With an interview with ASA in the future, and the possibility of being placed into a ERJ pool with xj, Just wondering about a few things...

Days off on reserve?

Min days off in a row guaranteed?

Flight benefits? -- Totally free for immediate family similar to DL's?

I know it sounds picky considering I haven't even been offered a job yet, but I currently have another career path going and am only considering going back to flying if certain conditions exist. The most important.. QOL. I am furloughed Comair so I am familiar with the basics of regional flying, I just wondered about the "good stuff". What is the "good stuff" about xj?

 

Days off on reserve: 11 in a 30 day month, 12 in a 31 day month. Minimum of two days off between reserve days. All lineholders have a 12 day off minimum. As far as regionals go, XJT has some of the best work rules and vacation.

Flight benefits will be changing, so it's pointless to discuss them at this point. I expect they will be going downhill from what we currently have. They were never as good as DL benefits.

 

Question on flight bennies.

Do asa/expressjet pilots get flight benefits on skywest?

 

EXCEPT during a month to month transition, where 6 on 1 off 6 on is possible.

 

I may be wrong, but I don't think so. In the past this would have been possible with paper passes but the problem today is that everything is electronic and all SKW (AND XJT/ASA) flight reservations/ticketing/boarding passes are done using a major partners own reservation system. Basically you need to an eligible nonrev in the system under which the flight is operated, and each major has their own rules about who they will allow.

DAL for example is not going to allow SKW add an XJT pilot who works in the UA/CAL system to the DAL nonrev system.

You should have JS priority ahead of all other carriers except SKW (You will be equal with ASA).

 

Very true....I forgot to mention that is one of the BIGGEST holes in our contract. I've been hosed by that quite a few times.

 

Anybody know how long new hires will be seatlocked in the 145?

Say a new hire is from ATL and wants to get into a crj so he/she can get back to Atlanta. I have heard a year.....is this something they are still working out with the merger?

 

Ive heard fences of up to two years, but that was third hand. No one knows for sure, an these next few months should answer a lot of questions.

 

I would seriously look at the industry right now and your options. Does the other path pay more and allow you to be at home more than two days per week? If you're a young guy, this may mean very little right now, but you may end of kicking yourself down the road when your children don't know you're name and you're still slingin' ERJ gear making an ERJ salary. Not to dissrespect anybody (I was an RJ guy for 10 years), but he should look at his options. I know I should have.

 

You greased it right on the mark. I am in school right now for a career in health care. Likely RN or Physicians Assistant. Both of those careers pay 2x starting out and generally 3-4 day work weeks. I'm not young and I have 2 pre-teen kids. My rational is the possibility of missing out on this "wave" of pilot shortage in the next couple years which may allow me to advance into a major or UPS/FX freight. My problem is a current major shortage of money, and simply missing the smell of jet fuel in the morning. It is important that the conditions of my employment are acceptable to my life. I must commute from FL due to current arrangements and I won't accept something that is going to be damn near a pain in the ass. I am beyond the days of begging for a regional pilot job, accepting whatever is offered, and kissing the soles of the shoes of the people who may hire me. Currently my semester is over until Januaray 10th. After that I have another semester of school. If I am offered something reasonable to start prior to that I MAY accept. However, past Jan 10th I am committed until April.