Aerotrinamic

What Greenroute said. I would feel kind of bad taking the bonus, but on the other hand the majority of the pilot group voted for new hires to get high deductible insurance. It wouldn't be a good feeling to be a second class citizen within a pilot group who is supposed to have equal pay (within the payscale).

When do new hires start having the new insurance? when the Embraers come?

Sikorsky38

The Horizon Air health insurance deal was not necessarily a good deal for all new hires, although I have personally chosen that HSA option with less than 15 years to go to retirement. It isn't a bad deal; it's just that the new people don't have both options like the senior people. It also doesn't just apply to pilots. It applies to every Horizon employee.

A bigger misconception I'd like to address is this notion that Horizon pilots are to blame for their current CBA situation. Yes, we did vote it in a year ago, but as has already been stated here, our EXCO asked several times about addressing the need to make Horizon more attractive to new hires. The company felt they had it all figured out. They felt they had us over a barrel and weren't interested in giving this pilot group any more money. Several months later, they started feeling the pressure of this pilot shortage, the lack of appeal of the Q400, and the shortage of pay for new hires. The current QX pilots, having felt they were raked over the coals in that past January's CBA vote, began to realize they were gaining the upper hand, which is now coming to a head with this lawsuit.

The biggest fallacy I hear on these forums is that Horizon pilots are to blame for their current predicament because they voted in last year's CBA. The bigger problem within this entire regional industry is that almost every other regional pilot group has allowed their union heads to let their respective managements give new hire bonuses to the new hires while giving nothing to the senior pilots. During the past two years, we have watched almost every major airline pilot group receive 30% pay bumps, while the RAA has been extremely successful at holding us to 1.5% increases each year. The Horizon pilot union, lead by Teamsters, is the only pilot group to tell their management team that they can't simply give money to new hires without first addressing the pilots that are already on property. Someone has to lead the way to bigger pay checks. I'm not saying that QX pilots are better than pilots at other airlines. We failed a year ago. The stars have aligned themselves, and we are trying to take advantage of it. We are bucking the trend, already established by others, to give all the money to new hires.

greenroute

That's just not true though. It shows how out of touch Horizon people were that they voted yes to that TA.

Endeavor is giving the $23k bonus to all pilots, FOs and Captains. That is the kind of deal the other unions fought for while the Teamsters fought for [what exactly? nothing?]. The rest have bonuses for at least the first 2 years, flow agreements, or pay scales starting at $37 and up.

The only place Horizon has a slight advantage is captain pay scales, and that doesn't take into account the actual pay vs amount of hours - no other regionals are scheduling 7.5 hour 2 day trips for instance.

So what do you want? Nobody is allowed to make money until the captains get a major airline payscale? You're throwing all the FOs under the bus and saying that nobody is allowed to benefit until everyone benefits.

Ashes

Regardless of which demographic is most responsible for passing what will almost certainly be the last concessionary contract in the race to the bottom era, what's funny is how their management's focus on "winning" completely blinded them to the fact that they would end up with an airline that nobody in their right mind would want to work for. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

Sikorsky38

If a handful of others are giving the same amount of money to everyone, then good for them. Not all regionals are doing it.

You have my opinion correct. No new hire pilot should get any bonus money that isn't also given to every pilot already on property. The goal of all pilots should be to make all aspects of the job attractive enough to not need bonuses. That isn't throwing anyone under the bus. What is the solution to getting out of the 1.5% annual pay bump rut that all regional pilots have been facing for years? The various union pilot groups don't do enough collaborating, for one.

gazoo34

Sikorsky (good name BTW I flew the big one) you are correct, until ALPA starts to negotiate the same FOR ALL PILOTS regardless of aircraft, regional pilots will be second rate which is wrong! I’m not sure how after Colgan regional pilots have allowed this to continue? It doesn’t matter the size of the aircraft 50 lives or 380 the repurcussions and changes that would come about are the same and pilots need to be paid the same.
Your pilot group was weak a year ago don’t let it happen again. I have students that would love to fly in the PNW but I have convinced them to avoid Horizon until they are better than ALL the others. Money is a small part of the regional misery QOL to me was the bigger part of the misery.
I’ve said it before the regionals need to die a slow agonizing death, the flights won’t go away they WILL get picked up by the majors as the majors can’t afford to lose the revenues from the small towns. I think ALK picked up some of the Horizon flying didn’t they?

GUFN

Whether or not taking the bonus is right or wrong is quibbling. The fact still remains that if one goes to QX now, they are either a masochist, suffer from extremely low situational awareness or are desperate beyond hope. Given the current management practice, bottom feeding QOL and the potential of earning the 'S' label, no bright, normal, career oriented pilot would go near the place.

Turboprop

I just saw in PDX and SEA two CRJ 700 on Alaska paint, would this be then end of QX?

can any one chime in on this.

lowflying

You wrote what looked like 11 for line holders and 12 for reserve. It's 11/12 for line holders and 12/12 for reserves. Maybe I misinterpreted your post. If so sorry

lowflying

Nobody should "earn an "s" label" for taking a new hire bonus. Everyone throws the scab label around too easily, especially at Qx. In the airline world you are a scab if you fly struck work, i.e. Cross a picket line.