Well, I have been off the boards for a few days and it looks like things have been busy.
Originally Posted by
Death2Daleks
Ladies and gentlemen, just a few questions for pilots currently on staff.
Does Ameriflight have a contract for new hires?
How senior is the base in Buffalo and could a newly upgraded captain get it immediately?
Does the Buffalo route run through Syracuse and what are the options for a Syracuse-based pilot being home every night?
Thank you in advance for any replies.
Currently the Syracuse run is being operated by our sister company, Wiggins Airlines in an E110. If that is what you are looking for, talk with our recruiters about it. They handle the hiring for both AMF and Wiggins.
Originally Posted by
LRSRanger
Hanging out in TWF, and the pilot lounge is occupied by the sleeping AMF copilot. I guess they still aren't providing any accommodations for their Asian FO's on layover. That should give you insight into how much of a **** Ameriflight gives concerning the quality of life for the people flying their airplanes.
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Originally Posted by
Jetlife
Because, believe it or not, sometimes it is better to go above and beyond doing the bare minimum. Lots of companies put FOs in single pilot airplanes and treat them as equals. The pay to play program is already crap to begin with...
What's cheaper? Finding another candidate that's willing to work here for $44,000 a year, training them, and hoping they'll stay a year; OR treating the employees that are around that already have a marginal quality of life as it is well enough to keep them an additional year. A day room costs $45/d - mind you.
It's the mindset like this that really drives me insane at this company.
"Thin Margins" - show me the books.
Originally Posted by
LRSRanger
When I flew a run my FO was left to fend for himself all day, every day. 8AM to 5PM, no food within reasonable walking distance either. Another run out of my base the FBO kicked him out and so the PIC either had to take pity on him and double up in the hotel room every day, or he was stuck on the Tarmac all day. I am waiting for the crew to show up, I'm not waking the poor guy.
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Originally Posted by
Jetlife
Well the whole story is, PFT FOs are not provided accommodations during a layover. So if there is a 10-12 hour layover on a given run, the PFT FO is given a pat on the butt and is to fend for themselves. If they are bumped because of weight issues, they have to fend for themselves for the entire night. Oh but management will guilt trip you to let them stay in your hotel room all day.
You're right, you're an outsider who has no qualification to offer insight to the situation, because you haven't worked for AMF, or NJA.
The Eagle Jet (or PFT if you like) FOs pay money to Eagle Jet for their initial flight training, just like everyone who doesn't come through the military. Then, instead of paying block time to just rent an airplane and fly around(the Koreans can't do CFI because they come here with student VISAs and not work VISAs) they purchase flight time on our airplanes to get them to 1000 hours so they can go back to Korea and get a guaranteed interview with KAL for their regional operations.
AMF could easily provide layover hotels for these guys. We would just have Eagle Jet pay us an extra $8000 per pilot and they would then charge the Korean pilots an extra $11000 for the program. (Mark up, ya know.) Of course, on top of that, these guys are paying for a place to stay at their base. And a vehicle to get around in. At least they can share if there is more than one of them at the base.
So you guys griping that the NON-AMF employee FOs are provided hotels would rather they guys have to pay more for their training before they go back home to fly. That's real considerate of you.
The employee FOs that we have recently started hiring to get them to 1200 hours and then move to the left seat are all provided the same accommodations that the captains are. And they aren't gonna get bumped off for freight at an outstation. At the base I can see doing it. But they are still paid for the work day and then they can go home. It will just take an extra day for each time it happens until they can move into the BE99.
Originally Posted by
LRSRanger
I remember after a miscommunication with UPS led me to fly my run with no cargo on either end a certain base manager said something to the effect of "well we lost money, why should we pay you for the run?"
I had an ops manager like this before as well. He didn't feel pilots should be paid for travel time "because it wasn't making the company any money." He and I went toe to toe about that for a good hour until he finally came around to my point of view that the pilot was doing something for the benefit of the company and so was "working" and would be paid. (I was the one doing the payroll, not him, so it was gonna happen either way.)
Originally Posted by
Jetlife
Good potential money, but bonuses can be pulled any time, for any reason. They could completely do away with the bonuses.
Yes, they could. But in the 15 years I have been here they never have. The turbine bonus was 5% when I started working here. Then it went to 10%. Now, because it seems most guys would rather fly the 1900 instead of the metro, we are making the turbine bonus 20% for flying the 227. And that is across the entire metro fleet, all the way up to the 12 year cap.
Originally Posted by
LRSRanger
I get it, you will hang out at your mediocre job that tops out at 100K a year because it fits what you want out of life.
Have you ever stopped to think that not every one comes in with the same priorities or life position as you? I've intentionally kept my personal reasons personal because it's none of your damn business why I decided to stay with Ameriflight. But I stay here because it is the right thing for me. And it seems that where you are is the right thing for you.
Jetlife and LRSRanger; Obviously, AMF wasn't the place for you. Fine.
But it just seems that both you guys seem to have this stupid attitude that your choices are intrinsically so much better than any one else and the fact that you feel the need to keep throwing out ancient crap about Ameriflight actually makes me feel sorry for the both of you.
I'm not a moderator and so I can't say you can't post. But I would appreciate if you would post about things you know to be CURRENT facts and not what happened years ago, most of which have changed. It would be a lot more helpful to guys looking for where they want to go to move their careers forward.