Boutique Air
#1871
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Dec 2017
Posts: 148
Most excellent post!!
I have personally not had a bad experience at Boutique, it has its share of complainers, and its share of BS like any airline.
I have not once been pressured to fly in conditions i thought were unsafe. One call to dispatch, "im taking a delay for weather at the destination, probably not longer than an hour" and the response is "ok we will post an update, just keep us in the loop" is pretty much universally the answer.
I have never once been questioned or gotten a call from an ACP on a mechanical discrepancy, or been told "just do it under 91" whatever... not one time have i had that happen.
Where boutique struggles in my opinion:
1. Boutique needs to get out of bidding days off and hand building the schedule every month and switch to bidding lines of flying. its faster, its easier, and seniority based
2. Boutique needs to build infrastructure and then grow, not grow and THEN build infrastructure... that's how companies fail
3. everyone needs to realize what kind of company this is, its a small, part 135 EAS company using single engine planes where the average employee age is a ballpark of 24 years old. This isnt American Airlines. So you have guys who call in sick 16 times in a 6 month period (no really). If i ran a shop and you called in sick 3 times a month you would surely get a warning letter. lets get real.
4. finally, the training contract. 2 years 14K? give me a break. What PIC qualified guy is going to want to come to boutique air, and sign a contract for two years and owe the company a large sum of money when he can just instruct, tow banners, beg steal or borrow flight time for another few months and go get the big $20K bonus at Mesa or Envoy etc?? what PIC in their right mind is going to sign the dotted line with boutique in this climate? And upgrades from within... doesnt seem to be happening at all for some reason, other than the fact that your FOs dont want to upgrade and enter into yet another contract when they can just right seat for a couple of months and bounce to Mesa or Envoy and collect the bonus. Boutique is approaching its staffing issues the wrong way.
EDIT:
kill two birds with one stone, you got tons of 18, 19, 20 year olds out there who want to be pilots, but cant afford the time or the education.
Hire those aspiring pilots as CSAs and have them sign a 4 year contract, 2 years of which is agreement to work as a CSA, while boutique covers all or some of the cost of their Private, Commercial Single and Instrument rating. Any license or rating you want beyond that is on the CSAs dime. Once your two year is up as a CSA, you owe boutique air the remaining 2 years as a pilot with an appropriate pay penalty if you quit early.
boom, you have CSAs flowing in (which face it, we need to grow that infrastructure as long as SS is swallowing up EAS routes left and right) and you have a stream of inbound pilots on the hook for two years
I have not once been pressured to fly in conditions i thought were unsafe. One call to dispatch, "im taking a delay for weather at the destination, probably not longer than an hour" and the response is "ok we will post an update, just keep us in the loop" is pretty much universally the answer.
I have never once been questioned or gotten a call from an ACP on a mechanical discrepancy, or been told "just do it under 91" whatever... not one time have i had that happen.
Where boutique struggles in my opinion:
1. Boutique needs to get out of bidding days off and hand building the schedule every month and switch to bidding lines of flying. its faster, its easier, and seniority based
2. Boutique needs to build infrastructure and then grow, not grow and THEN build infrastructure... that's how companies fail
3. everyone needs to realize what kind of company this is, its a small, part 135 EAS company using single engine planes where the average employee age is a ballpark of 24 years old. This isnt American Airlines. So you have guys who call in sick 16 times in a 6 month period (no really). If i ran a shop and you called in sick 3 times a month you would surely get a warning letter. lets get real.
4. finally, the training contract. 2 years 14K? give me a break. What PIC qualified guy is going to want to come to boutique air, and sign a contract for two years and owe the company a large sum of money when he can just instruct, tow banners, beg steal or borrow flight time for another few months and go get the big $20K bonus at Mesa or Envoy etc?? what PIC in their right mind is going to sign the dotted line with boutique in this climate? And upgrades from within... doesnt seem to be happening at all for some reason, other than the fact that your FOs dont want to upgrade and enter into yet another contract when they can just right seat for a couple of months and bounce to Mesa or Envoy and collect the bonus. Boutique is approaching its staffing issues the wrong way.
EDIT:
kill two birds with one stone, you got tons of 18, 19, 20 year olds out there who want to be pilots, but cant afford the time or the education.
Hire those aspiring pilots as CSAs and have them sign a 4 year contract, 2 years of which is agreement to work as a CSA, while boutique covers all or some of the cost of their Private, Commercial Single and Instrument rating. Any license or rating you want beyond that is on the CSAs dime. Once your two year is up as a CSA, you owe boutique air the remaining 2 years as a pilot with an appropriate pay penalty if you quit early.
boom, you have CSAs flowing in (which face it, we need to grow that infrastructure as long as SS is swallowing up EAS routes left and right) and you have a stream of inbound pilots on the hook for two years
#1872
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2017
Posts: 154
4. finally, the training contract. 2 years 14K? give me a break. What PIC qualified guy is going to want to come to boutique air, and sign a contract for two years and owe the company a large sum of money when he can just instruct, tow banners, beg steal or borrow flight time for another few months and go get the big $20K bonus at Mesa or Envoy etc?? what PIC in their right mind is going to sign the dotted line with boutique in this climate? And upgrades from within... doesnt seem to be happening at all for some reason, other than the fact that your FOs dont want to upgrade and enter into yet another contract when they can just right seat for a couple of months and bounce to Mesa or Envoy and collect the bonus. Boutique is approaching its staffing issues the wrong way.
That being said, I don't have a solution to staffing woes.
Anybody know the the TEX route is going so far?
#1873
Line Holder
Joined APC: Feb 2018
Posts: 79
#1874
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Dec 2017
Posts: 148
PC12 PIC is 12 months $10K. Begins 1000/month proration downward after month 6. Presumably, it drops the final several thousand in month 12.
I understand, secondhand, that the King Air PIC training contract is 2 years $18K.
As a (former) PC12 Captain, I’m paying off $9,000 for having left in month 7. For me, voluntarily paying off the contract is a question of personal integrity. I have no issue with BTQ and am thankful for having the opportunity to fly!
I understand, secondhand, that the King Air PIC training contract is 2 years $18K.
As a (former) PC12 Captain, I’m paying off $9,000 for having left in month 7. For me, voluntarily paying off the contract is a question of personal integrity. I have no issue with BTQ and am thankful for having the opportunity to fly!
Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe the PIC contract is still 1 year/10k, and the SIC contract is the 2 year/14k. I see the logic in that, seeing as it will probably force more pilots into upgrading rather than bailing for a regional at 1500... But I'm not convinced it's the right way to go about it when most bonuses that the airlines are giving out will allow a lot of pilots to buy out the contract if they have to.
That being said, I don't have a solution to staffing woes.
Anybody know the the TEX route is going so far?
That being said, I don't have a solution to staffing woes.
Anybody know the the TEX route is going so far?
#1875
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2017
Posts: 154
Yeah, I'm not really sure where the skis are gonna go in the executive configuration, and the approaches into Telluride aren't exactly great. Not sure when the flights are scheduled, but I have a feeling that a lot of flights will be cancelled once winter approaches and it gets dark.
#1876
In a land of unicorns
Joined APC: Apr 2014
Position: Whale FO
Posts: 6,461
#1877
In a land of unicorns
Joined APC: Apr 2014
Position: Whale FO
Posts: 6,461
Yeah, I'm not really sure where the skis are gonna go in the executive configuration, and the approaches into Telluride aren't exactly great. Not sure when the flights are scheduled, but I have a feeling that a lot of flights will be cancelled once winter approaches and it gets dark.
#1878
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Dec 2017
Posts: 148
At 5” interior width only men’s bump skis or women’s and kid’s might fit sideways. Actually, since you can’t gate check skis, they aren’t going to be carried in the last row, as it is against TSA regs to carry TSA checked bags out of the locked cargo area.
Regardless, if you could afford to vacation at TEX, you would be bringing your $1000 custom fit ski boots and use the local high end rental skis.
Anyway, it’s not my deal any more as I’m going 121 in 5 days.
As the DFW northern area regional approach dude says - “Seeee Yaaaaaa!
Regardless, if you could afford to vacation at TEX, you would be bringing your $1000 custom fit ski boots and use the local high end rental skis.
Anyway, it’s not my deal any more as I’m going 121 in 5 days.
As the DFW northern area regional approach dude says - “Seeee Yaaaaaa!
#1880
On Reserve
Joined APC: Jan 2017
Posts: 15
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