Western Global Airlines
#441
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,809
You lie again. Show me saying it.
WGA has a LONG history of extremely poor maintenance, and not poor as in done in ignorance. Poor as in pushing unairworthy equipment on the road and kicking the can down the road one flight at a time in the hopes of eeking one more revenue trip. Poor as repeatedly making writeups disappear, and repeat writeups.
The cheerleaders dismiss and diminish. Don't listen to the past, they will tell you. The future is rosy. We're under new management (DO). The siren song, with each change to date, but the company is micromanaged from the top down, and those idealists who have attempted change soon find themselves beleaguered and hamstrung, denied the ability to do their job, whether it's chief pilot or standards captain or director of training, or even director of maintenance.
It's easy to dismiss the truth as "disgruntled," when there's nothing of the kind. For one to be disgruntled, one would have to have been wounded, hurt, suffered a loss, in job, pay, position, title, or some other reason for disgruntlement; the accusation is leveled at me, and I'll state very plainly for the record that I have no reason for disgruntlement. I 'll correctly and truthfully state that I do not work for WGA. I made no other claims, nor can the cheerleaders claim otherwise. Threats to go personal, to out, to reveal only show your immature, low character (and I know who you are, too). I made no personal threats. The thread is about WGA, not about me; try to focus, if you can.
This subject is where it is right now because someone (not me) brought up the fact that no western global aircraft were moving. Most still aren't moving. Call that a raging success if you will, and celebrate it, but it's neither normal for a legitimate operation, nor a very good way to run a business. Those aircraft are not resting. They are not down simply because WGA favors good maintenance and will take all the time in the world to get it right. They're down because they're broken; the only other time WGA stops is when there's a lull in the business...and there's seldom a lull. WGA runs aircraft until they break, then keeps running them until they won't run. That's the western global way.
The problem is that things are always on the verge of turning around, getting better. Bandaid stop-the-hemmoraging pay fixes pop up from time to time. Certainly the latest improvements for crew are much needed. The goalposts move; the longevity bonus has been pushed back again. ESOP is a pipe dream.
Personally, I wish WGA the best. I sincerely hope that Neff pulls his aging head out and stops micromanaging, stops holding the company back, allows the sham "safety culture" to fade away, and a real just culture to take hold. It's always about promises...I have a bonus for you but I can't tell you what it is until you sign not one, but two nondisclosure agreements. The goalpost shrinks. So does the pilot body, and while it's not just due to maintenance, fixing the problem isn't as simple as throwing a few dollars at the crew. This discussion took place a few pages ago in this thread: if WGA offered a higher wage, it was said, it would be the place to go. No. Because WGA has a lot of problems, and paydoesn't fix them. It helps the bad medicine, but here's the thing: WGA's problems can ALL be fixed. They exist because of a corporate culture and top down micromanagement which prevents good people from doing the job that they want to do. WGA has some very good people. Some real experience. WGA is finding that the core, those who have seniority, and time, and who have followed these airplanes from one company to another as each folds and crumbles away, will stay. Not really loyal, but comfortable, and not anxious to start over. Most others, are bailing, if they can.
The core, those who have been there a long time, who have been with the airplane a long time, make Neff a LOT of money. They're great people, they can fly an an airplane, and they're professionals. They deserve better, but will probably never leave WGA so long as the ship still floats, and it's not love for or extreme loyalty to WGA. They endure, they put up with, and they operate in spite of, not for or because.
All those parked airplanes right now aren't parked altruistically. Think about it. Think really hard about it.
WGA has a LONG history of extremely poor maintenance, and not poor as in done in ignorance. Poor as in pushing unairworthy equipment on the road and kicking the can down the road one flight at a time in the hopes of eeking one more revenue trip. Poor as repeatedly making writeups disappear, and repeat writeups.
The cheerleaders dismiss and diminish. Don't listen to the past, they will tell you. The future is rosy. We're under new management (DO). The siren song, with each change to date, but the company is micromanaged from the top down, and those idealists who have attempted change soon find themselves beleaguered and hamstrung, denied the ability to do their job, whether it's chief pilot or standards captain or director of training, or even director of maintenance.
It's easy to dismiss the truth as "disgruntled," when there's nothing of the kind. For one to be disgruntled, one would have to have been wounded, hurt, suffered a loss, in job, pay, position, title, or some other reason for disgruntlement; the accusation is leveled at me, and I'll state very plainly for the record that I have no reason for disgruntlement. I 'll correctly and truthfully state that I do not work for WGA. I made no other claims, nor can the cheerleaders claim otherwise. Threats to go personal, to out, to reveal only show your immature, low character (and I know who you are, too). I made no personal threats. The thread is about WGA, not about me; try to focus, if you can.
This subject is where it is right now because someone (not me) brought up the fact that no western global aircraft were moving. Most still aren't moving. Call that a raging success if you will, and celebrate it, but it's neither normal for a legitimate operation, nor a very good way to run a business. Those aircraft are not resting. They are not down simply because WGA favors good maintenance and will take all the time in the world to get it right. They're down because they're broken; the only other time WGA stops is when there's a lull in the business...and there's seldom a lull. WGA runs aircraft until they break, then keeps running them until they won't run. That's the western global way.
The problem is that things are always on the verge of turning around, getting better. Bandaid stop-the-hemmoraging pay fixes pop up from time to time. Certainly the latest improvements for crew are much needed. The goalposts move; the longevity bonus has been pushed back again. ESOP is a pipe dream.
Personally, I wish WGA the best. I sincerely hope that Neff pulls his aging head out and stops micromanaging, stops holding the company back, allows the sham "safety culture" to fade away, and a real just culture to take hold. It's always about promises...I have a bonus for you but I can't tell you what it is until you sign not one, but two nondisclosure agreements. The goalpost shrinks. So does the pilot body, and while it's not just due to maintenance, fixing the problem isn't as simple as throwing a few dollars at the crew. This discussion took place a few pages ago in this thread: if WGA offered a higher wage, it was said, it would be the place to go. No. Because WGA has a lot of problems, and paydoesn't fix them. It helps the bad medicine, but here's the thing: WGA's problems can ALL be fixed. They exist because of a corporate culture and top down micromanagement which prevents good people from doing the job that they want to do. WGA has some very good people. Some real experience. WGA is finding that the core, those who have seniority, and time, and who have followed these airplanes from one company to another as each folds and crumbles away, will stay. Not really loyal, but comfortable, and not anxious to start over. Most others, are bailing, if they can.
The core, those who have been there a long time, who have been with the airplane a long time, make Neff a LOT of money. They're great people, they can fly an an airplane, and they're professionals. They deserve better, but will probably never leave WGA so long as the ship still floats, and it's not love for or extreme loyalty to WGA. They endure, they put up with, and they operate in spite of, not for or because.
All those parked airplanes right now aren't parked altruistically. Think about it. Think really hard about it.
#442
Perhaps, but interesting nonetheless for myself. What else am I going to do with 32hrs in a hotel…
*I will say while delayed in ORD earlier last year we watched the mx folks fixing up an MD and they left before us and returned before we left… with a trail of flashy vehicles behind them after the reject/abort due to an engine issue. Not that any of us haven’t experienced this before at some time or another. We finally left after load delays…
*I will say while delayed in ORD earlier last year we watched the mx folks fixing up an MD and they left before us and returned before we left… with a trail of flashy vehicles behind them after the reject/abort due to an engine issue. Not that any of us haven’t experienced this before at some time or another. We finally left after load delays…
#443
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Aug 2016
Posts: 493
Perhaps, but interesting nonetheless for myself. What else am I going to do with 32hrs in a hotel…
*I will say while delayed in ORD earlier last year we watched the mx folks fixing up an MD and they left before us and returned before we left… with a trail of flashy vehicles behind them after the reject/abort due to an engine issue. Not that any of us haven’t experienced this before at some time or another. We finally left after load delays…
*I will say while delayed in ORD earlier last year we watched the mx folks fixing up an MD and they left before us and returned before we left… with a trail of flashy vehicles behind them after the reject/abort due to an engine issue. Not that any of us haven’t experienced this before at some time or another. We finally left after load delays…
#445
Line Holder
Joined APC: Jun 2019
Posts: 77
25% pay raise for FOs, 20% for Captains, 17 days guarantee, day 18 and above 200% daily rate. The pay scale on APC is current and correct.
#446
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Oct 2021
Posts: 677
#447
Line Holder
Joined APC: Feb 2022
Position: Cherokee FO
Posts: 31
#448
Line Holder
Joined APC: Sep 2016
Position: MD-11
Posts: 62
Presently, as a new FO, I would say plan on being out 20 days. A few months ago, WGA announced that 50% of the lines would be 17 hard days. We haven’t met the 50% number yet. It’s more like 1/3, but they go senior. Maybe now, with the 25% FO pay raise, attrition will slow and we will be able to cover our commitments with less 20 day lines. Time will tell. As A Captain, I had a 17 day and 18 day in 2 of the last 4 months.
#449
On Reserve
Joined APC: Feb 2018
Posts: 11
Presently, as a new FO, I would say plan on being out 20 days. A few months ago, WGA announced that 50% of the lines would be 17 hard days. We haven’t met the 50% number yet. It’s more like 1/3, but they go senior. Maybe now, with the 25% FO pay raise, attrition will slow and we will be able to cover our commitments with less 20 day lines. Time will tell. As A Captain, I had a 17 day and 18 day in 2 of the last 4 months.
#450
Line Holder
Joined APC: Sep 2016
Position: MD-11
Posts: 62
Presently and probably for the next year you can expect to log 600 to 700 hours a year. I spoke with a Check Airman yesterday, regarding upgrade timing. He believes that if you put forth the effort, 2.5 to 3 years is a reasonable expectation for upgrade. You could go quicker. The selection starts at the top of the seniority list every time. The first ones ready get to go. So if you are in the bottom 20% of the seniority list, but no one in front of you is deemed ready, you get it if you are ready. A CBA could change that, but there is no CBA on the near horizon.
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