Originally Posted by
itsmytime
The change in demeanor of "chrisreed" is really telling. Early this year, he was full of optimism. "Things are in the works, payrates are coming, i've got sources inside."
His posts lately have taken on a much different tone. Which is very telling.
This summer has been a tough one for the pilot group and the company. Some of it is self-induced and some is outside of anyone’s control. I can’t even actually recall the last time I had a trip go smoothly. Its been since at least June I think. This summer has been bad.
What has made it worse is the continued degradation of the SAP. Processing times have been frustrating. What has made it worse is the absolute joke our trips are. There is absolutely no reason for there to be such low-credit junk awarded to line holders. Lately this place has just felt like a continuous dose of, “the hits just keep on coming”.
Personally, I wouldn’t expect any drastic improvements in pay. I think it’s much cheaper for AAG to increase the flow as a continued enticement for pilots to stay and to continue attracting new hires. Any increase in pay or major contractual improvements will only come once they’ve exhausted all other options and the wheels are about to fall off. Classes are still mostly full so a lot of our leverage isn’t there at the moment.
Bottom line, if you have offers from Endeavor, Republic, and PSA... The choice should be clear. They have much better contracts and work rules and vastly better pay. PSA’s SAP used to be a huge reason to come here but I can’t say that it makes much of a difference anymore when the processing times are so long. Our trips are garbage compared to many other regionals. The flow is something nice to have in your back pocket but for a new hire, so much will change over the next 5-7 years that a guaranteed flow to anywhere shouldn’t be your primary concern.
I encourage all of you to engage your respective LEC reps and have a conversation about who they would like to see as the next MEC Chair. Your LEC reps will choose the next MEC Chair. There are a couple of people that I think are the most likely to be elected to the position and I know who I would like.
Our next MEC Chair will oversee PSA ALPA during what is likely to be one of the most tumultuous times this industry has seen in a decade. Much has changed in the regional (and major) airline industries and there is more change to come. Reach out and ask them who they would like to see be the next MEC Chair and why...