Southern Airways Express
#501
Line Holder
Joined APC: Oct 2021
Posts: 37
Anyway, if you're young and just want to build time and don't have a family to take care of, this is a decent alternative to CFIing. I'm married and it has been a nightmare for me personally. I can't say either way if it's a good company or bad company. There's some good here but a lot of bad too. I am looking for work at another company that pays a livable wage because I am literally going bankrupt working here.
#502
New Hire
Joined APC: Apr 2023
Posts: 1
I had a zoom interview with them about a week and a half ago, I was told I would hear from them later that afternoon, but I haven’t heard anything since. The Interviewer seemed very eager for me to start but did it give me an official job offer… does anyone know how much longer I should plan on waiting before hearing anything?
#503
On Reserve
Joined APC: Jan 2023
Posts: 13
FloridaFlyboy98 is correct
Originally Posted by ;3611526
No, it's not okay to work at an outfit like this just because you're young and inexperienced. Those are the gullible ones who will do something illegal at the behest of the company and fall afoul of the Feds and end their career prematurely! This company shouldn't be in business and they are only surviving in these times of pilot shortages by abusing young and inexperienced folks. My best advice is to get your CFI, skip Southern, and get to a regional ASAP. You won't get any extra credit for time served at Southern!
#504
New Hire
Joined APC: Sep 2021
Posts: 4
I had a zoom interview with them about a week and a half ago, I was told I would hear from them later that afternoon, but I haven’t heard anything since. The Interviewer seemed very eager for me to start but did it give me an official job offer… does anyone know how much longer I should plan on waiting before hearing anything?
#505
On Reserve
Joined APC: Mar 2022
Posts: 11
Hey all. Is Southern that bad? I’m instructing right now but not getting as many hours as I’d like, considering applying at southern once I hit 500 TT. End goal is airlines. The pilots I’ve talked to there seem happy but the forum seems very against them.
#507
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Sep 2021
Posts: 288
What’s your end goal? If it’s part 135/91 corporate, might be worth it. If it’s part 121, no, I would say it’s definitely not worth it. If you get your CFI and go find employment at a busy school, you can build your hours faster and be on your way to a regional quicker. You’ll probably be hired at a regional prior to the end of the 2 year contract, assuming you went that route.
#508
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Dec 2014
Posts: 117
No matter what you've heard, what matters is what it's like when you get there. Get an interview and ask these questions of the HR person. Talk to some of their pilots in person, not on an internet chat board. Then read the contract carefully if your get the CDO. Only you can decide it it is worth taking the job offer. There is no harm in turning down a CDO if you don't like the terms.
#509
Aeronautical Colleague
Joined APC: Aug 2016
Position: 777 CA
Posts: 24
The flying is fun. I love it. But there's a lot of issues I wish I knew about before signing the $16,000 contract:
1) the company is extremely disorganized and shady. The left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing. Everything is done on a whim or they completely forget about you. It can takes days for replies from the Chief Pilot or HR of you get a reply at all. I knew a pilot from a foreign country that they threatened his work visa if he left. He was from another company that they bought and they tried dicking him around and he wasn't having it. So they threatened to get his work visa pulled. Also, the first thing everyone asked was where the bases were day 1 of ground school. They were very aloof of that and didn't tell us until the next to last day 2 weeks later.
2) the $16,000 contract isn't for a year of service like they make it sound. It's a year of service AFTER you become PIC. So for an FO like me tbag got hired with 700 hours, that's 5 months of FO flying at $18/$21 an hour (assuming I actually get to upgrade at 1200 hours)
3) pay is crap. I knew it would be, but it's much worse than I was led to believe. I get guaranteed 65 hours of pay a month. 32.5/paycheck. Problem is, I haven't been flying as much as I would like to. So I am making less than $1000/mo after Joe Biden gets his cut for Ukraine. I am on food stamps and I am literally going bankrupt. I was told my base would have crew housing, and that hasn't happened and won't happen. So now I have to pay for an apartment in my base and one at home with my wife. I don't make enough money to move my wife here.😢 Also, if you TDY, you're supposed to get $35/day for it. The problem is, the only way to get paid is to fill out an expense report and submit it which waits for approval from the Regional Chief Pilot. I have $450 I haven't been paid from February.
4) the planes are always broken. Sure they have you train on G1000 equipped EXs. But if you're mainland, prepare for 6-packs and lots of MEL stickers with no autopilot. The FAA has been snooping around our MX departments at several locations recently.
5) they will pressure you into flying into unsafe weather. But they won't call you from their recorded lines from the company. They'll call you on their personal cell phone so the conversation isn't recorded. WATCH OUT FOR THIS!
6) schedule is hectic. I was told 4 on and 4 off. Ive never had that so far. There is a lot of turnover here and I suppose that is why the schedule is so disjointed.
7) its not all bad. The other pilots have been awesome. Ramp agents range from awesome to having an attitude. Corporate has been nice albeit a bit shady.
Anyway, if you're young and just want to build time and don't have a family to take care of, this is a decent alternative to CFIing. I'm married and it has been a nightmare for me personally. I can't say either way if it's a good company or bad company. There's some good here but a lot of bad too. I am looking for work at another company that pays a livable wage because I am literally going bankrupt working here.
1) the company is extremely disorganized and shady. The left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing. Everything is done on a whim or they completely forget about you. It can takes days for replies from the Chief Pilot or HR of you get a reply at all. I knew a pilot from a foreign country that they threatened his work visa if he left. He was from another company that they bought and they tried dicking him around and he wasn't having it. So they threatened to get his work visa pulled. Also, the first thing everyone asked was where the bases were day 1 of ground school. They were very aloof of that and didn't tell us until the next to last day 2 weeks later.
2) the $16,000 contract isn't for a year of service like they make it sound. It's a year of service AFTER you become PIC. So for an FO like me tbag got hired with 700 hours, that's 5 months of FO flying at $18/$21 an hour (assuming I actually get to upgrade at 1200 hours)
3) pay is crap. I knew it would be, but it's much worse than I was led to believe. I get guaranteed 65 hours of pay a month. 32.5/paycheck. Problem is, I haven't been flying as much as I would like to. So I am making less than $1000/mo after Joe Biden gets his cut for Ukraine. I am on food stamps and I am literally going bankrupt. I was told my base would have crew housing, and that hasn't happened and won't happen. So now I have to pay for an apartment in my base and one at home with my wife. I don't make enough money to move my wife here.😢 Also, if you TDY, you're supposed to get $35/day for it. The problem is, the only way to get paid is to fill out an expense report and submit it which waits for approval from the Regional Chief Pilot. I have $450 I haven't been paid from February.
4) the planes are always broken. Sure they have you train on G1000 equipped EXs. But if you're mainland, prepare for 6-packs and lots of MEL stickers with no autopilot. The FAA has been snooping around our MX departments at several locations recently.
5) they will pressure you into flying into unsafe weather. But they won't call you from their recorded lines from the company. They'll call you on their personal cell phone so the conversation isn't recorded. WATCH OUT FOR THIS!
6) schedule is hectic. I was told 4 on and 4 off. Ive never had that so far. There is a lot of turnover here and I suppose that is why the schedule is so disjointed.
7) its not all bad. The other pilots have been awesome. Ramp agents range from awesome to having an attitude. Corporate has been nice albeit a bit shady.
Anyway, if you're young and just want to build time and don't have a family to take care of, this is a decent alternative to CFIing. I'm married and it has been a nightmare for me personally. I can't say either way if it's a good company or bad company. There's some good here but a lot of bad too. I am looking for work at another company that pays a livable wage because I am literally going bankrupt working here.
It's been a few years since I was at Southern, 2018 but ^this^ was my experience also.
#510
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2006
Position: B-737NG preferably in first class with a glass of champagne and caviar
Posts: 5,903
https://apple.news/AcVf8D-d0R9eTFTjjL7wQEw
Interesting read…. 19 lawsuits, filed in recent days, to recover training costs.
I don’t know what’s more pitiful… the company paying such low wages??? or the pilots who took employment with this operation.
Interesting read…. 19 lawsuits, filed in recent days, to recover training costs.
According to court documents, Southern Airways paid pilots a starting wage of $12 per hour, which rose to $18 and then $21 per hour as they accrued more flight time.
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Frisky Pilot
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01-01-2022 05:02 PM