Varsity

Those on property will get coffee.

*if ORD based, rest of pilots are sol

flyinghedgehog

Nah, the plan is to only cash half of it to pay off some loans and hold on to the rest just in case

flyinghedgehog

Thanks guys. Here I come...

flyinghedgehog

Well there are worse place to work for. (I know, it sounds like I would take whatever I get but believe me, there are places that I would not touch with a twenty foot pole)


Regional airlines will be regional airlines, I crunched the numbers and it is not that bad. As long as the situation is workable I will try to see the good and make it work somehow.



And the worst thing I can do now is sit at my current shop and wait another ten months for a class date for the "better regionals".....I prefer advancement....

flyinghedgehog

For those who have responded so far, what I love about this forum is that people seem to be honest. To put it bluntly, when your name and your face is not out there you don't have to worry too much about repercussions if you talk about something bad at your airline.


And Here goes : Honestly , for those of you who are at Envoy or were within the last 6-7 years, what do you love about the company? What are some stuff that are just ok, and what sucks ? If you have time, please share some details (for example if reserve rule sucks, what about it did you find unacceptable). I have not managed to get my hands on your contracts yet so it helps to get more info from you.


Thanks for your response!

Eckohs

The good:
The crews you work with are generally some of the best out there. The equipment is well maintained with excellent maintenance personal. Travel benefits are the best around although this is lessening due to the amount of oversold flights AA runs. Commuter hotels are nice however most would rather have endeavors commuting policy I would imagine.

The bad:
Commuting to reserve here sucks. Pre-assigned 4am rap. No long call. Some CPO’s are non existent when trying to get in touch with someone. No minimum duty day or trip rigs. Inefficient scheduling due to the way other regionals get first crack at things. API is bad. Crew scheduling often feels like it is out right combative against crews. Can’t drop trips. Inefficient use of reserve pilots. The entire red/redder system needs to go.

Anyway, if you keep your head down and blinders on you won’t notice much. Every job has its issues however depending on fleet, hire date and base your experience here can swing from amazing to crappy very quickly.

flyinghedgehog

Thanks!



Could you elaborate about travel benefits? Are you guys eligible to list for cabin seats on airlines other than AA and AA subsidiaries? Hotels are ok? (no fleas and bedbugs and such)



And most important thing -- are you guys punished for legit sick/fatigue calls? There are some rumors about that.

RawHide

Travel Benefits are equal to AA priority is by check in time. So a new hire could go before a 30 year 777 CA. On other airlines we can jumpseat ourselves (seat in the back space available) and buy zed fares for the family they are cheap about $20-$70 domestic. The prices are based on distance and the relationships Delta is more expensive and southwest is cheaper.

Basically every fatigue call is run through a computer system that determines if the company was at fault. Often times people don’t give the proper details in the report and end up with a missed assignment. Sick calls will get you in trouble after a few it’s based on if the chief pilot believes you have been abusing them.

flyinghedgehog

Thanks RawHide


Does this mean:

1. reporting fatigue can be considered not legit just because certain parameters are not met based on the algorithm in the computer system and that lands you a missed assignment?
2. If sick calls are legit with notes, they can be considered not legit if the CP for some reason thinks you are abusing them?


Folks responding to this--thanks in advance and please, please don't assume I am trying to use sick calls when I am not sick. I can proudly tell you that so far in my aviation career I have never called in sick for any reason other than being sick. I take flying sick seriously, and a company that would pressure me to fly sick in any way, shape or form is a no go.

Cyio

I won’t add more about travel since someone else did but I will add to sick and fatigue.

Fatigue calls as stated get put through a computer and then the results are discussed at a monthly review board that has both union and managment reps there. The number approved is something around 98% based on the last time I heared then explain the process. It has to be pretty grievous to get denied or simply no information given. They now break down the call into one of four catalogories. Needless to say, if you are fatigued you don’t have to worry about using the system in place here, it’s good and it works.

Sick calls often get blown out of proportion here as well. The general rule of thumb is don’t use more than 4 “calls”, not days a year. After that a good chance you will get called in for some discussion.

Again if you are sick, use your sick calls without fear. If you appear to be abusing it be able to explain why, file for FMLA if legit chronic calls or stop abusing the system and hurting chances for everyone else.