Bufalo01

Training timeframes, payment and is the bonus real? Reserve on EWR how long?

Excargodog

Just as a general rule for ALL DECs, you can expect to be on reserve until the junior FO hired the day before you with no 121 SIC gets a thousand hours of SIC AND upgrades AND gets off reserve.

Bufalo01

That’s not a general rule, that’s the way it is everywhere you decide to accept that deal. Thanks for the input.

threeighteen

So how is it not a general rule if that's the way it is everywhere? lmao

Cujo665

not entirely accurate. There are places where seniority pretty much means choice of reserve line (days off). However, those places have reserve systems that are nowhere near as punishing as regionals. Stuff gets filled in on their reserve schedules several days ahead of time, even weeks ahead. They sit reserve at home until called out. Very common in the ACMI Segment.
At regionals, I’d agree that reserve is torture. Caveat emptor.

Av8er1550

So just bringing the DEC subject alive again. Are there any CURRENT Direct Entry Captain's here that can speak about the job? ORD based preferably? Are you flying a lot? I just want to get with a regional to build some TPIC then get out (intention of a regional). I'd love to hear what any current GoJet DEC's have to say about life there right now. I'm just in a weird spot in the industry (did regionals, ACMI, left for a unique 91 job that wasn't so unique) .. so I'm trying to find myself back on track. Just trying to figure out what that is. Thanks in advance!

TwoDaysBehind

Gojet is less than half the number of pilots they had several years ago, with twice as many air frames (half sit in storage). As CA you won't have much time off, and you won't get to go home unless required by 117. Once you're on a trip, you're treated as a reserve, and you'll serve 168 hours before they have to let you go home. Once they get ahold of you again... six more days.

Gojet have about 92 captains and 190 first officers, and losing 30-40 a month as people see the writing on the wall. FOs are overstaffed, so they're not building hours to upgrade. Morale was better during the furloughs than it is now. First officers still haven't received a pay raise, and CA pay severely lags with 22% in response to the 60-90% raises in the rest of the industry.

See other posts about how pointless it is going to Gojet. You'll get a training failure because they're too cheap to pay for Gojet instructors to teach your class, so you'll never learn the stuff they ask in the oral. The checking pilots don't do any favors just because you are DEC - they hold everyone to a high but somewhat non-transparent standard. Should you get through IOE, you'll probably have a short career as Gojet shutdown is very likely. It's not a professional or functioning airline at this point, it's a United management pet project being kept alive as price leverage against Skywest, and because they've invested and advertised the Aviate program as a fully integrated program, and don't have anyone else who can take over the flying just now (but they will as soon as possible, Gojet is in deep breach of contract with UA, but UA doesn't have any better alternatives right now).

With Gojet you'll be serving approximately 10-15 airports mostly from EWR. It's that small, ie you don't fly the whole country like Skywest or any other regional. Gojet is just a slot stuffer in EWR, a cheap pawn in United's game with the EWR/FAA slot program. Two years ago Gojet was relegated to just short hop (30-45 minute flying time per leg) for constant pressure on the slots in EWR, so you'll be doing two turns a day to the worst airport in the world.

Just to highlight how bad it is... Gojet hired a new person dedicated to processing all the people quitting.

TaiMaiShu

The bonus is getting paid, and the "60-90" pay raise for the other regionals is not permanent. That being said, it would have been nice to have the same deal as the other regionals with an hourly override, rather than an annual bonus for someone that likes to pick up open time.

As a DEC, you will get used. It looks like some of the flying is coming back in December with CAs coming back on line out of the training department. The expectation is that CA pay will come up again.

As far at the training department issues, I haven't seen them and the guys that were causing those problems are not at the company anymore. I really don't like seeing that stuff being brought up as a way to discourage people, as those issues are long gone.

A new contract is on the horizon with new reserve rules. It's not nearly as bad as some of these guys make it sound.

Vtailbo

To say that other regionals pay raises are temporary and not contractual is a flat out lie.

I’ve been here nearly 4 years and management is an absolute joke.

Strenyakov

This gentleman I would have to conclude has no experience other than at Gojet. First, the pay raise is permanent at Skywest. Its about 80 per hour less at Gojet than Skywest for my seniority. The 401k match from Skywest is 100% on 12% v. 50% on 8% at Gojet. On a 200k earnings that is a difference of $16,000. (Of course that would be on 120k at Gojet so it is really a difference of19,200 if my math is correct.There are many things like that that add up at Skywest and the other airlines that Gojet does not have. The biggest thing is you get paid twice a month. When Gojet goes under you will get a preference of I believe about 4500 but the rest of your bonus goes into the unsecured creditor pile where you might get 10 cents on the dollar. What did Tony Soporano say, "F--- You, Pay Me!".
A standup from Ord to Mke pays about 7 hours at Skywest. It pays 4 at Gojet I believe? I don't pay attention.

Why would someone want to Go to a place that won't be here in 6 months?