Why do People from other regionals Envy Skywest
 

Honestly not flame just some valid points.. oh and keep the Union Stuff out of it Please...

I never "envied" skw but when I realized what a mistake mesa had been I did my research very carefully. SKW was the only answer in the west...the lack of union was in fact my biggest concern, but I don't miss it much now. Horizon would have been OK if you lived in one of their domiciles and planned on staying there.

Who is this post geared towards? I certainly don't envy SKW in the least.

This is going to be interesting. A lot of people are going to get on here and bash SKW pilots for “drinking Kool-Aid,” “riding coattails” and feeling like we're superior even though we know we're not.

In the end this is going to be a huge FLAME thread regardless of its intent.

I'm a pylot, pilet, pilut... I fly planes.

As SAABaroowski :p would say, "good post." LOL! Durrrrrrrrrrr! :eek: :D

I just want feedback from fellow pilots, in the industry over the past year I have come across people who say stuff like skywest pilots think they are so much better than everyone else.. how the company has fed Kool aid to the pilot group I just wanted FACTS..

Disclaimer to the person who called me an Idiot..well maybe I am in your eyes but you dont know me.. so I take it with a grain of Salt. truth be known I dont even work for Skywest I was just wondering why the Animosity thats all this post is not intended to flame if it gets out of hand I will have it Closed, I think in this day and age we can all talk and agree to dis-agree without attacking people character

No one should envy anyone in the industry. We all made our beds and now we have to lay in them. I your bed is full of bugs then change the sheets or find a new bed, but learn to live with your decisions.

I've heard the same thing, yet every SKW pilot I've come across in my travels has been very cool. I guess no matter what you'll have bad apples at every outfity and people complaining about other outfits continually. I bet we have some of those same types at RAH but from what I can see everyone here has been really cool, just like SKW.

I've met some fun crewmembers and I've encountered some real tools over at Skywest. Envy? I think not.

Once, I was walking through the terminal in Denver. I was approaching another crewmember as I walked to my gate. As I always do, I made eye contact and gave him a nod of respect. This tool turned and looked the other direction. If you have to fly with guys that have an ego as big as the Patriots head coach - then I'd rather just sell shoes. Truly..I do NOT like that kind of arrogance. If that is the norm, there is no way I could ever be ENVIOUS of Skywest. With this said, there are a lot of great crewmembers over there and this isn't meant to flame the good people but only the tools.

Not talk about the union issues? How can you not? Non-union is a huge strike against Skywest in my humble opinion. Two certificates under one umbrella equals only one thing - WHIPSAW. You may not have seen it this past go around but reast assured my friends - you will.

My humble .02

Back to hauling my boxes

Kinda of hard to when you talk about why others envy us.

I don't envy any regionals, they're nothing but a stepping stone to me, but that is an entirely different thread.

I jumpseated on a CRJ-700 from ORF-ORD last year. I checked their 4-day pairing. They said it was normal. It is the stuff of dreams at my company.

A 4-day trip which started around noon on the first day, finished around 1400 on the last day and credited 22 or so hours.

Trips at my company are frequently uncommutable on both ends and a 4-day trip might be worth 18 hours. Additionally, we have plenty of trips that are a 2-day followed by a 3-day, uncommutable on either end of the trip and you're stuck in domicile in between, meaning 3 nights in a crashpad for 5 days of flying.

Plus, they have a large, nationwide route structure.

What do I envy there?

- Schedules
- Variety of flying makes life less boring at work
- Seems like a decent group of folks
- They like their company, Hmmmmm.....


There is more to having a satisfying job than just the bottom line of the paycheck IMHO. Yeah, their 1st-year pay stinks. But afterwards it's competitive. If I could work for a company where I didn't feel like I was being deliberately abused it would be pretty nice. I don't have that feeling from SKW.

That feeling exists elsewhere.

Their day may well come, because it sure did at my company which used to be the standard of the industry. But for the moment there is a lot to envy there I think.

I envy them for their "California Chicky" FAs.

Yes I envy the FA's. As far as the company, I respect them, not envy them. Good company. They were my #2 choice.

westcoast bases is all for me...
i always had my eye on them for the SLC base (only regional with one here) but was never able to be live up to whatever it is they want in an interview. all well, onward and upward

Pardon the forum newbie question, but what's all this talk of Kool aid supposed to mean?:(

It would be more like "good............................................. .............. post.............................................. ."

http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/sh...ad.php?t=18927

This is a term used widely outside aviation as well.

It's funny how SkyWest was "all the rage" to all my CFI buddies. I couldn't believe them! I would never even consider going there...They had the highest mins, toughest interview, no Union...the list went on.

I'll be the first to admit I was incredibly dumb and short-sighted. After two months on the Line at Trans States, guess where I was just clawing to get in to? Yep, you guessed it - SkyWest. Oh, and for the record, I was one of those guy's that looked up to SkyWest Pilots in the terminal...:D

for what its worth, i have no opinion either way about skywest. skywest is irrelevant. just putting in my .02 to provide info

I never envied Skywest when I was at a regional. They are just another guy on the radio. I was happy with my company so it really didn't matter. To each his/her own.

Are you serious Experimental? You mean you actually wanted to come to this place. But we are among the lowest paid and worse treated in the industry. :rolleyes: Nobody wants to come here! Why would they? :rolleyes:


Right that's why the current class is all prior 121 except for 4 CFI's. Feels like American Eagle/Comair/Pinnacle ground school part 2 around here these these days.

Because they can't get hired by Freedom?

Best answer so far.

people envy skywest because its the top of the bottom of the barrel.

Republic is just as good, and they dont get nearly as much criticism. Probably a lot has to do with first year pay who knows.

Its all relative to where you were before anyway. I left skywest because i was working too hard for too little money. However a brand new CFI new hire at SKW in the same situation would be happy to be there working not as hard for more money. Similarly, thats why the Mesa's and the TSA's are happy at Skywest. You dont see hardly anyone going from RAH to SKW, or SKW to XJT, or any combination of those, because there would be no extra gain.

Hit the nail on the head.

It's all about perspective. Life is what you make of it, try to enjoy the ride (wherever you may be).

That statement could go either way, but one may argue that that is a pacifist/defeatist attitude (in opposition to your intended meaning, I believe)...I for one would rather not settle for second-best (or in the case of Trans States, far from best) when a little more work can net so much more.

No envy from me... :D

Here's what happens when a regional pilots start envying each other..... :p

http://youtube.com/watch?v=uZUrj_D13_Y&feature=related

CL65 has a sick sense of humor...LoL

I don't envy skywest.....but they do annoy the hell out of me. They are the "Golden Child" of the regional industry. Everything just seems to fall in their lap, including a lot flying done by other companies that they've under cut in price by flying anything with 100 seats or less for stinking 50 seat pay! They took over Air Wisconsin flying at United for starters and they just put Skyway out of business. Ask those boys how they feel about Skywest.
In addition, being a commuter myself I do everything I can to get a jumpseater on board. There are many ways to do this and most of you know what I'm talking about when it comes to weight/balance issues on the RJ. I've been kicked out of the jumpseat twice by being over by 40 pounds and no effort by the captain whatsoever. These are just my personal issues with skypest.
I do have to hand it to their management though, they do a great job of keeping employees happy and dishing out the kool-aid.

Make of it what you wish. Not a pacifist/defeatist. Just a humble pilot who knows how to make the most out of any situation.

On a side note, I think it's funny that anyone would envy a skywest pilot.

http://stylusmagazine.com/pbw/wp-con...ool-AidMan.jpg

That's hilarious.

Wow. You know, from the other side, that's kind of annoying.
Name that show!

Envy SKW? Heck, no. I can't afford that kind of paycut.

... because ya know it's true!!! :D

SKW is a company that I wouldn't mind working at if they had any domiciles that I'd consider. They might look a little less on the $$$ amount per hour but they make more than most in the long run. I don't see any company as a company I envy though. I simply see things in their contract I want in mine. I like their employee purchase plan for the stock. I've seen some complain here how they aren't seeing that big of a bump in their program but they don't realize the deal they are getting is one of the best out there. I'm not just talking about the airline industry. My sister and bro-in-law both are higher ups in IBM and their plan is no better.

You could ask the same for others though. Why do so many envy XJT? Why do so many envy RAH?

I must say however that I am amazed how civil this thread has managed to stay for this long. Kudos to all of you!

They only guys I envy fly either purple or brown airplanes...