PSA new hires....
 

Does anyone know where PSA new hires are being based??

.....and did TSA raise their minimums?? It says on their jobs site that they want 500TT/50ME but I thought I read a month ago that it was just a COMM/MULTI. Just wondering.....

Yes please tell. I am interested in knoxville, TN. Is this a senior base with PSA?

How is working for PSA

if your worried about having 500 and 50 multi you must be a pilot factoy wonder...and you dont want to work for psa...

Hey DLAJ77...why don't you think PSA is a good place to work? I'm interested in everyone's opinions (both positive and negative) on flying for PSA. What things in particular make PSA a bad place to work? Just interested in hearing both sides of the story.

I am no longer there as I left a year ago this month. However, some things are still the same and some are still as bad.

To give you a little background, PSA used to be a pretty fun place to work at when I was there in 00 thru 04. 05-06 was a total nightmare. This was of course when we had the Dornier and we were very small, about 230 pilots. The crews were great, the atmosphere was good as were the schedules. You got paired with the same crew all month long and we had PIT, CAK as bases for the Dork. We had some awesome crashpads in CAK and that was the highlight of coming to work was to hang out with my buds and get into trouble. We had partys on the weekends and good turnouts and was a fun place to be at. After the retirement of the Dork, we started to grow a little to fast. We had some serious growing pains and because of that, the atmosphere and relathionship with managment started to go down the crapper.

Then came the advent of J4J in which mainline pilots came on over. This added to the stress and the internal name calling started. The schedules started to suck and managment constantly broke our CBA time and time again. This was the case when I left. They still have their battles, but a few things are certain at PSA.

1. For the most part, the crews are fun to fly with especially the guys that were in the Dork.
2. There always seems to be some sort of bidding error each month.
3. This is not the place for a quick upgrade. Granted, things are starting to move in a better direction as of late, but still is 3-4 years out for the left seat.
4. There will always be the flow through carrot dangled in each crewroom.
5. There will always be the CRJ-900 carrot dangled right next to number 4.
6. Company has no intention of doing right for the crewmember and your grievences are usually locked in for months awaiting for the Grevience Review Committee to hear it.
7. If your case goes to arbitration, it will take years to be heard.
8. Excessive junior manning and the airline is very short staffed.

Now, I've listed a few negative things about the company. However, I enjoyed my time there and was glad to get out. The crazy days and having fun days are gone as most of the jokers there have since moved on to better career choices with various majors.

As with most new FO's, having the a quick upgrade is usually in your cards. This is not the place to play that card. Management will lie to you about this. They break promises and don't blink twice with your concerns or complaints.

To each his own.

You don't want to work at PSA because:

1) Upper management is incompetant. They coudn't find thier own assets with both hands and a map. Which is wierd, because thier heads are typically located neck deep in said assets.

2) Thier operational incompetance does not preclude them from eroding the pilot contract with new interpretations of language at every opportunity.

3) The MEC's response to contract rollbacks is "Fly it and grieve it" The only problem is the next open arbitration slot is in 2028. And management will probably willfully disregard the arbitrators findings.

4) Schedules are _intentionally_ degraded by management. Like 4 day trips uncommutable on both ends. Long duty days with short overnights. Long sits (4+ hours) between flights. Summer schedules, where the best line had only 14 days off. The ALPA scheduling comittee has met with the crew planners to make better schedules, to improve performance, utilization, and Crew QOL. The planners told ALPA that they had the ability to make the changes requested, but had been explicitly directed not to.

5) Schedulers who really enjoy puting pilots through the wringer. I understand sheduling has a job to do, and we're the resource they have to use to meet thier goals. But they will wait untill the last possible moment to notify you of a trip - even if they have known you would be assigned to it for hours. Likewise, not releasing a crewmember who is nearing the end of a duty period, and has a commute to catch, though there are no open trips, and/or other crewmembers available to take any trip which might become available.

6) Morale is in the toilet. Upgrades are stagnant. Flow backs are finally leaving, but the flow through to mainline appears in jeapordy, and even it it does work out, Airways isn't looking like a prize anybody would want. Add to that management repeatedly threatening to go out of business unless pilots agree to fly CRJ 900s for CRJ 200 wages

7) Playing domicile roulette. PSA used to feed PIT from bases in DAY, CLE, CAK, CVG, & PIT. Then they closed all those bases (except DAY) in favor of a PHL base. Then they closed PHL in favor of CLT. PSA has been anything but a model of stability.

8) The Dayton Airport Hotel is as nasty a place as you will ever stay at. PSA's training center is attached.

9) Wilbur's grille at the DAY Airport Hotel ought to be closed by the Health Department. There are no other restraunts in a practical walking distance.

9a) Last year they found a dead body in the parking lot.

10) There are many other places with a decent QOL where you will actually be happy to work. In no particular order, Express Jet, The Republic Group, SkyWest, Air Wisconsin, & American Eagle. Simply put, you can do better.

Wow...thanks 328dude and robthree for taking the time to post your detailed opinions. I appreciate it more than a post that simply says "PSA sucks!" I realize the ups and downs of working for any regional carrier, but I'm particularly interested in PSA because they have a base close to my family's home in DAY. From what I gather, a lot of misery can be avoided by living in base and not commuting. My plan (at least at first) is to live in DAY for a year or two. I know robthree mentioned schedules are not very commutable. I'm interested in schedules because I'm entertaining the idea of commuting after a year or two and have a few questions:

1) How good is the commuter clause in the contract? I heard that as long as you list yourself on at least 2 flights that get you to base on time, you are not in trouble if you can't make your show. Is that true, or anyone care to elaborate?

2) As a FO with a year or two of seniority, can you realistically bid a semi-commutable schedule (i.e. 4+ day trips with a good number of days off betweeen trips)? I'm single and don't mind being on the road alot, but it would be nice to have my days off cluster in big lumps. Can a 18 month or 2 year FO hold a schedule like that?

Thanks again guys for commenting on PSA and sharing your opinions. I appreciate all the insight you can give!

Florida Flyer

Hows Eagle working out Rob? Home more, I hope.

are you in class for PSA??? You have heard what the guys say about company but if you can live in base that is really good if its your first job...and when you go to a shi**y regional you will only strive to get out as fast as you can to one of the majors once that PIC times gets up. Just have to wait 6 years to get it, and thats what sucks about psa.

Yes I'm in the 9/10 class. For me, one of the advantages of PSA is the DAY domicile because it's close to where I'm living now. I realize each airline has its ups and downs, but I think a 6 year upgrade time is a bit exaggerated. APC's PSA page indicates that the most junior CA was hired in July 2003...about 4 years ago. When I interviewed in August, we were told that currently the upgrade time is 4 years, but it's expected to fall soon due to the J4J recalls and attrition. A four year upgrade wait is tolerable for me, and is not too far off from the regional average...and is certainly better than Comair and Eagle's upgrade times. Like any job, it's not for everyone. The main reason I'm going to PSA is for the DAY base, which will keep me close to home. Hopefully, everything will work out...but like anything else, only time will tell :)

good you want to be based where you live period...the 6 years was the time it will take you to get the PIC time to be marketable for a major. Its worth a shot though if you will be based at home since you will sit reserve for quite a bit

Florida,

1) There is no commuter clause in the PSA contract.
Management unilaterally instituted a commuter policy, which is similar to what you described. You think "Great! What a progressive understanding company. It must be a nice place to work." However the flip side of the commuter policy involved accepting the reliability policy, also unilaterally instituted by the company. Which says if you call in sick, more than the specified allotment, the company can terminate you. The Union opposes the relaibilty policy for a number of reasons, not the least of which is flying while sick is against company policy as stated in the Flight Ops Manual, and is patently an unsafe act. But a pilot would inevitably be forced to choose between flying sick and losing his job.

The other part of the commuter policy says if you miss your trip, you are not pay protected, and will be a reserve pilot for the duration of the assignment.

2) In DAY, you should be able to hold a tolerably good line in much less time than in CLT. A year to 18 months perhaps. Of course in that time PSA might be feeding LAS and PHX. Commuting to DAY from FL could be a real disaster. I was flying from IAH to DAY at first, there were 2 Xjet ERJs a day. Or connect via some combination of CLT, CVG PHL, ATL, or DFW. I flew into IND and CMH and rented a car on more than one occasion. A two leg commute is required out of FL to DAY, that will be problematic, no matter how good a line you hold. It would not be unreasonable to expect to regularly lose a full day on either side of your trip due to the commute.

Check with PSA ALPA about upgrades - they can give you the most up to date info on that topic. A six year upgrade was what they were at when I left. I understand that the last of the dork FO's has now been awarded CA... I think that's at least five years, but I'm by no means certain.

Once you've decided that you dont want to be Pam's beech anymore, (You'll hear stories about Pam. She is one of the least loved PSA schedulers) you could take thet CRJ training over to Republic, get a healthy signing bonus, and be based in CMH or IND - neither to bad a drive from DAY.


328dude,
I love driving to work. Flying at Eagle is day and night from my life at PSA. Even when I was in LGA, proffering for trips or reserve periods meant I had some control over my life. Less than 6 months to hold a line. Great flying - no more no more FAY, Jacksonville, NC, or CAE type overnights. The Hotels are generally a cut above where PSA would stay. Automated trip trades & open time. Real time posting of open trips. Pay protection for reassignment, and you never get reassigned, unless the wheels fall off because of bad weather - not just scheduling being idiots.

But yeah, I am home a lot more, and it has worked out for me far better than I really expected, or even could have hoped.

[QUOTE=robthree;226712]Once you've decided that you dont want to be Pam's beech anymore, (You'll hear stories about Pam. She is one of the least loved PSA schedulers)[QUOTE]

Pam, Really? Nah, Ginger ( aka, FAT, Scaly Dragon or Horse puss) has the cake in that department and eats plenty of it. Just offer her a Double Whopper (with cheese), and she will do anything you want.

Don't listen to these guys. A lot of their information is inaccurate. I currently work at PSA. It is not near what they make it out to be. The only thing I can agree with is that the Dayton Hotel sucks and Wilbur's will make you run for the crapper.

PSA is a stable company. They are owned by US Airways, so PSA doesnt have to compete like Mesa or Air Wisconsin for contracts.

The schedules are not as bad as these guys make it out to be. They do not junior man you all the time. I have been junior manned once so far. And even if you are, who cares, you get extra pay and you get your day off back. I like getting junior manned. This month I am not flying nearly as much on reserve as I did last month. The new hires must be taking up the slack.
I do not wait for hours between flights. The work is generally real close together, so most of the time you get crew meals. Not very good food, but I love it because it is free.

You can get pretty much any base you want right now within a couple of months.

Psa DOES have a commuter policy. I am in Charlotte and I have NO problems commuting to Dallas. I have been paying for a crashpad here in Charlotte and have only used it once in the last month. Pretty good for a reserve guy. Reserve is now down to around 8 months in Charlotte. Knoxville reserve is about 1-2 months. I'm not sure about Dayton, but you wouldn't want to go there anyway.

I am transferring to Knoxville next month. It is dirt cheap to live there, nice country folk to be around, and I can already hold a line there. The lines out of Knoxville are great. Good days off and enough hours to make some decent pay. The only drawback to Knoxville is it is not very commutable.


Everyone I have worked with here so far has been great. There are alot of good people here. I have not flown with anyone I didn't get along with. Take what all these people on here say with a grain of salt. No matter what job you want to go to, you will hear people gripe and complain about something. I'm sure you'll even hear a UPS or FedEx guy complain about how something there sucks. Gather the facts and make an educated decision based on facts, not hearsay. I personally love working here, and from what I can see, most everyone else does too.

Try not to get into the negativity that some pilots convey. It will only bring you down when there really is no reason for you to be. I just ignore most of it.

Hope this helps. Best of luck to you.

:rolleyes:Must be a new guy. So much to learn young Jedi

i could'nt agree with you more my friend...give him some time and will too grow bitter...fresh out of IOE with 300 tt now...those were the days...

Not quite.

:eek:You LIKE getting junior manned??
Your crazy!
Junior man with a high speed?? So much fun euh?
I've never been junior manned before, thank god!

And PSA does not suck.....scheduling sucks...management blows....and the lines are like tossing someones salad:D.....we just need a whole new staff...
Pay could be a bit higher....but that could always be higher right....?

P.S
Don't plan on a career at PSA

I just got a response the other day for an interview on the 25th of Sept. with PSA and am very excited to go; as PSA has always been my first choice. I wanted to apply to them before I went with Eagle back in 05 but their minimums were to high and I got some good regional experience anyway. After reading the posts all I have to say is that all regionals have problems and you just have to work for a regional that works for you and is close to where you want to live. When I was with Eagle there were certainly things I could not stand about them. Such as, only flying about 100 hrs in 5 months and sitting ready reserve for 8 hrs. at the airport, in uniform, for 5 days then doing a 2 leg commute to get to TN. Spend 1 day at home then commute back to do the exact same thing. When I transferred to ORD the flying got better but the commute was still tough. Also, the morale was horrible especially among the senior eagle guys. The flowbacks were fun to fly with for me because they were very laid back and provided good flying advise while the senior eagle guys just complained and looked down on their FOs. Also, even when I had a line, I was always reassigned sometimes for the good but most of the time for the bad. You just have to take it for what it is and adjust accordingly. I decided to get out because the commute was getting annoying to get to ORD and I just love living in TN. I just hope I get the privilege to work for PSA and be based in TYS or CLT flying the CRJ.

Fly21,

Its funny how two people can have opposite perspectives on a company. I have had nothing but good experiences at Eagle. I agree, TWA flowback CAs are really some of the best guys I've ever flown with, but the native Eagle guys have been really cool too. My commute to CLT was heartburn day after day. Living in base is like a cool breeze.

Eagle gives you much more control of your life than you will have at PSA. There is no proffering, you sit or fly at scheduling's whim. You could be the ready guy in DAY for five days straight, and never fly, but they won't let you know what trips are open or how many guys are sitting reserve at home. They won't even tell you if they have given you a trip, until the required 90 min call out.

Had I lived in base, I probably would have stayed at PSA. And the CRJ is a nice ride, better than the ERJ in most respects (except for the packs in the -200). When you get TYS, you'll probably have no regrets about making the jump, but except for your commute, Eagle is an all around better place to work than PSA will be.

I agree with you about commuting Rob. It is not too hard for me to get to CLT from DFW, but nevertheless it does take time and is a pain in the butt. I am moving to TYS next month so I can have a line and not have to commute.

I know why you have gone to Eagle. It is always hard to leave Texas, the greatest place on Earth. As much as I hate leaving Texas, I will have to bear it for a few years. I cannot go to Eagle and wait 10 years to get promoted. With PSA, I can make Captain in 2-3 years, which should put me back in Dallas in 4-5 years when I get with Southwest.

J for J's will be gone by December ( at least the majority from what I have learned recently) which will put the upgrading class at 2-3 years longevity. Too bad you didn't stay at PSA. Best of luck to you. I hope that Eagle will convince the old coots to leave and go to the majors so you guys can upgrade then move on to better things.

Hey robthree

I am glad that you enjoy flying with Eagle. They are a really good company if you can live in base. You just have to find a place that makes you happy and you will enjoy your life so much better. Have fun flying with them and flying the ERJ. Also, every captain I flew with in DFW was awsome, but the native ones I could not stand were in ORD. For the most part, they were all cool guys.

I just got an interview invite.....anybody else have the skinny on the company?

I would also be curious of getting more skinny on the company...

There is a "Bluestreak" about 1/2 way down when you log on. Towards the RH side of said streak of blue you will find the word "Search"...:D


Sorry guys, dont mean to be a smartass (really I dont!) but there is a bunch of info posted recently. I interviewed last week and found the info (through use of the Search function) to be excellent, giving both the good and bad of the company and the job. I myself posted what I learned at the interview just this evening.

Good Luck!

I got a call about a month ago telling me I was in the May 12th class. Anyone else in the class, and if so have you heard anything?

lol why didn't u start your own thread...:confused:

Heck I duno?

Upgrades are fast about a year and a half and QOL is not bad if you live in base. The current lines for May have about 14 days off on avarage some have more some have less. I myself have never been jounior manned maybe they did when they were short on pliots but not now. Just remember there will always be people that talk badly about a company but that is there right. There are better companies out there but not many, but there are many more worse companies out there. So I would be happy to come to PSA again. that is my 2 cent

Yea I can’t wait to start. I have heard the good and the bad, but I live near Dayton so that’s why I chose PSA. I’m about 25 min out in a small suburb, so it will be nice being at home. I don’t know what I would do with 14 days off a month. Being a CFI I work everyday but Sunday. Maybe work on that golf game I lost during my 4 years of training and college?

Upgrades might be slowing down quite a bit. All the J4J's are gone and the FO class in march which was supposed to have 60 was dwindled down to only 12. Only hiring about 10 a month now. Captain vacancies slowed down quite a bit as well.

Was the reduction from 60 to 12 planned? What happened?

I am in the March class we started with 13. We lost one who left for personal reasons. We have are Orals this Tue and Wed! There is a new class of 13 or so starting tomorrow. It looks like a class once a month instead of every two weeks. Who knows it is a great place to be so far. They are a good group of people that care about your success. I am glad to be here and can't wait to get done and get on the line! Wow I guess I drank all the Kool-Aid:D:D

floyd78,

How long before training did you recieve your info? I have a class starting May 12th and was just wondering when I should be expecting getting it.

I am glad to be here and can't wait to get done and get on the line! Wow I guess I drank all the Kool-Aid:D:D[/quote]

No, I think your enthusiasm and excitement is quite appropriate,,, can't wait to get there myself.

To Bradeku,
What information are you looking for beyond the memory item package sent to you?

I got the memory item package, but I was told by Lisa that she was going to send me more info. I dont know what it was but i figure that it was info about the hotel and things of that nature? MD11 when is your class date?

May 12th class date. Other info,,, maybe travel info? Lisa said that I have all that I need in reference to the technical info. I will be drving up to Dayton for ground school.

Nice, I'll see ya there on the 12th. When was your interview date?

Feb 26. I was the last to interview and the last in the MD sim. Was that your interview date?

Only info you need before class is Immediate action items and Limitations...When you get here look over profiles and flows! If you do that you will be in great shape to get through here and to be ready for the sim..Good luck guys when you get here!