I don't know about hiring like mad, but we are still looking for people. We just picked up 4 additional airframes, for a total of 53. Growth is in the EAS business. A new ALB base in the fall to feed upstate NY EAS cities. We applied for routes from BOS to ME, Bar Harbor or someplace like that. I don't think its been awarded as of yet - but that seems to be the growth strategy. We are doing a state EAS contract in Indiana. The SBN-IND subsidy was not renewed, but the Hoosiers seem happy with the EVV-IND route, so I hear that will continue.
Pay for Captains starts at $15 a duty hour stateside, $18 a duty hour in the Caribbean. Overtime paid for over 8 hours in a day, 40 in a week. Bonus ($3k?) for transferring to the Carrib. in the winter. Another bonus for going north in summer. Medical coverage is good, but a little pricey. Teamsters union was voted in. 1st contract negotiations are underway.
They're paying a bonus for picking up open time on days off this summer, on top of the time and a half premium.
Current lines are valued between 49 hours to 35 hours per week. The median line value for HYA and BOS is 41. You are home every night. Which is great if you live here, but can be bad for commuters. Cape Cod is expensive. Downtown Boston may be worse.
In the winter it will be very difficult not to be displaced to the Carrib. I'd guess this year BOS lines will be cut from 12 to less than 6. HYA Lines will go from 39 to down to maybe a dozen to twenty, but the EAS routes may soften the cuts.
The flying is productive. On ACK air I flew 12 legs today, 4:15 flight, in 7 1/2 hours. My longest ground time was 42 minutes, the shortest was 7. The longest block time was 26 minutes, the shortest was 16. Another fellow doing ACK-BOS did 7 legs, 4:50 flight, in 7 hours of duty. 15 minute turns, 40 minute legs.
Its single pilot, and some of the hardest IFR anywhere. Going to DH with 1800 RVR is not unusual. I shot a no-sh!t ILS into HYA with a 70 knot crosswind, it sheared to a mere 40 knot headwind below 1000', and found the lights at 350' - all after going to DH at ACK and not seeing anything. The weather can get really, really bad on the Cape. But regular ACK fog (of the Pea Soup variety) is far more common.