Originally Posted by
flapshalfspeed
I don't want to stoke the trolls on here, but I'm in agreement with them on one point--it seems really, really hilarious that Mesa pilots--the lowest-paid CRJ pilots in the country--are some of the biggest supporters of the ALPA PAC fund.
Mesa pilots are paying to protect 777 jobs at United from Emirates & Ethiad. United has hired something like 2 or 3 Mesa pilots in the last year, and it'll be a decade or more before they upgrade or even touch a widebody.
Sorry flaps but your post is riddled with emotional SJS drivel, and if you knew anything about what is going on in the industry then you would understand that it's more than just getting the beloved wide body seat.
As a United pilot myself I'd like to address the hiring. We are interviewing 26 a week for the foreseeable future. Of which about 71% are successful. We need to hire 1600 pilots by spring 2016. Starting in 2015 we will be averaging 2 wide body deliveries a month, 2 narrow body deliveries a month, and are actively seeking used 737-700/A319 aircraft instead of E190/CS3000 aircraft. United and ALPA have teamed up and have been putting on job fairs for ALPA pilots ONLY.
As far as upgrade or wide body flying...all I can say is that I am moving up an average of 30 numbers a month (65 from August to September) and those numbers are expected to increase. Some new hires are currently being hired on to the 757/767 fleet flying to Europe, and Hawaii.
Originally Posted by
flapshalfspeed
Meanwhile, Emirates & Ethiad are hiring Americans in droves, straight onto 777s, A380s, & A330s, with better pay & benefits, and if they ever penetrated the US market to a greater extent, they'd very likely setup crew bases in JFK/LAX/ORD/IAH/etc..
I know several folks at Emirates, of which some are looking for recommendations here at UAL. The main reason is that the novelty of flying the heavy jets has worn off and the abusive schedules, and long distance from family has set in. That may very well change if you can be based in the states but so goes the tax free pay, and luxurious living conditions enjoyed in DXB.
I can tell you from personal experience as a current UAL 777 FO, the novelty has worn off and I'm ready for a change. Simply put, everything gets old after a while, especially long haul/ultra long haul flying, and that is all you'll ever do at Emirates/Etihad/Qatar. Oh yeah, Qatar doesn't have a seniority list, all merit based, awesome!!!
Originally Posted by
flapshalfspeed
ALPA PAC is doing zero--zilch--nada to address things like the Railway Labor Act, scope at legacies, determinations of "common transportation system," or a minimum wage for pilots. WHY are Mesa pilots of all people paying to protect widebody jobs at airlines that aren't hiring them, in an attempt to hurt airlines who WILL hire them to fly widebodies?
Agreed that the railway labor act is out-dated and needs a major wholesaling. But lets talk about scope. If you understood both the DAL and UAL scope sections then you would notice that scope is being dealt with, pretty vigorously I might add. I will also add that the gauge increase in the UAL contract is a direct result of DAL's contract. In other words, we couldn't ask for all the good stuff that the DAL pilots enjoy without some of the bad. That said, both scope sections reduce dramatically the overall size of the RJ population. The UAL contract goes a step further....as they park the 50 seaters and replace them with 70/76 seaters (including the Q400's) at a rate of about 2.3:1 we also reduce the narrow body block hour percentage those 70/76 seaters can fly. This is why UAL is actively looking at the used 737-700/A319 market. We are decreasing regional utilization and increasing mainline utilization, sounds good to me.
Originally Posted by
flapshalfspeed
If ALPA PAC were fighting for the QOL/pay/career of ALL pilots, their core focus would be getting airlines out of the Railway Labor Act, or at least getting airline pilots the full benefits of it (i.e. an Airline Retirement Board/pension like the railroads have). And instead of trying to block competition from higher-paying foreign airlines via cabotage/foreign ownership laws, they'd be pushing for legislation allowing them to do unlimited flying in the US as long as they hired US pilots at or above current US legacy payrates.
ALPA-PAC has nothing to do with contracts dealing with QOL/pay/etc. The PAC has everything to do with making sure this profession doesn't go the way of the maritime industry. Sure those foreign airlines pay more than the regionals but they fall short of the majors and when the novelty of flying the heavies is worn out you have no recourse, suck it up because they have pilots in the pipeline from Singapore giddy about making $50 an hour flying "sparky" (787) around.
Be careful what you wish for! Also, do a little research before you post. But you at least answered a question from an earlier post of mine, apparently Skywest pilots are not actively engaged in the profession and simply wait around until the next unionized regional makes some gains that will eventually get Jerry to pony up. Awesome!
