So I looked at Airline Pilot Central and see that 1st year pays $29 and reserve gurentee is 75 hours. This comes out to $2175 per month. So is that what 1 year makes or are there other add-on's I need to calculate.

Also, they operate RJ,DH4,DH8. What are the chances of getting RJ with just Minimum time of 750/50?

Thanks

 

Min guarantee on reserve is 86.3 while lineholder is 92. That is for a 35 day bid cycle, so it makes it hard to compare to another airline. Also, regardless of what aircraft you start in you will make Q200 pay. Right now that is 28.52/hr. So based on that assuming you're on reserve for a whole year ( you wont) 28.52 X 86.3=2461.28 per bid cycle. So 35 days in a cycle/364 days = 10.4 bid cycles per year. 2461.28 X 10.4=25597.28 per year. Now at QX you get paid every other week. so 26 pay cycles / annual min guarantee = 984.51 per paycheck. This of course does not count per diem or flying above min.

As for the RJ question, the current debate (unless you ask rj guys/gals) is that those may be parked. Not sure, but apparently the Airgroup 2nd quarter earnings call on 4/24 will reveal the fate of QX so stay tuned and good luck!

 

I started at QX in Oct of 06 and our class finished IOE in Jan 07. In 2007 which was 75% (thats all I could hold in the RJ) I grossed $34,500 with all the extras. Not bad for first year considering reserve and I could not alter or add trips like line holders do. I got my 2nd yr raise in Oct so I went from $29 to $32 an hour and in early April my seniority moved me up from the Q200 pay scale to the Q400 which is $38.60 an hr. So as a 2nd yr FO I am making 40 an hr (considering perdiem 1.80hr)....Our FO payscale pays type based on senority not what actual airframe you fly. So I should make $40,000 this year and thats not even having to add extra trips

 

So will this current off and on hiring trend continue through the summer, or is this just a limited time offer?

 

We are always on and off hiring. The trend for the last many years has been to not hire during the summer months, so all pilots are available to work the busy summer sched. Who knows for this summer, with all of the cloak and dagger secrets surrounding the fate of the RJ.

The AAG has done a good job of put out the doom and gloom sob story of the not so profitable RJ. They really want to unload that thing and get a bigger jet. The only question is who is going to fly it? Will it be QX or some other company or if it is a EMB 190 series AS ALPA wants the mainline to fly it. Please remember we are currently in contract negotiations so there could be some games being put on for the masses to consume.

 

We are now sending some CRJ to RDF (some place near Chicago) for heavy checks. The a/c must go through a heavy check before they are returned to the leasor. As the time gets close I feel that the RJs will be gone (I am a RJ driver) and FLyin is correct may believe this is just BS. With the price of oil I can see some grounded soon due to oil.
I hope that they replace the RJ with more Q400 and not just have us lose the #of a/c. There are a lot of senior captains that would not want to go through training again and would seek earily reitrement, if the company would allow. I suspect that something a long that line come about. Anyways, I have a feeling that may people are going to listen to the Q1 call on thursday, I for one will be listening. Lets just hope there are no furloughs, if they do go away. Good luck all.

 

I think Bill Ayer's last letter that he sent to my home said it all (and I'm paraphrasing because my wife tore up the letter in fury and tossed it): AAG wants to get rid of the Horizon RJs because they're not too efficient.

Now the Q400 sure is an efficient bird, but there are some longer routes that are simply best served by a jet, and those routes may not have the traffic to support a 737. Hence: Later on in the letter, he lets slip how they might seek to contract out regional jet flying to fill the void left by Horizon's RJs. Helllloooooooo Mesa!

My two cents: It's the first shot across the bow. I don't believe Ayer's prime motivator here is fuel prices; it's Horizon RJ captain prices.

 

That is the current theory, the 9 RJ's going through heavy checks in RFD are going somewhere. I doubt they are going to be parked, one theory is that they will be subleased to another company, the rumor is that it will be Skywest they have a need for CRJ 700's, they were apparently talking to the local FSDO about just that. The others will more than likely be included in the deal at a later date.

Like I said before AAG wants jets, but who gets to fly them is the question. I am betting that the announcement will outline the statement above along with exercising some options on the Q4. After that the games will begin with the "who gets the bigger jets". They are going to use this situation to their advantage in the contract negotiations, just wait and see.

 

Ok, this just in...I talked to a crew who was in Portland who did a hangar pickup and got the latest from the van driver.....the word is that QX will trade in ALL of the RJ's to Bombardier. Each RJ will get us another TWO Megawhackers. Yeah growth! /rumor

 

My bet is not on Mesa after all they have demonstrated.

I'm betting they would pick a "large capacity" regional, like Republic or Skywest. Again this is only if they were to contract with a third party. After all, this so-called big announcement was quoted as pertaining to "a complete revampment of Horizon's fleet."