Originally Posted by
Tsanford134
Wow good info. Much appreciated. Any idea why the high turnover? Sounds like the schedule is very arbitrary maybe that has something to do with it? I'd be up for 8/6 but 6/3 would be a deal breaker for me. I'm not really sure why they would be short on pilots at varying times as it seems to be a legit company. Also is it even legal for them to dangle the carrot with money that you worked for? Sounds like a vendictive upper management issue that wouldn't be an issue if people had a reason to stay? I'm not looking for a stepping stone company but it seems that NA may be that way unless the pay is really good? I can't find any info on pay or bennies.. are you able to shed any light on the payscale? It would have to be pretty good for me to sign a contract like that, but if they only pay $400 for off days worked 😬.
The high turnover is most likely because of a number of factors. As mentioned, the schedulers are mostly younger with little or no aviation experience. Consequently, there are scheduling issues (think duty, rest times, etc) that frustrate many of the pilots. They don't do it on purpose, it's just that they don't know better. Crew rental cars can be tough to get, if at all sometimes. Hotel shuttles and Uber rides are often the 1st choice, even when they make little or no sense. Constantly being reminded that flight pay bonuses are in jeopardy for mistakes doesn't help retention much either.
The company offers medical/dental insurance and 401K programs with a 4% match. The insurance is substandard if it's just for the employee and ridiculously expensive and incomplete if you are trying to insure a family. Pay is a set salary based on what plane and position you are hired for. It is graduated into levels that roughly equates to years of service. The lowest salary is $30K and the highest tops out at over $110K. Its up to you to negotiate what you're worth when they hire you. In addition to the base salary, you are paid a flight bonus every month, with the company keeping half the amount until the end of the year. I'm guessing it's all in how it's negotiated, but some of the pilots don't get the yearly increase in their base salaries the same year they get upgrades. Some do though, so who knows what determines that.
Bottom line though: It is an at will employment relationship that goes both ways. You can quit anytime for any reason and they can fire you the same way. The gotcha if you quit or they can you is that you lose a large chunk of flight pay and also have to repay for your training *not prorated*.