PSA info
 

Starting a new thread since the latest one is a little messy.

Any news?

Seeing other regionals making progress--Republic, compass et al.

hoping something is in the works for PSA.

Also understand another base to be declared in January; is that true?

Hello, still receiving 3 900s a month and there is a rumor going around about a new base opening but nothing official has been announced yet although my money is on DCA.

What's going to prevent this thread from getting messy?

Rumors are rumors but this did happen to me directly...in DAY a higher up slipped up about Chicago base opening in Jan and then doubling, etc. then seemed try and dismiss the slip up.

Chicago would make a lot of sense but the way they think is that if there isn't hangar space available, there will not be a base there ala CVG becoming a base.....

No hanger space = no crew base means that DCA won't be a base, ORD won't be a base, MIA won't be a base, TYS won't be a base,........ oh wait.

Where do we find info about switching reserve days?

I see the "reserve grid", but I haven't been able to figure out how to swap them around.

If it were up to me I would get rid of DAY and TYS as crew bases and open another large hub base in ORD or DCA to go along with CVG (people moved over from DAY) and CLT...but I just work here.

Here is the latest "news".

PSA received 11 CRJ700's from Envoy, and now are receiving the additional 900's. There are 3 new 900s that entered service in the last couple of weeks. PSA management has said that they want to add 2 airplanes a month, but mainline has told them that it needs to be 3. The Envoy 700's that arrived are beat up, bent, and fly like crap, and most pilots wish that they never received them and they stayed at Envoy. Most people tend to think that once the company is not able to fill new hire classes, 200's will start to be parked.

Dion said in a town hall that he is not worried at all about finding new pilots. No one is really sure what he has up his sleeve, but it will be interesting to see if there is a plan or if he is being optimistic. There are rumors that PSA is going to be taking pilots from other regionals that are currently operating 200's to operate the 200's that are on property, but there is absolutely no proof of this and personally I doubt that this will happen. PSA is currently paying for the CPT ATP written class, and everyone expects a hiring bonus. It is doubtful that there will be a first year pay raise, but stranger things have happened.

CVG is opening in a few weeks, and will start small and grow from there. Expect it to be mostly 900's there.

There will be another base, but it will really be up to mainline to see where it will be. Everyone is thinking that they are waiting to see what will happen at Republic and Envoy before making the decision. Envoy has plenty of good pilots, and is capable of taking on additional flying, but no one is exactly sure where they will happen. PSA was offered additional flying out of LGA or DCA a few months ago, and chose DCA.

Upgrades are continuing at a good pace. The latest bid was for 30 upgrades. Anyone in the company that is eligible and wants to upgrade can do so within a month or so. That does NOT mean that everyone passes upgrade. If you are not ready, they will happily let you know that and send you back to the right seat. If you put in for an upgrade, be ready. With that said, most of the guys that have been coming in from other airlines have been doing very well in upgrade training and are making great captains.

Flow - The flow is currently 5 per month. There are 1183 pilots currently on the seniority list, but there are a couple hundred that are not active. There are many sim and ground instructors on the list that are not even eligible to flow (65+ years old, no medical, or other reason), plus only a couple in the top 100 that want to flow. We get an additional flow spot for every 62 captains that we add to the list. Since the last upgrade class announced was for 30, PSA could reach the next 62 in a couple of months. With that said, most people are NOT excited about the flow and are updating their applications with all of the majors. The attrition has been pretty consistent with people going elsewhere.

The DO told people recently that PSA will have to start offering a hiring bonus in the next couple of months. PSA is not supposed to be hiring right now, as they said that they were taking a break to clear up the backlog that they had this summer. Even during this "break", they have been running small classes just to keep the system working. The backlog is now gone. The training footprint is back to where it should be. There are additional IPT's and sims on line, and 100 check airmen. Hiring is supposed to start back in January with 25 per class, with a class starting every 2 weeks.

Additional flying - PSA has been doing quite a bit of new flying in the past few months. Several new destinations have been added, and new Canadian flying is starting in January.

Quality of life is decent, but there are certainly things that the company has been doing to make life at PSA as painful as possible. The reserve grid and critical pay arbitration is not back yet, and the company still thinks that -10 people on reserve does not make a day critical. Scheduling is constantly pulling crap that is against the contract.

SAP! - The schedule adjustment period is still slow, but supposedly improving. This is one of the biggest benefits at PSA. It allows any line holder to swap trips with any open time trip during that period. For instance, nearly every line holder dropped Christmas this month. The bad news is that nearly every person that is not a line holder will be working during Christmas. With the SAP, you can also trade trips 2 for 1, or 1 for 2. If you want to drop down to 65 hours, you can. If you want to fly 95 hours, you can. If you want to drop that crappy 15 hour, 4 day trip, you can. Once the SAP is over though, don't expect much schedule flexibility. The reserve grids are crap, as are the trips in open time. The company hides open time, or breaks it up so it is not worth picking it up.

Displacement for FO's continues to happen. As an FO, you can expect to get displaced off of a trip at least once a month. You are pay protected, but do lose the per diem. If you live in base, or have an easy commute, it isn't too bad. At worst, you are put on Long Call Reserve with a 12 hour callout. Best case scenario, you are released (if they don't give you notice or are displaced mid trip). There are people that are flying 40 hours a month that are getting paid for 80, so that isn't too bad.

In the end, it is like every other regional. There are good parts, and there are bad parts. If you want to upgrade quickly, PSA will be a good place IF, AND ONLY IF, PSA is able to fill new hire classes for the next 18 months. If they fail to hire enough pilots, the new airplanes will stop coming here and the upgrades will stop.

A hiring bonus is being discussed. They're going to have to do something seeing as most regionals pay a lot more.

I would agree with most of this. The only exception I have is to note that we will not stop taking deliveries of 900s or the 700s. We will most likely retire the 200s on a 1/1 basis until staffing catches up if it starts to be an issue. I would expect too see bonuses, raises, and other contract improvements before it comes to that however. I've said it before and I'll say it again. 50 seat flying is slowly going the way of the buffalo. The dip in oil has staved off that plan for a bit, but ultimately it isn't about cheap gas or a pilot supply, it's about gate space and profitability. I think the company is banking on taking in FOs from other failing regionals in 2016. I would expect to see a hiring bonus here very soon.

Eventually I think most regionals will offer starting pay somewhere near $35 /hour and also offer some sort of commuter clause that provides for 4 hotels a month. I don't think PSA is there yet, but by 2017 who knows.

I thought that is exactly what I said. If not, I agree.

If it were not for the recent dip in oil prices, the desert will be filling up with 50 seat airplanes from every company. This is a temporary reprieve.

NO "HIRING BONUSES", DAMNIT!!!!!!!!!!

IF THEY WANT TO GIVE NEW HIRES MORE MONEY, THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE TO GIVE *ALL OF US* MORE MONEY!

NON-NEGOTIABLE!!!!!!

Tell your friends.

Lol! Good luck with that...

Yeah I find the notion of you guys wanting more money kinda funny. Take pay cuts to asks for more.

While I agree with you, I don't think the company cares what we think. Just look at the critical pay and reserve grid.

Going to have to keep the Envoy hardcores off here if you want to keep the info flowing and accurate.

Exactly. Industry back stabbers and yes voters complaining. Too funny.


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You do realize that of the original pilot group that voted for those pay cuts, only about 300 voted in favor of them. And of those 300, many have left. I'd say maybe 200 (if that many) remain? So 200 pilots out of a pilot group of about 1200. This is basically an entirely different / new pilot group now.

Aren't you at gojet/or rah or some places that lowered the bar just as much?

Hmmm... Small, relatively insignificant regional airline votes to save their jobs by taking modest pay cuts in exchange for explosive growth and qol increases. Rest of the industry meanwhile has been making substantial gains in pay and other areas of their contracts as of late. And yet we're all "backstabbers". Get real. PSA's vote has had little to no effect on the regional industry. Some of you just don't know how to let things go.

I do realize that, however that still doesn't change my opinion of anyone who works there.

Let's be honest with ourselves. If that same vote came across your current pilot group, it would still pass. That's not meant to be a dig. Just a nasty industry. Pilots care only about their own best interest.

I don't think it would. Not with the industry in the state it is in now.

I've flown with yes and no voting CAs and heard all different sides of the equation. They all make valid points. There are no easy choices in a situation like that. But everyone agrees that the airline probably would have been shut down and its pilots would of been in search of a job elsewhere.

As they should, however care enough not to leave your predecessors with a giant pile of fecal matter.

PSA pilots did not take a pay cut. But don't let facts get in your way.

Was at Republic for a stint. Left for Compass. And do some research son. My fellow comrades at Republic were one of the few to hold the line and vote down contracts. The bar was raised because of them. Please, inform us all of where you preside.


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As stated before this is an entirely different airline and pilot group then the one that voted for the TA but if you want to keep yelling at those guys who are mostly not here anymore go for it!

Wait, are you talking about PSA or Envoy? Or maybe Republic.

Don't make be copy and paste "the history" lesson again. 'Cause I'll do it!

The Envoy pilots are a whipped and beaten pilot group. Like a puppy that is tied up in the back yard and beaten with a stick every day, they bite at anyone every chance that they get. They can't stand to see that they were wrong and ended up with a much worse deal than they would have otherwise.

What's 12/4? Oohhg but but nobody here will EVER see that, I've heard that one before

I apologize to anyone that actually wanted to get some decent into from this thread, it's a shame that this is the way regionals are these days....we're not happy until everyone else is unhappy...bunch of **** measuring contests.

They didn't get a worse deal. They held out and received a $12,500 bribe, which they accepted, therein passing-on a "worse deal" to their successors, (a.k.a. "new hires"). But hey, you're not a scab if you take a bribe and crap on those below you.

It's not a "pay cut". It's a "pay cap",..... just like Delta has,..... just like United has,........ just like AA has. Learn the difference, junior.

For the record the PSA guys aren't Scabs either. That word is used way to much. I dont agree with what the PSA guys did, but they aren't scabs.

It's APC... What does anyone really expect? It's like the bathroom stall of airline pilot forums.

Envoy guys are the first to jump up and down and call people names, and expect pilots at other regionals to fall on their sword to benefit Envoy.

Once you get to APA, you will realize that we are looking for people who are realistic and place their frustrations accordingly. If you had any maturity at all, you would be mad at AAG for screwing you and creating this situation to begin with.

It is like the beaten dog blaming the stick, rather than the man holding the stick. For the love of God, get your facts and priorities straight.

What fecal matter are you referring to?

Please consider the massive contract gains that have been made at regionals in the past year or two.

Seems to me the PSA vote meant nothing.

Ok. Here are the facts:

1(a) Parker offers PSA pilots new CRJ 900 jets in exchange for concessions. PSA Pilots say no, and those jets went to Mesa.
1(b) Parker offers Envoy pilots new E-170 jets in exchange for concessions. Envoy pilots say no, and those jets went to Compass.

2(a) Parker offers PSA pilots new jets in exchange for concessions. PSA pilots say no and Parker sent those jets to Republic.
2(b) Parker offers Envoy pilots new E-170's in exchange for concessions. Envoy pilots say no and Parker sent those jets to Republic.

3(a) Parker again offers new CRJ 900's to PSA pilots in exchange for concessions, with the caveat that the airline would be shut down if they said no again. PSA pilots took the deal.
3(b) Parker again offers new E-170's to Envoy pilots in exchange for concessions, with the caveat that the airline would be shut down if they said no again. Envoy pilots took the deal.

So as we can clearly see, it's ok for Envoy pilots to take a deal in order to save their jobs,....... but it's not ok for PSA pilots to take that same deal in order to save THEIR jobs.