Gentlemen/Ladies, thank you for the feed back! For me, being apart of the first ten pilots that helped start CPZ, we strived in setting the bar very high. I'm glad to hear that it continues and the rest of you are continuing that tradition and/or setting it higher. I can attest that once DAL starts hiring you will be amazed by the professionalism here. I wish you good luck and can't wait until my fellow pilots are reunited again.

I'm somewhere in the top 100, and even where I'm at and a little past me, the big difference between Compass and many other places is most people in the top half CHOSE to go to Compass. It wasn't that they were the first to hire, or we were furloughed and needed a job, it was a proactive decision to accept the risk for various reasons that brought us here by choice. I think that helps the attitudes immensely, but that will probably be subject to change when we leave (hopefully soon) and you get into the melting pot of sad stories which is the bottom half of the list.

I think if you guys leave soon then those stories won't be so sad. We'll all still have had a lot better luck than other people in this industry right now.

Compass general questions
 

Ladies and Gentlemen, Thank you for all the questions you have answered for me in the past.

I have a couple more questions.
1. Has Compass changed any since Tran states took over for the good or worse?
2. How long is your call out if you are on reserve in MSP or DTW?
3. What are the typical reserve schedule and how many days off? Is it five on and two off?
4. In your opinion is Compass one of the best regionals to work for? (I am just looking back at the previous gouges and people that work at Compass seem to be very happy and nice).
5. Has anyone interviewed this week? If so how is the aircraft knowledge portion and cognitive test?


Thanks again.

1. I was hired after the switch, but from what I understand, there haven't been many significant changes. The most noticeable change that I have heard from Captains is that TSH is much tighter with money, whereas DL had no problem throwing $$$ our way.

2. Regular reserve is 2 hours, ready reserve is 15 minutes, both regardless of base

3. 11 days off / month on reserve. Per our CBA, we must have at least one stretch of 4 days off, no more than one stretch of 6 consecutive reserve days, and a minimum of 2 days off between RSV blocks. Simply put: One 6-day stretch of RSV, one stretch of 4 days off, the rest is dependent on the days off you bid for on PBS.

4. In my opinion, yes...but keep in mind that's subject to my goals, which are 1) opportunity for growth, 2) PIC time, and 3) Long legs (therefore fewer legs in a duty day & higher credit). I know this could change at any time, but that's a risk I'm willing to accept. Our CBA is not exactly "industry leading" in several departments, but it's far from the worst. I would say making the leap to CPS is high risk / high reward. We only have 42 planes, which DL could easily sweep out from under us. If you want long-term job security, this probably isn't the best choice. Also, the people definitely make it a great place to work. Have yet to fly with a crew I didn't want to hang with on overnights.

5. The Cog / Personality / JKT have not changed in the last year. If you look on any aviation interview website and find a decent gouge, you will be fine. Also check out some DL gouges. That's all I used for interview prep and it was more than sufficient

Good Luck!

Thank you for the information

To expound on HAL's answers,

1. Operationally we haven't noticed much of a difference since getting sold to TSH. The maintenance still seems to be fairly decent - haven't noticed a big increase in MELs, and they usually get cleared fairly quickly. The quality of dispatchers took a dip after they moved to MSP but now seem to be much better. They are squeezing us a little more on fuel but it's not ridiculous, you can get more fuel easily if you have a reason, and the fuel program is reportedly at DAL's behest. Biggest difference is that we've had a brain drain among middle and upper management, partly due to the flow and partly other factors, and the replacements haven't always been an upgrade. Our current president in particular is a Grade A Nimrod. On the plus side, right now we have the best chief pilots I've ever worked under. Great guys, very supportive & common-sense.

2. My opinion only: a regional is a regional is a regional. It doesn't matter how "good" it is because it will not last. Look at the "best regionals to work for" of ten years ago, or even five years ago. Where are they now? Horizon was one of the best regionals to work for when I got hired in 2004 and had I stayed I would be a nearly 8-year FO holding partial weekends off. Right now, yeah, most of the guys and gals at Compass seem fairly happy. Given another year or two of stagnation, or a contentious contract negotiation next year & 2013, or TSH finally bringing the hammer down, that could quickly change.

One thing that won't change is we have a great group of guys and gals flying for us. Most of them I get along great with, do stuff on overnights with, etc...nearly all are good pilots, have only flown with 2 or 3 I'd consider weak. One thing to consider is the value of having good, experienced FOs when you upgrade. It was a godsend for me, made the transition to Captain a lot easier.

Flight attendants, on the other hand, are a very mixed bag. We have some that are great and some that are horrid, and the company doesn't seem to differentiate between them when they hire. Only requirement is that you be 18 years old, willing to work for what's effectively a minimum-wage job, and be a high school graduate. Or have your GED. Or "equivalent life experience." I'm not joking, that's the requirement, and it occasionally shows. Biggest problem is that the company is encouraging the new FAs to write up other employees, it's creating their own little Stasi network and has been fueling a culture of distrust I haven't seen until the last year or so. :(

Any new rumors on how Compass may be affected with the US Airways/DAL slot swap?

Also, does anybody know how many classes are scheduled into the future? Will they be filled with poolies or will hiring continue?

Can you guys tell me what the expected take home pay is for a new hire, assuming you have health insurance for either single or married.
1. While on reserve?
2. Once you hold a line?
Thank you

Anyone have any gouge? Thanks.