

-upgrade is current ~4 years. Has been dropping, sharply, was over 7 less then 1 year ago. Any guess that this will continue to decrease beyond this is speculation. Yes we have people leaving, but no one truly know how much further that number will drop.

-no one knows what will happen after 2015. This fact should be 100% shouted from the rafters. Will 100% of our flying stop? very, very unlikely, but both sides of this argument are basically fighting over hearsay speculation and that's about it. AWAC lower to middle management (ie none of the 6 owners) have said there is an extension past 2015. That's all we know. Anything else is rumor to be frank.

-This is probably the best regional you can work for. Pay rates are good, work rules are probably the best, reserve sucks but what you gonna do.

-We are a privately held company, no one but the 6 awesome, fun loving, best brah's eva, jabronis, that actually own this place know if will be around in 2015,2017,2020,3454(go go mars overnight(so what if the 200 can't get to 310, how much further can mars actually be?)). So understand that it is a calculated risk.

-That being said, best regional left, the closet one really isn't that close when you run all the numbers.

source:
(year 2, 15-17 off a month, 50k, top insurance in the industary (inculding majors), free cheese balls during training, no one else can do that, once again grain on salt the next few year are currently shaky at best)

P.P.S - def not an awac fap-a-thon, coming here after the delta corn-hole-e-o is 100% a calculated risk, but if the doors will stay open for a few years it is 100% the best place to be. Just my opinion, but 70% of the time im right all the time. Stay classy APC

Xtreme87

Awac came to airways and asked to pull a certain number of A/c to possibly fly for another carrier, they said no. That was from the company.