This is going to flow off topic quickly I am sure, but I would like to find some good things about ASA. We tend to ***** more than compliment. If possible, can you give a FAIR EVALUATION of the company at hand? I don't mind negative feedback of the company in this, but that is present everywhere is this forum. Preferably in list format and please from people with first hand knowledge of ASA.

 

Ill start off.


Their flightsafety building atlanta has AMAZING coffee. Theres a dozen or so flavors to choose from.

 

I consider flight safety to be a nice cafe with a couple of simulators versus a sim center with good coffee. i guess a week of 4am sim sessions will do that to you.

 

Anybody else have anything to say about ASA? I would also like to know. blcampbell are you interviewing with ASA? If so when? I read on another thread you have 700/50? Nice work.

 

Email me at [email protected]. Yes, I do have an interview with them late this month.

 

People are jumping ship rapidly. As of yesterday, ASA lost 129 pilots for the year, which equates to about one a day. Some though are the junior F/O's who've been here a year or 2 and left to go to Skywest because of their growth and fast upgrade. So you would probably move up quickly.

The lines have been shrinking over the last year. A Captain acquaintance said there were over 400 lines for May of last year and this month it was something like 320 lines.

Skywest will open a crew base in ATL in June. They closed the ASA base in SLC citing no need for both companies there as well as cost issues.

ASA is a very profitable company, it just hasn't grown much if at all since Skywest has purchased them. Contract negotiations are going on five years, the longest in the industry I hear, so there are pilots who have worked for years without a raise.

If I was shopping regionals, I would look at Skywest, and Republic and maybe ExpressJet first.

Hope this helps.

 

Why are they doing this? What is so bad there that they are losing so many pilots? I've read all I can on the contract negotiations and it appears that it will be better once it is set done?!? I just don't understand....upgrade times change as do reserve times.....After 1-2 years with the company I just can't imagine it is profitable to jump ship to go through someone else's seniority system. The airline flies to some great places around the country.....I just don't see the issue...but I don't see anything other than what I read.

Why is it that everyone recommends (even retired ASA guys) going to Skywest over ASA if given the opportunity? What is sooo different?

 

Lack of leadership (at ASA). This has been the case since the George and John days (a long time ago). Back when I was interviewed, the chief pilot was the last stop for me. He told me everything looked great, but the president of the company had to look over my paper work. Huhh??? The president has to look over the paper work for all pilots hired? Wanted to ask the chief pilot what his job was.
Another example. Several years ago I was going through recurrent training in June. Our director of operations came in and told the class that so far for the year, ASA rampers had caused something like $20,000,000 of damage to ASA aircraft. (The next day a fueler almost totaled an ATR when he tried to drive under the wing, driving this number up quite a bit). The year was not half over.
I raised my hand and asked why ASA did not give the rampers some kind of safety bonus for NOT damaging airplanes, especially since they paid them squat. He looked at me like I was crazy, and said ASA would not pay bonuses for people doing their jobs. I wanted to ask where he got his management training.
We used to have a guy in management who was famous for saying he hated pilots and thought we were a bunch of sniveling babies. Good guy to have in management in the airlines.
Management people at ASA have normally been people who failed at other places (such as TWA), yet were hired by ASA. I heard a few times from management people, "Well, this is how we did it at TWA." I wanted to jump up and ask, "Now how the h%$# is TWA doing??"
I'd add more, but someone might figure out who I am.

 

Reserve here is very short now and our upgrade is down to 2 years and 8 months. This is due to people leaving for the majors, retiring, and we have had two large gaps in hiring...i think one was a year where they didnt hire anyone and the other was about 9 months.

 

Does ASA have a training contract?