The number of pilots between a 2011 hire and a new hire at Envoy is very small. The attrition over the last year and a half was mostly pilots near the bottom of the list. It's been painful for the guys that have stuck it out, they were sitting at the bottom of the list with little movement. Now that the shrinkage has stabilized, things should improve. Someone who gets on the front of this wave should have it much better.

 

I say DONT APPLY. In fact I wish all candidates would stop applying to any regionals for a mere month. It would only take one month of zero applicants to make the majors throw money at hour subhuman pay rates.

 

How long do you guys think this wave will last? I supposed to be getting to ATP mins next year and was thinking of doing the pipeline program. I hear as a pipeline instructor you get seniority over your class mates. I was thinking since Envoy is getting the 175 and I would like to fly that aircraft it would be beneficial when it comes down to choosing airframes. I do also like the travel benefits on AA and it will make it easier for my wife and me to visit family.

 

I don't think that is true.

 

SJS

Good Luck!

 

Why did you apply then?

 

The wave will last as long as management makes a job at Envoy attractive, and the airline is able to hire. That could be years if you look at how many retirements are going to occur at AA, and all of the majors. Or it could be short lived, due to a shortage of candidates. Nobody really knows. However, our movement is due to guaranteed attrition off the top due to flow, not aircraft fleet growth.

As far as seniority goes, you only accrue company seniority if you join the pipeline program (used for 401k, vacation, i.e. benefits that are not unique to being a pilot). You will not accrue bidding seniority as part of the pipeline program. Your bidding seniority will only be determined by your first day of indoc at Envoy.

As for flying the 175, a jet is a jet. However, our FO's are not allowed to bid to transfer aircraft currently, so if you get hired into the 175, you may end of with significantly better QOL than an FO stuck on another airframe.

I believe you get a bigger sign on bonus if you join the pipeline program. And you get AA flight benefits as a flight instructor.

Just as a side note for pilots planning on commuting while at the regionals, the AA flight benefits and wholly owned jumpseat priority can be a big help. I commute on a route with a lot of full AA and US Airways flights, with a lot of other commuters. AA and Airways pilots go ahead of me for the jumpseat, but there are plenty of times where I've made it home and non-wholly owned pilots have been left behind. QOL here isn't the best right now, but knowing I have a good shot at getting home removes a lot of the stress of commuting.

 

If AA is quick, they can acquire Republic and merge the pilots into the seniority list.

AA has agreed to Envoy's business plan. They are going to allow all the Envoy pilots to flow up to AA and shrink Envoy until nobodies left.

 

Thanks for the reply gents. Really appreciate it. I know this might sound cheesy but since a kid I always wanted to be an AA pilot so Envoy is the way to go I think. Once again thanks for all the replies.

 

Why............because Envoy is presently a house of cards whose foundation is propped up by assumptions and hypotheticals. You're not only carrying management's water for them, it's likely bad water to boot.