Ameriflight in Seattle
 

Anybody know the scoop on working for Ameriflight in Seattle? What are the prospects for hire, pay quality of life?

stunami -

Here is a thread that came up using the search function of APC and the keyword - Ameriflight

http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/pa...eriflight.html

With almost 600 replies - I'm sure that many of your questions would be answered in the first few pages or else you would certainly be able to ask more specific questions. There are many other threads dealing with Amerflight that aren't as long.

USMCFLYR

Thanks, I will check it out.

I know Ameriflight is seniority based. Last I saw they were hiring into other bases. You would have to go to another base, then bid Seattle later.

Seattle is super senior. As of today the most junior Chieftain pilots in Seattle have been there 3 years. The other problem is that Ameriflight typically won't allow you to move up there. I know there are people in the company that have had bids to go to Seattle for 4 or 5 years and haven't been allowed to.

Interesting. You would think some of these Chieftan pilots would be moving on to something bigger and better before too long

Seattle is senior because it is almost all turbine. There are very few chieftain pilots in Seattle.

Not too many jobs out there for a chieftan driver to move UP to. A guy can find other jobs out there at about the same level but not a move up. So you just hold on to your spot and hope for movement.

Flying the Chieftain for Ameriflight is pretty much a time builder and gaining valuable single pilot IFR flying. I think the main reason why people choose not to move up is because of the quality of life. If you have descent seniority, it's really hard in today’s aviation community to give up being home every night, have every weekend off, and have federal holidays off. Also, you fly around the same amount that you would at some regional’s that have crappier quality of life.

It isn't so much that the company won't allow you to more up there -- it's that you have to be senior enough to hold a bid there, or there has to be a major company-related special circumstance that would cause them to override the bid system. Lots of folks like to live in the Seattle area, so it tends to be a senior base. Story of our lives at the airlines.