Originally Posted by
MrAviator180
Good evening ladies gentlemen,
I am shopping for a regional. 1550TT. 680 turbine, with 200 some odd of it being 135 PIC. Have some Q’s.
How far out are class dates? Are you still sharing hotel rooms during training? (From what I understand they’re 2 separate rooms, in a room, not like your standard double queen)??
How is the pilot group and morale at SkyWest?
How does management handle it if you miss a commute? How many times will they allow it before you get shown the door?
How long did it take to start being able to pick trips you wanted/actually liked?
i understand these are loaded questions that may yield some very different answers. Just trying to get a general idea.
As far as I know it’s still double occupancy. One private bedroom with one bed open to the kitchen, and you share a bathroom. It’s stupid in my opinion, and unnecessarily penny pinching, but it’s also not the end of the world and not a reason for me to choose a place I’m going to work for awhile. Also, you have the option of paying for a portion of the cost and getting a private room if you wish.
Morale depends a lot on who you ask. I love it here, but I came from the military. Some guys have some pretty unreasonable expectations and are unhappy. Yes, sometimes I actually have to work for my pay, but I feel like we’re treated very fairly. A lot of complaining on websites, not really much in the plane, and often/usually crews go out together on overnights.
As far as the commuting thing goes, again, just try to behave like a good employee. If you miss 3 commutes in a month, your plan for getting to work isn’t working and needs to change. Stay in touch with your chief and have a plan to get to work on time in the future, just like any other job. There isn’t a set number. You get a ton of latitude if you’re professional and stay in close contact with your chief. If you miss 20+ days of work in a year with no excuse and refuse you talk to your boss about it? Well...any company is going to show you the door.
As far as getting good schedules that’s so hard to predict because what’s good for you will be complete garbage to the next guy. For me, I spent 6 weeks commuting to reserve which was pretty terrible financially, then I got awarded my hometown base and have been happy ever since. Even reserve wasn’t bad at all and I continued to bid reserve for awhile after I could have held a line. Do you live near a junior base? Are you willing to work weekends to get cool overnights? Do you prefer nice, easy days of work but more of the or more off days, but long, painful days when you do work? Do you need long breaks at home or can you take 1 day off between work blocks in exchange for trips that you prefer? Do you mind getting up really early in the morning or staying up late at night working in exchange for a couple extra days off? Do you need to be home most nights or do you prefer to go out in different towns and cities with your crews a few times a month? Whether you like your schedule depends on what’s important to you and what’s important to the people senior to you in your base. Me? I like getting a nice steady sleep schedule every night and I’ve been able to have that since a few months on the line by giving up a few things that aren’t quite as important to me.
I’ve found OO to be a good company that I enjoy working for. But, not everyone has. Your mileage may vary, as always.