Originally Posted by
justflyin
A few questions for the current CS drivers out there:
What is the general mood and level of trust between pilots and management? I have been at both a regional and now a fractional and both places seem to have fairly adversarial relationships between the groups.
General mood and trust I would rate very high. My experience has been excellent. I think most would agree.
Originally Posted by
justflyin
What is the concensus on the merit-based upgrade system? Is it based on performance and aptitude like the military; or is it more political, who knows who?
Performance, aptitude and ATTITUDE. Customer service is high priority. Haven't seen favoritism. Most make the Capt upgrade pretty close to the same time as others hired at the same time. Some delayed for various reasons.
Originally Posted by
justflyin
I understand that you are not provided crew meals during the duty day. Is there any prospect for that changing and is it true that they are $10 per meal if you choose to partake?
True. I don't see it changing. I usually find/make time during the day to use a crew car and go get something. Eating 3 square meals every day is very important to me. I have to work at it but rarely have a problem making it happen. If I see a potential problem coming up during the day, I order a meal. The $10 doesn't bother me. I'd pay that much most anyplace and it would probably not be as good. I know others get regular meals, but that seems wasteful from what I have seen.
Originally Posted by
justflyin
Do you generally stay at a Hilton family hotel, or similar? Or is there no standard for crew lodging?
Those and many better. Hotels are generally pretty good. Some of the smaller cities it gets a little iffy.
Originally Posted by
justflyin
Have there been any issues with staffing (either under, or over) and denial of vacation requests? Are there signs of understaffing like constant overtime requests?
Haven't heard of any vacation denials. We submit vacation requests at specific times of the year and it is first come/first served. Specific dates will not be available if you don't get your request in early. Once you have your date it should be pretty solid. The company encourages pilots to volunteer for overtime and they use volunteers a lot. Occasionally they will ask if you will, but it is up to you. Once in a while something will happen that you will get home a day later than scheduled and you will get overtime for that. Doesn't happen often.
Originally Posted by
justflyin
During your tour, do you generally find yourselves running at near 14 hrs ON, followed by minimum 10 hrs rest?
NO. Up until now, we flew our schedule and went to the hotel. No sitting around the airport just because. Some days are long and others are not. Most layovers are considerably longer than minimum. We DO have early call outs from a layover with some regularity. The schedules are pretty flexible. That's about to change some. New policy will include the possibility of "standby" at the airport, and "reserve" at the hotel. In reality, we have reserve at the hotel now, but in the future the hours will be specifically designated and "rest" time will be specified and firm. My guess is that the standby at the airport will be infrequent. The company really seems to care about the pilot's QOL.
Originally Posted by
justflyin
Would you praise the operations of your company, or would you like to reach through the phone and wring the neck of some managers and schedulers?
Mostly praise. We're still a small company and in a growth mode, so there are some growing pains. That also provides opportunity for upward mobility if you're interested in that. While I have some minor complaints, the company overall gets very high marks from me.
Originally Posted by
justflyin
How does the growth of the company look for the next 5 yrs? 10 yrs?
I live in a city that is listed as a CS base and am currently evaluating options in case my present fractional job turns for the worst. I definitely enjoy the Part 135 fractional flying compared with the Part 121 tedium, but have not been happy with the QOL with my current employer. I truly believe them to be headed in the wrong direction and would like to join ranks with a rising star. I appreciate any info or comments provided.
If you think things could turn sour where you are, I'd leave sooner rather than later. The entire fractional industry may be at or near it's peak size. If so, the only growth is going to be shifting between different ones and turnover of employees. As is the case anywhere in this industry, the sooner you get where you want to be the better.
PM me if you want with your phone number and maybe we can compare notes if there are things you may not want to say on a public forum.
Skydawg