Allegiant Interview
09-27-2014 | 01:33 AM
#31
New Hire
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
From: CL-65/CRJ900 SIC
Coming to Allegiant with a newborn is about the worst decision you could possibly make. Just ask the several fathers and the 3 new moms who left for other carriers (carriers that have overnights) so that they could actually see their children. 
"I live near a junior base" ....everyone says this. Several of us have commented on here that this doesn't matter - they will send you anywhere they feel like it (or maybe even just close your base?!) - but nobody seems to listen. And no offense to the couple of new guys, but they haven't been here long enough to see how many people have involuntarily been displaced.
"I live near a junior base" ....everyone says this. Several of us have commented on here that this doesn't matter - they will send you anywhere they feel like it (or maybe even just close your base?!) - but nobody seems to listen. And no offense to the couple of new guys, but they haven't been here long enough to see how many people have involuntarily been displaced.
09-27-2014 | 08:19 AM
#32
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 1,347
Likes: 0
From: A320
The new TDY base that goes junior (so a newhire clan plan on that award) is a moving base every 30 days.
You will start your month with a hotel in LAX or OAK and at the end of it be given a ticket to your next base in PIE or MYR. You won't be able to commute home when we have 10 days off on Tuesdays and Saturdays and the company will never give you a positive space ticket except to your next base.
You will get $1/hr per diem. You will fill up the gas tank of the rental car and then ask to be repaid. You will likely start with 4am reserve and transfer day by day to late reserve so you can't commute at all. They will not release you before they have to so you can go home. Your pay will be $2000/mo for the first year you're here after taxes.
I think this has all been said before.
You will start your month with a hotel in LAX or OAK and at the end of it be given a ticket to your next base in PIE or MYR. You won't be able to commute home when we have 10 days off on Tuesdays and Saturdays and the company will never give you a positive space ticket except to your next base.
You will get $1/hr per diem. You will fill up the gas tank of the rental car and then ask to be repaid. You will likely start with 4am reserve and transfer day by day to late reserve so you can't commute at all. They will not release you before they have to so you can go home. Your pay will be $2000/mo for the first year you're here after taxes.
I think this has all been said before.
09-27-2014 | 08:50 AM
#34
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 1,347
Likes: 0
From: A320
If there is an opening that the company posts and if you're senior enough on the TDY base list to hold it.
In other words very unlikely.
If you're coming to Allegiant to be home every night realize that you won't see your family until you're able to bid your permanent base instead of the TDY base assignment out of newhire class. That's assuming you get MD80 though. An Airbus or 757 award will get a base but that may be even worse for you.
You could be based at home in a few months or a few years. If it's the latter you'll be divorced.
Also it depends on what your newhire class is given. If you are awarded 757 like the last class was then you'll be based in LAS or HNL only. MD80 wouldn't be able to bid BLI at all as they become a full Airbus base.
I'm not sure if they will seat lock a newhire for two years, but if they do and you live in Florida while being awarded the 757 you're screwed.
So to recap....
As a newhire you'll get one of the following...
-MD80 TDY base
-757 HNL or LAS
-Airbus IWA BLI FLL SFB PIE
If you get MD80 you will never be able to go to BLI and likely FLL until you can bid out of it.
If you get 757 you will only get LAS or HNL until you can bid out of it.
If you get Airbus you can't bid PGD OAK ENV LAS until you can bid out of it.
I don't know how long until a newhire can bid out of it.
In other words very unlikely.
If you're coming to Allegiant to be home every night realize that you won't see your family until you're able to bid your permanent base instead of the TDY base assignment out of newhire class. That's assuming you get MD80 though. An Airbus or 757 award will get a base but that may be even worse for you.
You could be based at home in a few months or a few years. If it's the latter you'll be divorced.
Also it depends on what your newhire class is given. If you are awarded 757 like the last class was then you'll be based in LAS or HNL only. MD80 wouldn't be able to bid BLI at all as they become a full Airbus base.
I'm not sure if they will seat lock a newhire for two years, but if they do and you live in Florida while being awarded the 757 you're screwed.
So to recap....
As a newhire you'll get one of the following...
-MD80 TDY base
-757 HNL or LAS
-Airbus IWA BLI FLL SFB PIE
If you get MD80 you will never be able to go to BLI and likely FLL until you can bid out of it.
If you get 757 you will only get LAS or HNL until you can bid out of it.
If you get Airbus you can't bid PGD OAK ENV LAS until you can bid out of it.
I don't know how long until a newhire can bid out of it.
Last edited by labbats; 09-27-2014 at 09:07 AM.
09-27-2014 | 10:28 AM
#35
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 390
Likes: 0
A few of the seasonal TDY bases have shut down until next summer. I finished IOE 5 weeks ago and was kept around in LAX/LAS and will be headed to my domicile in 3 days. This was my first time bidding and I have a mixed line with a few people junior to me. As far as the TDYs have been going, there is now a "HOM" domicile where each month you bid for where you would like to be TDY to, they have a listing of available places and what is needed. There are several people who are actually bidding this, possibly helping keep people from getting non-vol'd. If you are single, no kids kind of thing, the positive of going this route is saving money...they will always provide a hotel and in most cases a car that generally is shared with another crewmember. One guy in my class is doing this so that he can see all the bases and decide where he would like to end up. The company has really screwed up with not hiring before now and there is a huge lack of pilot coverage, particularly with the reserves. That is quickly changing as we have already added 80 or so people below me in seniority and I started in May.
Now, for those of you who are thinking of coming here, there is a great deal of truth to what is being said. The work rules suck when compared to other places...the company is very flighty about following them and they are constantly in a panic-mode trying to get everything done. This company is run for the stockholders, make as much money as they can (and we are, hand over fist), pay a nice dividend and keep the investors happy. Contract negotiations don't seem to be working out very well as MG will delay until the last possible moment, but it's a long, drawn out process to get to the strike vote that several are hoping for. Compensation is not on par with everyone else, but you will fly a good bit and there are ways to make the extra money. The training shop has historically been quite sketchy...that is being worked on very seriously by the people actually doing the teaching. So far, the pilot group has been good, standard minority of dbags, and the FAs (so far) haven't been psychos.
I'm not a Kool-Aid drinker, one of the few military retirees, and the transition has been flawless from the AF...management really doesn't give a crap, you will give and not get, but if you know that and can deal with it, then this place can actually be fun when you are flying. I have to say, it is nice being able to show up at 0600 or so and be done with my day between noon and 3. Yes, I haven't been here long and been bent over like many of the others, so I can't speak to their experiences, many of which are certainly negative. Despite some's need to burn the place down, there are some good things happening here, though you cannot be naive and think that it's going to turn into sunshine and rainbows, even within a year or two. There is a trade-off to the rare overnights and (mostly) being home at the end of the day...it comes down to whether or not you are going to be able to deal with it. Eyes wide open...
Now, for those of you who are thinking of coming here, there is a great deal of truth to what is being said. The work rules suck when compared to other places...the company is very flighty about following them and they are constantly in a panic-mode trying to get everything done. This company is run for the stockholders, make as much money as they can (and we are, hand over fist), pay a nice dividend and keep the investors happy. Contract negotiations don't seem to be working out very well as MG will delay until the last possible moment, but it's a long, drawn out process to get to the strike vote that several are hoping for. Compensation is not on par with everyone else, but you will fly a good bit and there are ways to make the extra money. The training shop has historically been quite sketchy...that is being worked on very seriously by the people actually doing the teaching. So far, the pilot group has been good, standard minority of dbags, and the FAs (so far) haven't been psychos.
I'm not a Kool-Aid drinker, one of the few military retirees, and the transition has been flawless from the AF...management really doesn't give a crap, you will give and not get, but if you know that and can deal with it, then this place can actually be fun when you are flying. I have to say, it is nice being able to show up at 0600 or so and be done with my day between noon and 3. Yes, I haven't been here long and been bent over like many of the others, so I can't speak to their experiences, many of which are certainly negative. Despite some's need to burn the place down, there are some good things happening here, though you cannot be naive and think that it's going to turn into sunshine and rainbows, even within a year or two. There is a trade-off to the rare overnights and (mostly) being home at the end of the day...it comes down to whether or not you are going to be able to deal with it. Eyes wide open...
Like a marriage ruined by betrayal and years of deceit, it's hard to understand if you're just walking in to it. I truly hope this turns out to be a good fit for you, you deserve it.
09-27-2014 | 11:35 AM
#37
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 480
Likes: 0
09-27-2014 | 11:44 AM
#38
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 120
Likes: 0
From: Just ran out of Kool-Aid...
Interesting. When they "send you wherever they want" and you are out on a trip, do they expect you to have a place in every one of the bases? That sounds more like out of base reserve or a displacement than being based anywhere. Furthermore, once displaced to another base (say...if they do close my base), how do you get awarded a new base? Can you choose the next closest? And how long before they expect you to have a place to crash in the new base if that's the case?
I understand you're probably at a shrinking regional, etc. Most guys in that situation tend to look at Allegiant and think (or post), "It can't be worse than it is at my regional. Plus I could be home every night!". All we're trying to do is let you know that it IS worse than your regional and you most definitely should NOT come here expecting to be home every night (and thus bond with your daughter - congrats, btw). My former bottom-feeder regional provided me with a better QOL...
Is Allegiant going to shut its doors next week? No, probably not - you won't have to worry about that (although, who knows, with everyone cashing in their stock options lol). Will you get a pay raise from your regional? Yes, if you were an FO. But make no mistake, your QOL will suffer.
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