SoFldriver

I interviewed this week...there were six of us that interviewed. They mentioned a class end of August. Apparently they have a couple of people in the pool so the interviews were to fill the remaining slots. Not sure how many open slots there were though. No mention of any other classes this year. From my contact there, the hiring is just for attrition and not any growth. The CEO came in for a while and spoke to us. They are selling one plane (an 800 I believe), so the fleet is shrinking a little. Said the economy and business didn't support keeping the plane anymore. He mentioned the possibility of getting another 400, but only if the customer buys the plane. Seems like they do a lot of cool flying. Pay is really low though, and contract negotiations are still going on. Overall really nice group of people. Everyone makes you feel at home and comfortable, no tricks. My contact says the 400s on property go away in about two years, so the fleet will shrink even more. Something about a nitrogen requirement not being met by then?! But, might be a good short term job, but not much movement up, if any, in the next few years. If true, three out of seven planes going away in two years is a lot. Not enough retirements to offset the shrinking from my understanding.

Kikuchiyo

The internal rumor network says that the one airplane leaving is the one that supports a particular customer on a "special" contract which is due to expire at the end of Sep. Due to the nature of this customer's requirements, the crew numbers needed to support this airplane being on property are very very small. Its departure will impact profits but will have little to no impact on staffing.

The rest of the fleet is having a nitrogen gas inerting system installed for the fuel tanks. The -800's are done, and the -400's are supposed to get the system installed at some point. We wouldn't be talking about getting another -400 to replace the "special" bird if we wouldn't be able to continue flying -400's without an inerting system.

This company's "vision" of the future is a tiny fleet of -400's - solely due to lease costs. Never mind higher Mx costs and fuel burn along with lower reliability, capacity, range, and operational flexibility. There is little to no hope of upgrade since the CA's never leave and their average age is relatively young. FO turnover is pretty high - we hired 22 in the last 18 months, and lost more than half that number in the same time.

That being said, it's a fine place to get some big jet time, see some new parts of the country & world, and get a 737 type. It beats a regional, or as in my case it beats unemployment. Come here as a stepping stone to go elsewhere, not to stay forever.

SoFldriver

I asked my contact again, and he says the same thing about the plane being sold. He also said that the 400 leases were extended to the end of 2016 and that the company has no intensions to renew the leases past then since the Nitrogen mods are too expensive for the 400s. He said that it came from the CEO directly, but things seem to change a lot there. I know the CEO did mention at the interview that the additional 400 would be on a contract similar to one you guys had in Oakland a while back? But he didn’t go into more details about it. Seems like conflicting rumors/info….
How many hours do you typically fly in a month or year? I’ve heard different things, but mainly that its pretty low? Lot’s of time on the road but almost no real flying. Is that your experience too?
How about pay? Is there enough opportunity to make overtime and some extra cash? The hourly rates are really low if it’s just guarantee. $33k first year at guarantee….ouch
Any idea why the FOs all left? Was it pay related?
Just trying to get as much information as I can…… It seems like the people are all great, but I’m hesitant with the pay and the current future outlook!

Fetzervalve

The "New Eastern" down the street is hiring 737 pilots. No guarantee it will be around long, but could get some movement if you get in early and it survives...

Kikuchiyo

I average about 30 hours a month of actual flying. Because we don't have bases/hubs/stations like a scheduled carrier, we have to get to and from wherever the airplane / client is. So most trips start or end (or both) with a commercial. Then a layover. Then you move the client, and then maybe continue on to move the airplane to the next client's location. Then layover, or commercial somewhere else, or maybe wait there for the plane to come back, or go home, or whatever.

Don't plan on breaking guarantee - ever. I don't think I have yet. That being said, you get $250 for any of your days off that you end up working on. That's very random, though. We don't have a drop/add trip system, so getting a paid day off is usually cause they asked you to stay out a day extra before going home due to Mx or other delays.

They left for better opportunities including SWA, JB, Spirit, Frontier, etc.

RKIKZZA

Does anyone have an update on how negotiations are going? Specifically what the compensation will look like.

SoFldriver

I asked the same question and was told negotiations have basically stalled. Not much movement or meeting at all this year (if any) on the contract between company and union. Still haven’t gotten to pay yet from what I understand- and that is the big one usually. I guess the pilots haven’t gotten an update in forever either. Don’t expect a new contract soon is what I was told flat out. If what I was told is true, it will probably still be years before any type of contract comes up for vote. From what I can tell, the hourly rates for first officers are about $30 less per hour than the industry average for same equipment type in the industry. (Second year pay is $+50 less per hour compared to some of the legacy/larger carriers). Xtra Airways and Suncountry are the only two airlines that pay less per hour, but at Suncountry you can fly more than 30 hours per month, so you’re not making guarantee. Not sure about Xtra. I was told to not expect much of a pay raise in the new contract. The company doesn’t care about pilots leaving since they get their training contract paid out. Management apparently said they are planning on being a training house in the future and won’t increase pay to keep pilots.
So with what Kikuchiyo says, basically you make guarantee and sometimes an extra $250. So if the info on here is correct, about $33k first year plus a bit more if you get lucky- before taxes. Second year is no better with about $42k before taxes.
My contact says that the moral is not very good on the line right now and is dropping because of management’s actions. I was only told that they try to exploit loop holes for all they are worth, which is a big reason. They also only go for the bottom of the barrel requirements with everything. Anyone have any specifics?

I understand that you reposition a lot on different airlines. Is it true the company pays for the cheapest ticket and you rarely go non-stop? I hear that they book multiple legs on the cheapest airline usually with very early flights to save a few dollars (compared to non stop flights during "better" hours). I heard if a 5 leg trip saves them a dollar, they will book that compared to a non-stop flight?! Doesn't that run into duty time issues? Do they at least pick good seats for you since the tickets are paid for -vs- standby and getting what's left over at the end?


Also- anyone know if there is there a plan if Eastern makes it off the ground? A direct competitor with the same fleet type (but newer airplanes I think) down the street will hurt the company, no?

Either way, I decided that there are better opportunities. Low pay, low moral, plus the rest just is not a good combination. With almost everyone hiring, there are much better options out there for a new hire. I wish everyone the best there though and good luck with your contract negotiations. Thank you for the opportunity...

MiamiFlyer543

We were negotiating at a good rate in early 2013. We got almost monthly updates of the progress the Union was making. But, negotiations with the company have stopped since November 2013. The negotiations for December 2013, and beyond, were cancelled. The Union gave an update this summer that they are working on preparing the last sections: Hours of Service, Reserve, Scheduling and Compensation. The meat and potatoes of any contract. There were going to be negotiations in September, but that was cancelled for some reason. No word on when the negotiations will resume again. There doesn’t seem to be an urgency to get a new contract from the Teamsters. It seems management is doing a great job at stalling- with no real consequences. We are about to enter the 12th month of no negotiations…

Everyone on the line hopes to get a big raise if this new contract ever comes out, but no specifics yet on what the compensation will look like. With that said- I don’t think anyone is sitting around holding their breath for it. Management is super cheap, and every dollar extra will be an impossible task. The general opinion seems to be that Management will just drag this out forever if they can. Even with a ten percent compensation increase, we are still the bottom of the barrel.

Maybe in another year we’ll have negotiated some more and can provide more info on possible compensation outcomes…

jdetrick

When I flew for ATI and we were part of Local 1223 with the teamsters we negotiated for 7 years. Consider that a little warning about the Teamsters.

captjns

Geese I left Miami Air in1999, and still the same garbage. Nothing will ever change. Ya gotta love it!