astaz

I've been hearing rumors from ZW guys recently of the FOs being beat to a pulp... Lots of junior manning and extensions, 10+ straight days on, company/CS calling gate agents to prevent commuters from going home so they can be Junior Assigned. Anybody have any recent experience with QOL at ZW? These types of things true/typical? I always thought ZW had a strong contract, but if the company is truly getting away with this stuff, man, it can't be that strong.

FlyPKP

Junior mans and extensions yes. 10 Days? Absolutely not. Contract forbids that. I've not heard of the company trying to block commutes, but I suppose that's possible. ZW has a strong contract, if you're a junior reserve pilot you need to ask 'permission' to be released from duty and that's how the snag people for junior assignment.

Staffing isn't great, there's no doubt there. We're out of retention bonuses and growing flying at a rapid pace and not hiring fast enough. Schedulers are playing dirty, there's no way around that. QOL is good here if we are staffed properly and we're not. Flights ARE cancelling due to staffing daily.

whooooooocares

Quite simply, terrible. You will be on resv. Who knows how long? No one. Guys who are off resv live a completely different life, but ask them to swap schedules with a resv guy and they'll laugh in your face. When people on here tell you it's not that bad or it is good. Ask them when the last time they bid a resv line. There are rumors of a large group of people leaving after our final retention bonus in October. If we can't hire enough people to cover attrition and the new united flying QOL will continue to decrease from the already abysmal level were at now.

ChrisPilot1

I really don't know where you get your information from. I've spoken to numerous new hires and current pilots who said you will sit reserve for like 1 month and have a line. You continuously bash this company on the forum and your posts used to concern me, but I realized your just a disgruntled FO who is trying to bad talk the company for I don't know what reason, because new hires coming in would probably be a good thing for you. Why don't you leave airwisconsin ?

prex8390

When i worked there before I left during the 2016 exodus I remember one particular day a certain scheduler that had a reputation for a very monotone voice calling me at 415am when I went on call for reserve at 6, and very quickly noticing the "mistake he made" but since he had me on the phone was curious if I was interested in doing a 615 departure. Told him to call
Me back at 6, sure enough he did and I told him I was fatigued and to put me back on rest. Heard from the union he did it to 3 other people that morning. I know I shouldn't have answered to begin with but just kind of half awake didn't look at the clock and picked up.

StrykerB21

Hes not wrong though. I was told Id sit reserve for 3 months. I was on reserve a year and a half.

ChrisPilot1

When were you hired? I'm talking specifically about a person hired today

StrykerB21

Who knows, but if history is any teacher you should expect to be on reserve far longer than you were told.

Squibs

Huge difference between being told and looking at the numbers. The current FO hiring means that most new hire FO's should be off of reserve within 1-3 months.

Squibs

We do have a strong contract, one that many regional carriers hold up as an example. Its's also a concessionary contract to most of the pilots on property. It is possible for the contract to both be better than what most regional airlines have currently AND not be as good as what we had previously. Those are not mutually exclusive things.

That being said, some of what you have described does not pass the smell test. 10+ days, as other posters have said, is not allowed. As far as commuters being junior manned, ANYONE can be junior manned prior to release time. After that, it's on you if you pick up the phone. Does not matter if you are a commuter or not.

ZW is a good regional, probably one of the best. It's still an airline. Junior manning is a fact of life most places (cue lurkers explaining how there is no junior manning at their airline).