The hiring at compass is done by NWA from what i have been told.

Compass HR handles hiring, but there are two retired NWA captains that do the interviews along with one HR person.

Everytime I commute to and from work...on mainline...people have to check bags because the company decided to charge them for checking so they try to bring everything on board with them which inevitably doesn't fit.

We don't use the stairs on the 900...just jetways.

Last point taken :D. I get what you are saying...don't get me wrong...there are many airplanes that offer a much better product than the CRJ series...particularly the 200. Bombardier has made some improvements however with the next gen 900 series. And for what its worth, putting a CR9 and an E175 together...there really isn't much difference between then notwithstanding the things we just discussed. The E190 is different as it is larger than both.

FWIW....here's the accurate picture regarding Compass' hiring practices...

For the first half of their hiring, Compass had the same minimums NWA had. The first 100 pilots were probably 90% prior Captains, and then experience trended down somewhat with everyone still meeting ATP minimums and still quite a few ex-Captains (121, 135 turbine, corporate). By the time we got to around seniority #s 150-180, we were having a tough time attracting quality candidates. Word of the merger was out by then and flowdowns were in everyone's mind, and word of our horrible contract had leaked out too. Compass hired 7 people with less than ATP minimums until the union stepped in and noted that our contract *required* each newhire be type-rated, therefore all newhires must have an ATP. The company stopped hiring people with under 1500 hrs; the 7 that slipped in now qualify for their ATP and will be type-rated shortly. The downturn saved the company's arse, as they suddenly had a ton of very qualified candidates again. I've been flying with a ton of FOs from Skyway, Big Sky, Champion, ATA...the vast majority were Captains at their last airline. I've flown with a few Eagle, Comair, & ExpressJet "FOs-for-life" as well, and they've all been experienced & competent. I'm guessing that over 80% of Compass' list met Delta minimums, with over 60% also having their 1000 TPIC. This is not your typical regional with 250 hr newhires with newly issued commercial certs.

As far as worries about the "quality of person" CPS hires, NWA set up the hiring process. When I went through, the HR guy was a consultant from NW and the panel interviewers were retired NW captains. I did the sim in NW's 727 sim with a retired NW captain evaluating. They sent us for company medicals at the same place NW newhires take theirs. I know people who've gone through the NW interview and it sounds like they set up more or less the same process at CPS.

Of course their will be a few for whom a staple would be a "windfall." Heck, I'll admit to being one of them. With 5500 total time but only 500 turbine PIC I'm less qualified than most DL newhires. I meet DL minimums and have had my stuff in at DL for a while with no call during the last hiring. I'm a little dumbfounded, though, that for some of you, keeping my "unqualified" keister off your pure undefiled seniority list takes precedence over recapturing 76-seat flying. :confused:

I can only speak for myself here. My pay is only $29/hr now...a 50% cut equals about $15/hr with a 75hr/month guarantee. I would have no choice but to quit...and I think most would follow suit at my company seeing as how the majority of the list is newhires. The senior captains making 6 figs or close to it, might be able to stick it out.

Now the 'theory' of potential newhires refusing these jobs is just not realistic for many reasons. For example...until Delta recently "stunted" our growth by reducing to 5 instead of 15 the number of 900's we were supposed to receive, I would have upgraded to Saab captain next month after only one year of line flying. Did the 30k starting pay hurt and was it sub par? You bet. But was it worth it for the quick upgrade as well as flight time that I recieved in a year as opposed to staying a CFI in 'protest' of only being paid 30K? Once again, you bet. Further more, it takes a pilot group to at least attempt to fix the problem...who do you have if no one is showing up to work?

Finally, on the pay issue...we are constantly competing with one another for business. We don't negotiate our contracts at the same time so we can't simultaneously demand 50K starting pay on an RJ. And whoever does so successfully the first time is going to be priced out of business. Also, our labor contracts are agreements with our union and the company. They company is never going to agree to numbers they can't sell to DL, AA or whoever the case may be. And we are hardly capable of forcing their hand at that.

Until the language is changed regarding our ASA's with mainline or our union demanding a min payscale starting with RJ's, we are simply numbers and untis to mainline which completely strips us of leverage in getting better pay.

A regional pilot on your seniority, what is the difference if they are stapled or flow up? Either way they muddy the waters of your elitist list ;).

What about the NWA guys that did not endure the Delta interview yet are now Delta pilots?

It surprises me that you would choose to not capture scope to protect the perceived sanctimony of your previous interview process. As long as that attitude prevails, the message is that that flying and scope protection are less important than your ego.

The flow-through, as it existed under NWA was a virtual B or C scale. It was made clear in the Compass interview that you were being hired by NWA. Compass pilots are under the exact same MEC as mainline NWA. There is no further interview when it's time to move up. I'm not sure if that will change under DAL. My understanding is that it will stay the same.

If there is absolutely no change, it mitigates your emotional argument against the staple. Your contention is that a staple allows 300 plus pilots to circumvent the DAL interview. A flow-through does the exact same thing.

I do agree with the poster that said that the existence of Compass has probably prevented furloughs and flow-backs due to the high training expense. That is actually a valid argument against the staple.

I'm not looking for a back door into Delta. I hold out little hope for any staple or even the flow-through. Historically, flow-throughs work far better for the main line side than the regional side. All I, and most of the people I fly with, want is to be called back to the airlines that we're furloughed from. I don't think too many people are holding out for the flow-through.

It's fascinating that you consider "flight time" as part of your compensation :)

Which companies do you think look to the majors to help prop them up?

You can't blame guys for taking those jobs (unless it's a start up) because they didn't make the contract. The current pilots are to blame, not the new hires. Those guys are only taking what's out there and the current pilots have said that it is ok to have those types of contracts.

Why haven't the majors helped to stop the whipsawing. You hear absolutely nothing from ALPA on it other than some little lip service. (More now with the DHL thing but that isn't even about the regionals) I bet if Delta decided to farm out the 777 flying every pilot at delta would be up in arms doing whatever it took to prevent that.

In regards to contracts didn't nwa pilots write the compass contract? NWA had a bankruptcy contract and they put a worse one in place for the compass pilots. How do you explain that one except that they don't really care about compass because it helps them out.

I don't! You are missing my point. Flight time and experience is necessary in furtherance of one's career...is it not? The point Im trying to make is this. Would I be better off today, if I avoided the hiring spree that the airlines went on when I got hired by Mesaba 1.5 yrs ago and remained a CFI because the pay sucked. Or taken the job as I did and picked up some good flight time and experience (so I don't have to be qualified as a 500 hour "wonder") and progressed further to acheiving my ultimate goal.

Not picking an argument with you so don't take it that way, but I find those first two statements ironic in a way. I'm not calling out specific regional company, I'm just making a point about thinking mainline labor groups can do something to prevent whipsawing at the regional level. Mainline pilot groups don't decide which regional carriers will get contracts with their company. Those decisions go back to management ultimately.

I actually agree alot with that last statement, because ALPA National offers to represent a regional pilot group without question. I'm not a union expert by any means, but I feel as though ALPA National should be tougher on labor groups that are not adequately pushing for better contract changes.