PSA Offering LOA to FO's
 

Heard PSA just offered a LOA for 20 FO's through September. Wonder if they will find enough buyers for all this beach front property in Kansas?

I called a friend in the CP's office this morning and he said that PSA is overstaffed of FO's. There are so many FO's that the new guys are not able to get their 100 hours of consolidation in the first 5 months (even after the extension from 4 months to 5 months with another line check). They are having to go back to the sims.

The training pipeline is becoming very efficient and they are pumping out new employees faster than they are needed. With over 100 line check airmen (120 or so right now), they are able to get the new FO's through IOE faster than they are needed.

It seems that the delay in getting new aircraft has created a problem, along with the current shortage of captains. Once the new DEC's get through, and more airplanes come on property, everything will be much better. He said only 4 of the new 700's are operating right now.

Unless they offer leaves of absence, the other problem that they will have is that the new FO's that do get their 100 hours are not flying much after that. It is not uncommon for a FO to fly 30 hours a month. Even after holding a line, many are displaced off of their awarded trips so that the trips can be used for IOE. While it may be great to get paid 75 hours a month (they are pay protected if displaced and usually given the time off) and only fly 7 days for 30 hours (which is happening to some people right now), it is hard to get to 1000 hours for upgrade when you are flying that little.

PSA seems to be doing the right thing for the new FO's and offering leaves of absence to the more senior FO's. They are offering 8 full month leaves for August, along with 14 half month, and ~20 one week off. If these are not taken, they will reevaluate and start offering paid leave.

Currently, they are paying new hire FO's to not fly (being displaced off trips, etc..). The idea is to pay the senior "lifer FO's" to not fly so that they can help the more junior FO's to get their 1000 hours and upgrade. The lifer FO's that are taking up the flying hours are currently the clog in the system.

Some people would not mind unpaid leave. I know that when I was at a regional, I had a business on the side and made more money there than I did flying. If you accrue seniority and longevity while getting paid more elsewhere, it is not a bad option. I could also see it working for military guys that just went to PSA for the civilian type rating to flow easier to a civilian career after they finish their military career. They could fly with their reserve units and make more money. Other than that, if pilots hold out and do not accept it, it will become paid leave.

Well done brown streak. Well done.

Hold the line!!! Paid leave or no leave

"Paid leave" is my favorite color!

Hell I'd take a paid month off...

I would agree with this, and I hope that the PSA pilots hold the line on this. But, at any airline, there are some people that wouldn't mind a couple months off unpaid. A person on first year FO pay really isn't losing much with this. It will be seniority based, so all it takes is a couple of military guys that can fly for the reserves for the month, and a couple of business owners to realize that they can make more on their month off to mess it up.

With any vote, there are never 100% for or against anything. For this, all it will take is 8-10 people that don't mind a month off without pay. I am sure that it would be easy to find 20 pilots at any airline that would take a month off without pay without thinking twice.

Omfg! Hold the line. PSA. Hold the line! Hahahahahahahahaha. I can't stop laughing. PSA holding the line. Yeah. That'll happen.

Lol. In their defense, I can't see that happening anywhere. That's akin to trying to get everyone to not pick up OT. Good in theory, but not gonna happen.

LOL!!! Amen to that!