Originally Posted by Gunga Din

Dude... you are so freaking right.

Guys on this new hire thread probably have their head spinning about what's the story with this place. Is it the next southwest or is it mesa with airbus?

Truth is it's probably both.

Training guys do their best but it's 100% true the program is the MINIMUM required. It's the bare bones. The reason it works (and the reason this airline continues to exist) is pilots ability adapt.

Some of you guys can't get a response to an application? Ha! We can't get a call or half a dozen emails returned from our own payroll or benifits. No one in HQ has a clue and no one returns calls here.

This place is run on a shoestring. Once you're on line its not totally obvious. But at the training building with its boxes in the hallways, stepping over flight attendants practicing drills and a ridiculous vending machine lunch for a 10 hour day, its demoralizing. We can't even manage a free cup of coffee for professional pilots for Christ sakes.
And don't expect that to change anytime soon. The official stance from the union is they won't spend any negotiating capital on new hires. They figure (maybe rightly so) that the company will have to address this issue on their own so why should the union spend energy on it.
But there are a lot of positives here too. There is no denying we are growing. Not just retirement attrition but growing. 94 planes to 155 and we are looking for another order.
But probably the best silver lining about this place is the acknowledgment by management and the union that a serious pay increase is needed. It may be years before it's hammered out and it may not be easy but the pay and retirement will be average for bus pilots.