What's the deal with Mesaba? Have the rumors of furloughs been extinguished yet?

 

They have been doing Time Off Without Pay for the past few months and it seems like 30 or more people take it every month. The rumors are still around but I haven't talk to anyone that was in RGS last month so don't know if anything else has changed. I know they are sending the instructors back to the line in June that plus PBS and not getting the additional 10 900's has left us 110 pilots fat. There was a post on a different thread saying XJ check airmen were told that they won't be sending as many instructors back to the line as first thought because there is some announcement coming this summer but that is the first time I have heard anything like that.

 

Thanks for the update..since Comair doesn't seem to be recalling anytime this decade I'll just keep on floating in this pool!

 

Went to RGS about two weeks ago and well the news is not good. The possibility of a furlough is pretty prevelent. They are thinking they may offer Extended TOWOP. somethings more than a month off. Anyway the way the union and JR put it, if things change for the good then great, but as of right now thigns are pretty gloomy.

-Farv

 

Did they mention a number if they do have to furlough?

 

Oh yes. We had a lot of deviations due to map shift before we got GPS. First time I flew it I had the MFD map shift over half a mile on me. Had the bearing pointer up so it wasn't a problem. ATC gave us a vector before we reached CRI anyway. Now that most, if not all, of the airplanes have GPS Comair could very easily do it white data but, they are still required to do it green data. Call it paranoia on the part of flight standards. I believe it's close to 5 miles from CRI to the course to DIALS that the LGA arrivals take. So it doesn't take much of a deviation before they are sending LGA arrivals scattering.

 

EXACTLY!...take your Midwestern (or Southern) butt back to BIS, RAP, and FAR!.....and dont come back!! Or in my case DSM. In my year here at Mesaba, ive stayed there more than any other place, hands down!
But.....im glad to have the job.......continue.....

 

Farva - there was no doom and gloom painted in RGS. Furloughs are no more imminent today than they were a month ago. Yes, they're working on furlough mitigation projects and besides TOWOP, nothing further has been announced. So... I don't take that as being doom and gloom. You new guys have no idea what doom and gloom is! You will definitely know, when things are bad around here.

DL has changed as the wind blows with respect to many things. It's becoming VERY obvious that DL shoots from the hip, whereas NWA was very calculated, precise and predictable. So worrying about FALL block hours today will only waste energy.

Don't be such a negative nelly.

 

Hey take it easy on us new guys we are still learning the ropes of this "living the dream" job!!!

 

I heard XJ getting JFK is a pure rumor and not going to happen. Most likely JFK will stay with Comair. No one really knows how long a regional will continue to fly a certain route but XJ is getting some interesting destinations out in the West for now.

Few LCAs have said all CRJ900 ground instructors were kept in MSP and not returned to line flying. What this means, is anybody's guess.

Few senior NWA CAs have said that if the load factor does not come up this summer furlough at DAL is a definite possibility, and this has nothing to do with the no furlough clause as related to the merger.

One thing I heard lately from LCAs is that XJ pilots will get new uniforms sometime in 2009 to match DAL color scheme. Probably along the line of Comair and Pinnacle pilots' uniforms, black jacket and pants with gold stripes.