Britany757

[QUOTE=lowbalance;2646358]Who was the Director of Ops that is no longer there, why the departure? What airlines can you jump seat on, united, southwest etc? Are you put in crappy hotels when on over nights? How are the guys you fly with, is the morale pretty low?[/QUOT

Its a blessing and good for the company that the last Director of Ops is given the boot. He was a scab anyway, if they can get rid of these last two jokers, dumb and dumber ( CP/ Assistant CP), then this company has a chance to survive. Otherwise there is no point jumping on this sinking ship. As i said i left them and it was for the good as I got a offer with a ACMI carrier and it was for the good.

Cujo665

They take 3 steps forward, and 2 steps back.
They definately have their issues, but they also treat their pilots better than most regionals.

They currently can JS with: Spirit, Frontier, Allegiant, Air21, Western Global, Seaborne, Mountain Air and a few others. AA & Jetblue were in process when I left. Don’t know the current status.

Home basing is great. You never have to jumpseat to/from work. You get a real ticket and don’t waste time looking at flights or loads. You keep the air miles also. There is no short call without a hotel, unless you live in the base, so you never need a crashpad.

Once they get their scheduling issues resolved this will be a good regional to be at. Their plans for larger planes go in hand with their desire to be like a sun country, but with better than Jetblue service.

The owner actually cares, and even comes and flys every once in a while. He’s been known to take new hire classes over to the MX hanger and practice flows with them in the real plane.

Are they perfect? Far from it. But they are great compared to some of the places that are outright hostile and abusive towards their pilots.

Note. I’m no longer there. However, if I hadn’t fallen into an unbelievable job, I’d still be there. I liked the management (mostly) and the crews and staff were great.

lowbalance

Are the hotels at least clean that they put you in? How and why are so many guys leaving with the training contract? Does the company work with you for days off that you need? What geographical area are they going to be looking to expand routes, northeast, midwest....?

I'm interested in Via, a lot actually, but I keep reading all this ranting, not sure what to think..... Any additional info would be great, thanks.

Walkeraviator

[QUOTE=Britany757;2647105]The DO was not given the boot. He accepted a position as DO at Mountain Air Cargo. They haven’t had an Assistant CP in months as the man you are referring to left for a better opportunity. The CP is one of the best anyone can ask for, and I will not remain silent while someone anonymously attempts to assassinate his character. My guess is you have a personal beef with these guys that more than likely has more to do with you than them.

pilotguy7

[QUOTE=Walkeraviator;2648079]Preach bother!!!! Nobody talks about about the hardest working man in aviation!!!! Preach!

And on a serious note, all the above that Walkeraviation just stated is very true.

RUSHAIR

the management pilots (CP, DO.....) can be the greatest or total douche bags. if there isn't enough pilots the place won't exist.

is Via Hiring or what? The positive aspects of the company are clear. seems if the applicant/pilots were happy with the pay, schedule, and treatment, maybe they could keep them around. Not everyone is looking to go to a major or the like. There are many diff kinds of pilots of all ages and aspirations. The new regional airline model is basically a pilot turnover machine. If Via doesn't do anything different (and it seems they are trying) its gonna be tough to get the sim time to keep people current

I don't have much info but there seems to be some other issues here. dunno

Cujo665

Staybridge Suites, Hampton Inn... that type of stuff.

Never had any problem getting the days off I needed so long as you told them well in advance

They seem to be making Orlando and Austin their focus cities.

The bad is the schedules. It can’t be understated enough that the schedules will come late (often on the last day of the month)... and the reassignments happen often. The plus side is the days on/off pretty much stay as scheduled... you just end up doing different flights or RAP at a hotel. Doesn’t matter much since it’s salary, so lost flying doesn’t cost you anything.

I liked it there. if You want to work, aspire to instruct ground or sim, or be a check airman the opportunities abound.

Cujo665

The guys that have been leaving were all going to significantly better jobs. 2 to Omni, 1 to Fedex, 1 to Western Global and 5 to a large 135 operator. That happened in March-July. It’s a small pilot group to begin with, so that many moving up all at once hurt. They aren’t rushing to leave to go to other regionals or even LCC’s, so that should say something at least. Most of their pilots came from other regionals and enjoy being treated as a valued member of the company. At least one guy is a retired BA heavy driver, and a few are mid life career changers that weren’t interested in commuting to crashpads, and like the business plan of larger planes as the company grows.

Cujo665

I also agree with WalkerAviator. The CP is a top notch guy. The ACP left long ago. This other guy sounds like somebody with a personal ax to grind.

RUSHAIR

OK I get it. Everything sounds good. But what is the deal with lack of pilots? All sounds good to me.?