Thread: Life at ASA
View Single Post
Old 02-03-2011 | 05:07 PM
  #9  
freezingflyboy
Gets Weekends Off
20 Years
Gets Weekends Off
 
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 4,047
Likes: 20
From: 7ER B...whatever that means.
Default

Disclaimer: I am at XJT, now part of ASA. Just another Super part of our Super Regional

Originally Posted by Truman_Sparks
Why spread false information? I have not had a single 30 hr overnight in years. Every 4 day I have this month is 10-15 hrs.[overnights I assume?] Sure, there are an occansional trip with a 30 hr overnight but they are certainly not the norm at ASA.
Personally, I enjoy the mix. A 30 hour layover on a weekend in SAV with a cool captain and a hot FA can be awesome. 30 hours in JAN on a Sunday with a couple of stooges/slam-clickers makes me want to shoot myself in the face. A 4-day of nothing but 10 hour overnights wears me out.

Originally Posted by TopNotch
30 hour overnights? Not too many of those, but the efficency is awful. Backloaded 4-day trips are the norm (3 leg / 2 leg / 2 leg / 5 leg), with a 2 to 3 hour sit after every roundtrip. And more frequently it seems we are swapping aircraft at outstations (3 hour sit there too). I've already had 4 legs with 4 different aircraft, a few times in the last month!

5 legs and 13 sched duty, on the last day of a 4-day is probably what I hate most about ASA. Got fatigue? I suppose things could always be worse.
This sort of mix also tends to be fairly common at XJT. Fatiguing? Can be. But if I'm gonna be at work, lets get some productivity out of it! Now if after all that you only credit 14-17 hours, then I agree, efficiency sucks. But we have many trips built like that which credit upwards of 25-28 hours with the norm being around 20-24. And I'm OK with it. Don't get me wrong though, I hate to sit just as much as the next guy.

Originally Posted by Pilot Dude
It is what you make it, I came here almost 14 years ago with no intention of staying longer than I had to. ASA can be both if you want it to , stay build time and then move on or stay 14 years. I've stayed because I moved up the senority list so fast my quality of life became first with me over a larger aircraft. Now my kids are much older and for the first time I'm serious about moving on. Is it the best place (no), but it's a long way from the worst.
This was the same mentality I approached XJT with almost 5 years ago. Things were moving fast then but I remember keeping in the back of my head "If another Sept. 11th happened, would I be happy working here for the next 10 years or am I going to hate my life?" And to be honest, I haven't had many complaints. I think when most at the "top-tier" regionals sit back and consider the alternatives, they probably feel the same. Or maybe my glass is just half-full?

Originally Posted by Pilot Dude
Reserve work rules are awful, once you can hold a line plan on 4 day trips with 2 or 3 days off in between. You very well might be coming here a the perfect time, as all the hiring begins we will start to lose a large amount of pilot's each month.
I do enjoy working here and it's a great place to build your resume no mater what you chose down the road.
I don't think there is any one anywhere who thinks reserve is enjoyable. I think by our nature as pilots, we like things to be predictable, to have a game plan. So being on reserve and not knowing what to expect from the next leg to the next day or the next week can rub folks the wrong way.
Reply