JoeyMeatballs

veyr good post I agree 100%, and if I couldn't hold Newark and was on reserve, in all honesty I don't think I would be here, I am to educated and well rounded to waste my life commuting to some Sh-thole base for $25k a year. I am able to hold EWR and bid a decent line so I stick around, so you are right in that respect but thats the point, I would not subject myself to those terms. I am fortunate enough that my wife makes more than I could ever make at Expressjet, or even at CAL as an F/O.

I happen to work to live, not live to work. Sounds hypocritical because I do bust my a$$ and pick up ADV trips, but thats because its on my own terms, XNA turn, or Nassua turns, but if I got furloughed from here there is no way at 28 yrs of age that I would go to an airline that would not pay for my hotel during training...............

I mean this is our Lives were talking about, we only get one. How many years do you want to spend in a crashpad eating ramen noodles at the prime of your life?

I have absolutely no idea what I just said, sorry for the rambling.

PS flying the 75 for Delta out of JFK sure does sound nice though,

cfitstew

$50,000. Impressive. I made that much after my 5th year as a flight attendant, and all I was responsible for was serving cocktails and picking up trash not hauling 50 people around in a jet. Still think you are paid enough? My one year at ExpressJet I made about $20,000. It's a shame, but it is what it is. This is the gamble we take to get to the show.

I'm sorry Joey, but I respectfully disagree with you. A regional is a regional.

Superpilot92

yeah but you have a good sugar momma right? not everyone has that and most regional jobs are unfortunately a means to an end read: higher paying job. Too many regional captains got stuck and have no plans on moving on which gums up the whole machine. Combine that no where to go right now, it only gets more guys stuck which will further gum up the gears.

You're right, people should make it better while they are there but not so much so they can stay and TRY and make a "career" out of it. That raises costs because longevity increases thus undermining the ability for the companies to stay better places for those coming up the ladder. The sad fact is those regionals that make it to the top, end up getting tore back down or go away.

btw, I hope you end up getting on here eventually because we need more game changers here

JoeyMeatballs

^ Can't argue, very good point, also depresses me haha

Also a very good point, definitely can't argue with you either

I do think a lot of the ones that stayed when they had the chance to get out must be Shooting themselves, that should be punishment enough for them making it harder for junior guys to move up the ladder

NEDude

So how do I get hired at ExpressJet? Oh yeah, they aren't hiring. Okay, how about Southwest? Oh yeah, they aren't either. How about UPS and FedEx? Same story. Who is hiring right now?

Okay, how about I go overseas? Oh wait, I have been furlouged since April and they all want recent currency.

Okay, how about I just hold out until a great paying job comes along? Oh wait, by then I will be way out of currency and my unemployment compensation has a limited lifespan.

Well then I will just find a different job. But where to look? Unemployment is over 10% right now and if I get to interview I will have to convince an HR person that I will never go back to flying and that my job skills will transfer to whatever job they are hiring for.

Well then, I can go back to school and get retrained. Hmmm, but I already have a ton of student loan debt, and it will take me a year or two to get trained in anything worthwhile. But I know several people who have gone back to school, taken on loads of debt to get some more education, and are have been looking for work for six months oreven longer. So there is a huge risk there. And changing careers at 40 and older is very hard to do, even in a great job market.

Or I could get back into flying at low pay, get myself current again and see how the market turns around over the next few years. Perhaps I may even get lucky and I can get this flow through to Delta.

Once again a case of an RJ pilot, who has taken a lot of mainline flying, throwing stones in their glass house. The guys who are getting hired at the few regionals that are hiring are not young kids right out of flight school with SJS. Most of us are experienced guys who are on furlough from majors, or charter companies, who need a chance to get back in the air to be ready for the next cycle. Do we like the low pay? Of course not. But it is an opportunity to keep flying and continue with the career/job we have so much invested in. And don't dare compare taking a low paying RJ job with being a scab, not even remotely close.

Pilotguy143

I'd also like to mention that at Comair, DH pay was 75%. I'm not saying CPZ pilots shouldn't be paid more (they should be, like the rest of us in this industry). That said, if your beef is that CPZ gets 75% DH pay, I'd say its almost industry standard (unfortunately)

JoeyMeatballs

NEdude

If you don't think you can convince an HR person that your experience flying a 121 airplane with a complete stranger can transfer over to ANY OTHER job, you need to work on your communication skills or read a few books on persuasion. This is the SINGLE BEST job to demonstrate skill, its a demanding job, high pressure, little room for error, technically demanding, and shows you can work with others and solve problems. Also I did not say taking a low paying job was the same as a scab, read it again. It's nobodies fault but your own if you put all your eggs in one basket and thought you would never be on the street. First thing I did was come up with a backup plan if I get furloughed.

BoilerUP

Saab,

Park it on the criticism of NEDude...he's a great guy whose been around the block a time or four.

Anybody can "spin" this job (or any job) to make themselves sound good, but you've got to have someone listening who is open-minded enough to draw the parallels and if you think most non-aviation HR people are then you're giving them WAY too much credit.

cessna157

Does anyone know the phone number to HR in Minneapolis? I was called, but the number left on my voice mail is inactive. Apparently this happened to quite a few guys.

NEDude

Don't lecture me on furloughs, I am on number three. And I have some backup plans, what do you think has been holding me over. And yes, I do have experience in other fields.

The issue is nobody is hiring, anywhere. Three years ago, for every job opening, there were on average 1.5 applicants. Latest data available now shows that for every job opening there are 8 applicants. So just getting an interview is tough. Why do you think lines at job fairs are filled with experienced professionals? Because the market is so tough. Even a lot of backup plans are not working.

The simple fact is you took a job with ExpressJet which pays $23/hour at a 75 hour guarentee, just like Compass. You are flying routes that used to be flown by major airline pilots. Continental has 147 pilots on furlough while you fly their former routes. United has well in excess of 1000 pilots on furlough and you are about to fly routes that they used to fly. So stop throwing your stones, your glass house is pretty fragile.