Mesa E-mail
 

Beginning of the end for them? Got this E-mail this morning....

Mesa Air Group has incredible pilot opportunities for Captains and First Officers in our Canadair Regional Jet and Dash 8 fleet. We offer exceptional career advancement opportunities, a great Work/Life Balance, competitive wages and an excellent benefits package. Best of all…travel for FREE anywhere we fly! Currently we are accepting applications for both street Captains AND First Officer positions. Slots are limited so please apply online ASAP!!
Our first ground school class for street Captains is April 7, 2008 (both equipment). Our next class is being determined at this very moment.
CAPTAIN* REQUIREMENTS:
• Must have previous airline experience
• CRJ: 3500 hours total time with 500 hours jet time
• DHC-8: ATP minimums
• Commercial Pilot Certificate with Multi Engine and Instrument ratings
• Current FAA First Class Medical certificate
• Instrument current and proficient
• FCC Restricted Radiotelephone Operator Permit
• Current passport
• At least 21 years of age
• Legally authorized to work in the United States of America
• Willing to relocate
• Able to pass security background check and FAA mandated drug test
• High school diploma or GED
FIRST OFFICER REQUIREMENTS:
• 500 hours Total Time
• 100 hours Multi Engine Time, Fixed Wing
• Commercial Pilot Certificate with Multi Engine and Instrument ratings
• Current FAA First Class Medical certificate
• Instrument current and proficient
• FCC Restricted Radiotelephone Operator Permit
• Current passport
• At least 21 years of age
• Legally authorized to work in the United States of America
• Willing to relocate
• Able to pass security background check and FAA mandated drug test
• High school diploma or GED
*Captain applicants with a CRJ type rating could be eligible for a $5000 Sign-on Bonus!
For more information about our immediate pilot opportunities or to fill out an online application, please visit:
www.mesa-air.com/pilots.asp
If you have any questions you can e-mail [email protected].

We offer scrappy career advancement opportunities, the worst Work/Life Balance out of any airline, sub-par wages, rock bottom work rules and a sh!tty benefits package. Best of all…we'll force you to fly fatigued with our unsafe schedules, after all you will be on probation as a captain! Currently we are begging for applications for both street Captains AND First Officer positions. Slots are NOT limited but please apply online ASAP because we are desperate to find suckers to take this opportunity!! 782 pilots left us last year, we don't know why, it could be our anti-pilot management, not sure!!!

"At least 21 years of age" ....even though you need to be 23 to get your ATP. What a sharp group.

We knew this was coming. Definitely, not a shock. I guess "excellent work/life balance" means working out of JFK on reserve with 8 days off flying 95 hours each 28-day bid.

Note: You will be awarded 8 days off and the company will rearrange them into any order in which they please on last minute notice.

Looks like the old E-mail from a few years ago?

No thanks MESA, CNX some flights.

i would say mesa will be in good shape with other regionals slowing down hiring. they'll get more poeple than you think. sad isnt it?

Hopefully anyone with those minimums will have the sense and self-worth to go to a real airline.

Yeah, what real airline would that be? Delta, United, Continental, Jet Blue, Air Tran? I do understand that they are all hiring.

Or, do you mean an FO at any regional? I don't think many of the regionals are hiring right now.

Everyone wants to tell unemployed pilots to stay away from Mesa but it sounds better than sending out resumes to a bunch of airlines that are cancelling classes. It really sounds better than going to a regional as an FO and getting paid 21 an hour to swing gear.

I am not saying Mesa is the place to be because we all know that they suck, but if I am unemployed and typed in the 200, than Mesa could be the best opportunity out there. :eek::eek::eek:

I got the same email yesterday and I don't even know why. I am WAY below their minimums.

1) I like the CRJ type rating $5,000 bonus...like a captain from another regional is going to give up their seniority and better pay to go there.
2) No one is below Mesa's mins. Last I heard they were accepting Microsoft Flight Sim time anyway ;) But seriously, I had a friend hired there with a commercial instrument and a tad over 250.

There are regionals out there that are real, and operate with some class, Mesa is certainly not one of them. Sometimes its worth waiting our for a quality job than taking the bottom feeder route and settling for Mesa and 8 days off a month. Thats my advice. I did time at Mesa and it robbed me.

I got that email, too - not sure how they got my address, but I replied asking if they truly thought cancelling all vacations was an "excellent work/life balance."

Haven't heard back yet, though....:rolleyes:

I too got this e-mail and quite a few others from MESA. To this day I have no idea how they got my e-mail address...

when i got the email i wanted to respond to it with something along the lines of
Dear Mesa,
I have somthing you can eat. Up yours, have a nice day!

Pulse . .. check
Eyeballs . . . check
250 hours . . . check
Wet ink . . . check

Mesa here I come, heres to the good life!!:D

I wonder where they got my email address from in the first place.......

I believe they got our email addresses from airlineapps.com. When you log into your account, does it ask you if you want to receive 'general email notices from Airline Apps, Inc. and select airlines'?

That's right.......I started an app for AE and Colgan.

Yeah but you didnt answer my question...how can you tell me that being homeless with my family walking the streets but I am at a top regional making 1800 a month is better than mesa making 5000 a month?

Quality of life for my family is pretty horrible with no home....my quality of life may be horrible at mesa but at least my families quality of life will be great.

Will/do you experience your 'families great quality of life' more than 8 days a month?

What about the quality of life that Aloha familes are experiencing right now, seeing how JO and Mesa illegally put them out of business.

No sense in defending Mesa. If you think defending Mesa is the right thing to do, I feel sorry for you.

That's the sadest thing I have heard in a long time, but it's also pretty selfless I guess...

No sense in defending Mesa. If you think defending Mesa is the right thing to do, I feel sorry for you.[/quote]

I would never defend Mesa.
If you are asking why anyone would want to help promote a management group that illegally and unethically put Aloha out of business, than I won't argue with that. Your points is well taken.
However, I also assume that you never shop wal-mart, or major grocery chains, or visit any chain restaurants because they all have put small mom and pop stores out of business.

I will continue to just try to credit at least 100 hours a month to make ends meet as an FO....just saying it is appealing.

I don't want to go to Mesa.

so when all the ther regionals freeze their hiring, do you really think people wont go to mesa? lets be realistic here

C'mon guys. We all know Mesa sucks. I also felt ASA sucks. I left. Don't suggest others turn down a job offer where they build multi engine turbine time and PIC and stay home or on a piston engine job. Build time and get the better job when you have the logbook to get past the computer imposed mins. Just remember...the goal is to get in, get your time, and get out. As another post said...782 pilots last year left. I am not suggesting take the mesa job over any other job, just get the turbine time that is required for your dream job.

I find it very interesting how the haves in aviation are always telling the have nots in aviation what they shouldn't do...ie go to Mesa or any other airline that may give you an opportunity some day become a have, like them.

This is the same guy who was defending G7 in another thread to take this all for what its worth.

huh? i dont know what you mean by that. im neither a "have" or a "have not." im just "there." anyway, what im saying is that when mesa becomes the ONLY regional thats hiring, people will go. My brother spent 7 years at mesa. I applied there a couple years ago and didnt even get an interview. Im not telling people not to go there. Im just stating that as other jobs go away, mesa will have an easier time getting guys on board

Got the same e-mail. They probably got the e-mails from AirlineApps.

Maybe now that Mesa is loosing the Delta code share people will finally listen to the "Haves" and NOT go to Mesa. People who truly know Mesa also knew that this announcement was inevitable. You can't treat your people, your passengers and your code share partners like crap and expect them to take it with a smile forever. sooner or later they will all dump you.. First the PAX, then the pilots and now the code share partners....

Take a moment and read this ALPA communication to the pilots at large. I know it is a long one, but it has some good information in it.

PART 1
----------------------------------------------
Dear Fellow Pilots,
With our Spring MEC Meeting behind us, and with two new officers at the helm, this seems like a great time to evaluate where we have been, where we are and where we are going, as a company, and as a Union. Although we would like to be able to address the pilot group with good news and information about our company and its future, we have to be very honest and let everyone know about how difficult and challenging the situation is here at Mesa Air Group.
The intent of this letter is to let everyone know as much information possible about the events that are going on here and around the industry. We need to take these very seriously and want everyone to know that it is our desire to see MAG succeed and become a better company and a better place to work. We will start out with some of the facts and then finish with some discussion.
The State of Mesa Air Group:
· Today, MAG Management announced, via press release and SEC filing, that Delta Airlines has served MAG with a Notice of Termination Due to Breach with regard to the 35 fifty-seat ERJ operated by MAG as Delta Connection. MAG management has indicated they intend to contest this alleged breach via court if necessary, although apparently the parties are in negotiations on a resolution. MAG’s CRJ-900 flying for Delta is not affected by this Notice of Termination, although those aircraft are actually owned or leased by Delta (not MAG). When more details related to this Notice become available we will communicate them with the pilot group.
· Several weeks ago, MAG reported its seventh consecutive quarter of declining earnings. MAG Management also used the occasion of the first quarter 2008 (Oct/Nov/Dec 2007) earnings call to announce the planned removal of a total of approximately 30 50-seat aircraft by mid-year, to be replaced by approximately 8 larger-gauge aircraft (for a net reduction of 22 aircraft). They also reiterated their plan to shut down the money-losing Air Midwest Beech 1900 operation by September 30 of this year. All key measurements, available seat miles, revenue seat miles, and load factor, continue to decline. On Friday, March 7, MAG announced that Jan/Feb 2008 revenue seat miles declined a stunning 12.5 percent from the 2007 numbers.
· MAG has $38 million in convertible bonds coming due June 2008; another $110 million in convertible bonds are payable February 1, 2009.
· MAG has posted a $90 million cash appeal bond in connection with its appeal of the Hawaiian Airlines judgment. Unless a settlement is reached by the parties, it is unlikely a decision will be forthcoming from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals before Summer 2009. There is no doubt that this cash bond has severely impacted MAG’s cash position.
· Aloha Airlines has also filed a suit against MAG, alleging predatory pricing and related anti-trust violations. That suit is scheduled for trial in October 2008.
· Meanwhile, MAG’s go! airlines operation (as well as its competitors) continues to lose money in the Hawaii market. Just yesterday MAG announced that it will increase the number of flights conducted in Hawaii significantly because of the Aloha situation. This may turn things around in the go! operation but we need to remember that there are still other issues that need to be resolved.
· MAG management concedes that the China joint venture with Schenzen Airlines has proven “challenging." The new carrier, named “Kunpeng Airlines," has ordered 50 regional jets from Embraer and another 50 from a Chinese manufacturer. It is probable to speculate that these aircraft orders indicate that MAG will not be able to place our excess 50 seat RJ’s in China. Although management has indicated publicly that they are striving to find “homes” for the 50-seaters as they are removed from the United Express system it is clear that the company is facing a difficult challenge.
· MAG has no new business on the horizon, although United continues to seek replacements of the 50-seat aircraft with larger gauge airplanes, typically at a 3 (50-seater) for one (70-seater) ratio.
· From a pilot perspective it appears that the “solution” to our staffing shortage so far has focused on reduction in aircraft/flying, with a corresponding direct impact on our top-line revenue.
· Our Company’s financial and operational challenges are publicly known, and are likely to continue for the foreseeable future. There is no way to “sugar-coat” this reality. Every MAG pilot should be aware of MAG’s looming cash crisis, and the financial challenges this company faces.
-------------------------------

PART 2
----------------------------
The State of Our Union:
· The “Strategic Plan” adopted by the MAG MEC in the Fall of 2006, and distributed to the pilot group thereafter, clearly anticipated the impact pilot attrition would have on MAG’s operational performance. At the same time, it also predicted, quite accurately, that the pilot attrition would also impact our leadership group. The MAG MEC committed nearly two years to developing and maintaining a “leadership pipeline” of pilot volunteers, so that all of the various ALPA committees would remain constantly viable and fully-staffed, even as pilot union volunteers left MAG for careers elsewhere.
Our Scheduling Committee continues to review bid schedules and work with management to improve pilot schedules. The Scheduling Committee volunteers also assist individual pilots in resolving scheduling issues, improper assignments, and Flight Time/Duty Time issues. Scheduling Committee Chairman Captain Darrell Cox serves on the ALPA National Flight Time/Duty Time Committee which is currently tasked with working to revise the FAR’s related to Flight Time/Duty Time.
· The MAG MEC Central Air Safety Committee continues to perform a great service to all MAG pilots, working with management to improve the safety of MAG’s flight operations. Safety Committee volunteers also assist and advise individual pilots in safety-related investigations, and provide assistance to our ALPA attorneys in defending individual pilots in flight operations investigations and FAA proceedings.
· Our Grievance Committee continues to process a steady stream of Grievance Investigation Reports (GIR's) from MAG pilots. To the usual mix of grievance issues have included payroll discrepancies, failure to notify of delays, “hold backs," junior assignments, reassignments, and the Grievance volunteers have been inundated this past year with large numbers of GIR’s from recently-resigned pilots who did not receive vacation and final paycheck payments. The Grievance Committee volunteers must devote large amounts of time to each of these payroll cases, and have been successful in resolving virtually all of them. Currently, eight grievance arbitrations are scheduled over the next nine months, and our Grievance Committee volunteers will be working with our ALPA attorneys to present the scheduled cases.
· The pilots of MAG also benefit from the tremendous resources of ALPA’s National organization. In addition to the services of ALPA’s Aeromedical Office, and legal assistance for grievances and FAA matters, ALPA National has assigned a number of experienced pilots from other carriers to assist with key MAG projects.
The State of Contract Negotiations
· Faced with the reality of MAG’s deteriorating operational and financial condition, the MAG MEC made a strategic decision last fall. The MEC elected to approach management about embarking upon an “expedited” negotiation process, with meeting two weeks each month, aimed at achieving a new contract “sooner rather than later."
· The MEC, with the advice of our professional advisors, concluded that this expedited process offered the best chance for immediate, substantive contract improvements for our long-suffering pilots. An expeditious resolution of our negotiations would also give both parties the opportunity to benefit from an enhanced contract and allow us to face the challenges in our industry working as a team. MAG Management and the MEC executed a “protocol agreement” for these expedited negotiations. The MEC’s directions to the Negotiating Committee were to secure a short-term contract, with immediate substantive improvements addressing the key quality of life issues noted by MAG pilots in our polling.
· Your Negotiating Committee prepared a suitable proposal, which was reviewed and approved by the MEC. It was then presented to Management December 21, 2007. All MAG pilots may rest assured that the proposal submitted by our Negotiating Committee reflects the many comments and survey results from our pilots. There is nothing in our proposal that is not already being done by our major competitors. There is no doubt that our proposal will cost the company money. We cannot address the key issues and resolve the areas that are deficient without their being a cost associate with it. MAG Management has enjoyed the benefits of a below-standard pilot contract for four-plus years.
· The parties have met two weeks per month since, with several conference calls as well. While a final agreement has not yet been reached as we write this letter, the Negotiating Committee has reported that significant progress has been made and they remain cautiously optimistic. The parties are meeting again this week, and the Negotiating Committee will issue an update at the end of the week (or earlier if developments warrant).
Discussion
Mesa Air Group is obviously facing a situation that we have never seen before. These challenges are real, they are serious and they threaten the survival of our company. We as pilots have to acknowledge and address two separate issues before us and we need to focus on each one individually. We have the negotiations process which is targeted at resolving the issues that this pilot group has faced for a long time. We need to improve our current situation by modifying our contract to better suit our needs.While this process plays out we also have to recognize the state of the industry as well as the challenges that MAG faces. Although the state of MAG could ultimately wipe out any progress or changes that the Negotiating Committee is working for, we hope that the company will recognize that during times like these we do need to work side by side to resolve all the issues at hand. Our pilots have clearly shown the entire company how unhappy they are with the environment in which they operate in. There is no need to debate the facts; it is simply time to recognize where mistakes were made and what we need to do to get the situation resolved.
MAG has evolved in many different ways over the past 5 years as our business has expanded and we moved into environments that required a different approach to meet our obligations to our code share partners. Unfortunately, our current contract did not address all of these needs and ultimately our pilots came up on the short end of the stick while the company tried to meet all the obligations that were required of them. Your Union approached the company to address these issues and to make changes that we felt were necessary to keep everyone on the same page working for the same goal. Unfortunately, this has not yet been achieved. Ultimately, we ended up with an environment where pilots felt there was no resolution, and given the opportunity, many of our pilots felt that their needs could be better served working for a different carrier. We believe our pilots have demonstrated that they feel their interests are best served at moving away from MAG and seeking employment with other carriers. We need to acknowledge that attrition is to be expected when the major airlines are hiring. Our concern should be that during 2007, 40% of our attrition was from the right seat of our aircraft. The natural progression of our industry is that Captains will leave to pursue higher paying jobs and larger equipment, First Officers will generally stay long enough to enhance their resumes to make them marketable to the major airlines. Unfortunately, we have not seen this at MAG and we feel that our attrition within the first officer ranks has been abnormal and clearly indicates how our pilots feel about working at MAG.
Although the current situation and news is alarming, we want you to know that we working with Management to address our needs as well as those of the company. It is not time to panic and make quick decisions; this is true for the pilot group as well as our MEC. Keep in mind that even if the company was to agree to everything that we wanted, it may not have changed the current situation with Delta. It is possible that if MAG had addressed our issues that we may not face this dilemma, but this would only be speculation because we have no control over how Delta plans to cut capacity under the current economic crisis.
Although there is a lot of bad news for everyone to consider, we all know that things can change very quickly and this whole situation could look very different a week from now. With this in mind we would like everyone to recognize that there are many things going on and we will do our best to keep you informed and up to date. Things may change from day to day but everyone needs to not overreact and wait for the facts to come out and avoid the rumor mill.
Thank you for your continued support and on-going professionalism in the face of the daily challenges encountered as a MAG pilot.

Fly safe,
Your MAG MEC Officers

Coming from the guy who sympathizes with GoJet:confused:

I simpathize with all unemployed Americans that want to provide a livelihood for their families. GoJet?? Who Cares!!

First of all, if you're typed in the RJ, why are you unemployed? Second, if you want to support your family and make their QOL better, Mesa is not the place. If putting a roof over your family's head is an issue, a regional airline salary (especially Mesa) will not suffice. Look at another industry. Surely a pilot considering Mesa is qualified in something OTHER than flying RJ's. All anyone is saying on here is there are better opportunities out there and if you cannot wait for those opportunities then you don't need to be flying. I don't buy the "provide a livelihood for their families" argument. We all have responsibilities.

denramp...don't quite understand you - do you have any knowledge of anything in this industry? You boggle my mind with every post...

Wow!!!! Sign me Up!!!