Airline Pilot Central Forums - Any "Latest & Greatest about Delta?" Part 2

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- - Any "Latest & Greatest about Delta?" Part 2 (https://www.airlinepilotforums.com/delta/137280-any-latest-greatest-about-delta-part-2-a.html)

Quote:

Originally Posted by FangsF15 (Post 3850962)

Now that I have learned a thing or two, I wanted to give back/pay it forward.

This is the way.

I personally don’t ask any questions on any Widget FB group because I don’t want my name attached to any of my dumb questions. I feel like I have a good grasp of where to find things now in Aerodocs. Otherwise I ask in a couple WhatsApp groups I’m a part of. People who don’t judge you for not knowing the intricacies of our 575 page contract. Those groups are great for learning from others’ questions tho.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FangsF15 (Post 3850962)

No, mentors do not get any pay whatsoever (other than the single day of training at 4:00 pay).

Why do they do it? At least for me, it was because I was once frigging clueless (well, I still am...), and got a TON of help from bros and smart captains who invested their time in me. Now that I have learned a thing or two, I wanted to give back/pay it forward.

While I respect anyone who wants to pay it forward, the company should absolutely be paying mentors. Especially because the company considers a mentor’s work to be a required part of the new hire onboarding process.

Quote:

Originally Posted by demon llama (Post 3850963)

I think most people on FB have a lot of understanding when it comes to people asking nuanced questions that may not be super clear cut in the PWA or SRH. It's the really, really basic questions that get asked over and over again that start to bug people. What's the code to list on Spirit? My schedule was changed from ABC to XYZ, will I get any reroute pay? Why was I given a reserve rotation 2 days out? Now there have been a ton of "if I slide my PVAC do the PVPP days slide with it? Or even better, people who don't even know what the are when they show up on their schedule even though they had to click a box on icrew vacaton bids to request it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FangsF15 (Post 3850762)

Two points, from a former NH mentor:

1. Most mentors do a great job. Some do not. Keep in mind, 5-6 simultaneous mentees has been the standard, and during the Covid recovery they expected you to have 7 simultanous mentees (or more), and started that 'early release' program so you could turnover to a new one quicker. When new, they basically assign the max mentees within about 3-4 months. That is a ton of work, and not every mentor handles that workload well. Plus, some mentees are more work than others, but NH's get out of the program what they put into it. I found some mentees have one or two+ good buddies who filled the de facto role, especially the former mil NH's. Which was fine with me, since they had an established relationship. Also, being a mentor is an unpaid gig, except for the 4:00 of pay for training.

2. Did you not have your mentor's phone number?? When I got trained as a mentor, it was made clear the NH was expected to make first contact within (something like) 72 hours of assignment. Both FOM 29.2 and the New Hire Expanded Guidance state that mentors and NH pilots are jointly responsible for maintaining contact. So if you didn't hear from yours, you share at least some of the blame.

Yes, I had his email address and his phone number from the assignment email and initated contact within 24 hours of the email being received. My calls were not returned, my emails received no replies, and follow up by the CPO that was offered during a new hire meeting did not result in contact from the mentor. I have no personal animus against the mentor; I'm just challenging the presumption by more senior pilots that certain points of etiquette or knowledge that new hires "should just know" are being passed to new hires through their mentors. Many of us never heard from ours.

But to the point about mentors' workloads, even if it were high, and even if it is a volunteer program, there is still no excuse for failing to reply to a new hire over the course of his or her 12-month probationary period.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FangsF15 (Post 3850962)

Now that I have learned a thing or two, I wanted to give back/pay it forward.

I volunteered for much the same reason. I was afraid too many mentors had career aspirations, so I did my best to bring some "diversity" to the mix. My mentoring was "inclusive" of PWA ninja training in an effort to establish "equity" in their schedules. It may not have been the DEI the company expected.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FangsF15 (Post 3850962)

That's admirable of you and, knowing now that they don't get paid, admirable of all the other mentors

But. This is a fortune 500 company, not a charity. Amazing they get away with not paying mentors when it's supposedly an FAA required position. Although, I haven't heard of friends at other airlines having mentors 🤔

Quote:

Originally Posted by TALPAtalker (Post 3850993)

…
But to the point about mentors' workloads, even if it were high, and even if it is a volunteer program, there is still no excuse for failing to reply to a new hire over the course of his or her 12-month probationary period.

1000% agree your mentor sucked. Not returning comms is a huge foul. Glad you let the company know - he shouldn’t be a mentor.

Quote:

Originally Posted by m3113n1a1 (Post 3851029)

…But. This is a fortune 500 company, not a charity. Amazing they get away with not paying mentors when it's supposedly an FAA required position. …

Again, 1000% agree.

Quote:

Originally Posted by m3113n1a1 (Post 3851029)

This is the home of the Peach Corps…where employees get coerced into working for free on their days off during meltdowns they had no role in creating. Tasks included cleaning Sky clubs (which they are no longer permitted to use), and making themselves available to answer questions from irate passengers.

If there is one thing Delta is good at, it’s cringeworthy decisions like this and not paying mentors, etc. . That’s what happens when your CEO is a classless oaf with zero mentorship skills.

Has the company started listing 150% premium trips in the bid package yet? IIRC that was an option on our curent PWA but I have never seen it. Is this just a PBS Silver Slip?

Scoop

Quote:

Originally Posted by StoneQOLdCrazy (Post 3851044)

If there is one thing Delta is good at, it’s cringeworthy decisions like this and not paying mentors, etc. . That’s what happens when your CEO is a classless oaf with zero mentorship skills.

I don't expect the boss to pay anymore than he has to for things, that's his job today. We could argue all day about if that's how it SHOULD be or not, but that's what it is now. Some would just that's just the work of a shrewd businessman. Taking a requirement and gettting the pilots to do it for free, I'm sure he got a few back slaps from his cronies on that one. I wonder what the unions takes was on this. I say this as a former mentor.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scoop (Post 3851046)

Has the company started listing 150% premium trips in the bid package yet? IIRC that was an option on our curent PWA but I have never seen it. Is this just a PBS Silver Slip?

Scoop

I haven't seen any in the bid packet yet. Even silver slips had dried up big time, though they offered some around Thanksgiving in my cateogry. That's the first SS since August. I'm guessing they spend some time get data on when they utilized SS after the bid packet and use that going forward to post them in the bid packet.