From nearly all of the pilots at allegiant, tell him/her:

we are sorry, (if hired)

and

you're welcome, (if not hired)

Thanks

 

I have an interview coming up. I won’t be attending it though. I would like to point out I really wanted to come to Allegiant initially. The more I researched the company, the more going there seems like a terrible idea.

I am a captain at a regional airline currently. I take home about $5,000 a month after taxes insurance, 401k contribution and union dues. If I really bust my tail I can take home around $6,000. I am the sole income earner with a wife and 2 children. I am also not willing or able to fly for food stamp wages. I’m looking for a place I can settle down and spend the rest of my career at.

I live a short drive from a junior base. Not commuting would have been amazing. I knew about the relatively low pay rates, but the real devil is in the details. I did a phone interview a few weeks ago. I was pretty excited when I got called for the interview in Las Vegas. Once the reality of possibly being hired set in I started to really wonder if it would be the right decision. Pay during training is only $2,000 per month. That is well below what I need to pay my monthly bills. From what I have heard, training has been strung out for 4 months or more recently. $2,000 per month for an extended period of time would break me financially. I led to believe during the phone interview that I would credit 100 hours or more every month. After a little research in speaking with some Allegiant guys, this is only partially true. During the busy months you will credit 100 plus hours. The slow months are min guarantee. At $2800 a month pre-tax I am unable to live without going into debt. Even second your pay is much lower than I make now. Factoring in my current annual pay increases, it would take me until about 6th year pay to equal what I make now. Then you add in the TDY’s to other bases where they expect you to drive un-reimbursed, inferior travel benefits (compared to what I currently have) low number of days off and the strong possibility of a upcoming strike, it’s all not worth the jump for me.
I am really disappointed. I really hoped Allegiant would be a good fit for me. I guess it’s better I find out it isn’t now than later when it’s too late. I can’t think of a single major airline that isn’t better in almost every way possible than Allegiant. I really hope you guys are able to fix your pay and work rules soon. It’s going to be depressing to have to drive right past one of your bases on the way to another airport for my 2 ½ commute. If you’re single with no bills or your spouse makes a ton of money, maybe Allegiant will work out for you. For me I just can’t make it work and that makes me sad.

 

I feel you man, I came to the same conclusion after getting excited about the interview. I was excited for a couple minutes then depressed about the thought of the low pay and putting my family in the poor poor house. I hope for the best at Allegiant for all there. You guys deserve much more from such a profitable company.

 

I can't tell you how happy I am to read the above 2 posts. Watching pilots keep their self respect is very refreshing. Supply and demand (and a possible strike) will be the only way to get our compensation package out of the toilet.

 

The time of the Pilot has arrived, the era of scum bag management is coming to an end.

 

While everything you two gentlemen are saying may be true, isn't the most prudent choice to interview, and then to make a choice to accept or not to accept an offer once one has been made?

good luck with the job search,

-Lucky

 

Are there FO's in new hire class today or is new hire training just getting started? What are the pilot domiciles for Florida, is it still St. Petersburg, Orlando, and Fort Lauderdale?

What is competitive time wise for new hires?

Thanks

 

Punta Gorda is the 4th Florida base.

 

I have a hard time faking enthusiasm, I figured why spend the money to go talk to them. I had already figured out it wasn't in my families best interest to make the move.

 

You figured right. Ask just about anybody (which it sounds like you did but I say that for those still in doubt), ask any of the lower seniority pilots that have been here for 6 months or so, this place is awful on everyone but the lower seniority guys get relentless beatings. I recognize that it is tough to be low on any list at any airline, that is why I dread leaving to start over yet again at another airline, but this place takes it to a new level. As just one example of the life of a lower seniority pilot, our reserve work rules (not that they follow ANY rules) are horrendous. Single day off between blocks of 6 on. You WILL be called every day and that six days can turn into a tour of the country but you won't know what you will be doing from one day to the next, or even from one hour to the next. You will constantly be on the phone getting new assignments, 121 flights, mx flights, test flights, ferry flights to airports with no real food, and they arent afraid to order you to extend your reserve duty day by 2 hours. Thats right, they interpret 117 as allowing even reserves to extend the duty day to 18 hours! Any time you don't "agree" to extending your duty day (which they consider REFUSING to fly), they want to know why because they try to turn it into a fatigue call or attitude problem, and then things get political which gets sketchy.