You might get paid per diem, but it is taxed since you didn't spend the night away from base. So now instead of $15, it's more like $7.50!

Hired in Spring '11, held a line in 8 months in CLT. I live in base, life isn't too bad. I don't know how the commuters do it. Now crediting 100-110 hours a month averaging 1 open time pickup. SDO pay is 1.5 times rate with 4 hour min means a 12 duty hour high speed will get 12 credit hours, min. Nice way to pick up some extra cash. But this has supposedly been negotiated away in a new contract. Good luck getting guys to pick up open time.
Crews are great, only one Captain I don't want to fly with again. It could be better, it could be worse. It's a regional.

I think it will be a good thing to give up 1.5X SDO pay. It is a great way to make some money but it causes issues as well.
Say you want to drop a 4 day trip and have it in open time.
Well now they are going to have to pay someone 1.5x to fly that same trip. Whereas they were only going to have to pay you straight pay. Not good for the company.
So currently the company schedules us with only 10 days off. Makes it hard to pick up open time when you get so little time off.
Now if they gave us 15 days off and you wanted to pick up a 4 day trip to make some extra $$$ then great. It doesn't cost the company anything extra and you get to make some green. Win Win for all. Some people would rather spend precious time with family than some granny on a 4 day trip. Who can blame them?

The current 1.5x pay is here because years ago no one wanted to pick up open time. So it was put out there as an incentive. Works for those senior few that need to make 120hrs to make ends meet.

Also the 1.5x will stick around for Junior Manns. Or so i have heard.

Is it "Juliet" "Mike"?

Crew meals are disgusting....eat the roast beef and you'll be hurting for a few days...

Hot Reserve is only 10 hours not 12...

You can hold a line in a couple months in Charlotte, TYS and DAY is closer to a year...

Not a bad company, been here almost a year and I'm not complaining.

SDO pay is already a win-win. It provides the company motivation to place all flying in lines, increasing the amount of line flying. It provides pilots motivation to pick up open time because there will always be some degree of open time. Without SDO pay open time will either be Junior Manned (that better stay 1.5x or no one will answer their phone!) or the reserves will fly it and they'll need more reserves. How is that saving the company money? I didn't say I wanted another 4 day, just a day or two to bring the credits up a little. You really think we'll all get 15 days off? That means an average 5 block hour day to make guarantee. I don't think scheduling can make the mental leap.
There will have to substantial QOL increases such that I don't need to pick up open time in order for me to vote yes to loosing SDO pay.

I agree it was intended to be a win-win, but ended up being a QOL killer. Try trip trade a trip that's worth less time. Can't do it. Why? Because they would have to put your original trip in open time and pay the other pilot more to fly it. Our management has shown that even for 1 minute of pay they are not going to allow the change. Hopefully in the new contract we will have duty rigs and each day is going to be worth at least 5hrs? 4? 3??? I have no idea but if we get a min day pay then it would be in the best interest of the company to fly us to that minimum or more. It will end up being more days off, with more efficient trips. Personally i would like to see 2 for 1 pay. That we get paid at least 1 hours pay for each 2 hours on duty. Want to make me work 14hr duty day? Great then pay me for it. Want me to sit in a hotel for 18hrs. Great then i'm getting paid for it.

Seafeye,

What contract language will allow you to drop a trip into open time? if the company ever did allow that language in the contract it would be surrounded by words like "when fesiable" or "if available"

15 days off, really, at PSA? Even if you had 15 days off how could you pickup a 4 day trip? Wouldnt 30 in 7 come into play?

The 1.5 for a day off wasn't given by the company, it was negotiated in a LOA relating to J4J issues and the 700's.

As for duty rigs, if you agree with the company that a day is worth 4 hours, then they will build lines with mostly 4 hour days. Yes, the senior lines will have more value, but don't expect a duty or trip rig to fix problems at PSA for the jr guys.

Being paid by the duty hour might sound great, but the company would only agree to that kind of pay scheme if it was cost neutral. Meaning your flight hour pay just went from $70 an hour to $8, but in the end your pay check is the same.

Sincerely I hope things get better at PSA for my friends that are still there. All I'm saying is don't be so quick to give up things the company really wants as there is a reason they want it back so badly!

Any news on your fleet plans?

Trans States has it now that you can put a trip into open time and if someone picks it up then you are off the hook. You are still responsible for it till it is gone. Right now at PSA there is no provision for this unless you post a request on a web board and get lucky. Also if we did currently leave one in open time then the company would have to pay a pilot 1.5x. That doesn't seem right.

I believe there were 95 lines in CLT this month round 1. 6 of them had 15 days off and 1 had 16 and another 17. Getting better but we are short Captains right now so they are building schedules with a lot over 92hrs. 30 in 7 happens i guess. Maybe once to me in 7 years. But i can see how it would affect picking up a 4 day.

Your right. The company is going to do what is in their best interest. And we need to push what would be ours.

I agree. But if we can spend less time in uniform and make the same money then it would seem to be a step in the right direction.

We have people getting paid 12 hours for two legs on a hi speed. At $100/hour some people are making out like bandits. I'm sure that drives K.H. nuts. :)
Pilots 1 Company 99.

Whats the latest over at PSA. Its always so quiet. How long is it taking people to get CLT base and what are reserve times looking like these days.

I feel like quiet is good these days!!

Any news on how big is the pilot pool waiting for class?? Or any information about class dates for the guys that were interviewed on may

You're hired into pool however, they pull applicants out of the pool based on interview scores ( they dont tell you your score) So, it is conceivable to be swimming for a while. I applied was hired and a week later was hired by SkyWest, which is a night and day difference interview from PSA. Good luck.

Im waiting for results, I have a class with another airline on june but i will go to psa.

How so????

Much, much more in depth interview process. Much, did I stress much enough?

The Kool Aid is fresher, colder and has a fuller flavor. ;) PSAs interview is really easy, my HR/tech was 15 minutes tops. Skywests was an hour atleast. Much more intense.

Yup we interviewed from 8am-430pm. Only down time was lunch.

Gotta love their kool aid injected movie of their jets doing low speed flybys over the runway with Paul Oakenfold Techno music in the background.

What exactly does an interview at psa consist of these days? Yeah im sure skywest alot more difficult.

First a written test (you must score 20/25 to continue) then panel interview with HR, Assistant Chief and line Capt. If you pass you go for the sim ride.

Thanks. Sounds like it hasnt changed in the last 5 years.

Anyone that have been selected to be part of the pilot pool for PSA has any news of possible class dates?

What's the sim ride consist of these days? What type of aircraft do they use for the interview?

Latest rumor i hear is that PSA may start hiring street captains cause a lot of the f/o's don't have the flight time.
Just an overheard crew room conversation.

Elite PCATD configure as an MD80. Very simple climbs descents brief the entry for a hold and ils approach.

Haha now thats funny! Most of the FO's are pre 2009 hires, they would have more than enough time.

They are also screening to make sure you meet ATP requirements by Aug 2013 before hiring.

The street captain thing will not happen.

I hope that's true!! That means I get to bypass 90 FOs front of me??? Lol pretty sure everyone's got 3k hours plus :(

If you drop a trip into open time you have to pick one up. So the company loses nothing. Plus 99% of open time is flown by reserves basically for free since they are under guarantee anyway. If we give up SDO they should count on alot less people picking up trips. Like me for one.....