Colgan Pay
 

Anybody know if this is true???

Pinnacle Airlines and Colgan Air parent Pinnacle Airlines Corp. reported an $11.4 million profit in the third quarter, an 84% increase from the $6.2 million earned the same period a year ago. Revenue dipped 2% year-over-year to $217.2 million while expenses fell 4% to $193.4 million. Operating income was $23.8 million, up 19% from $20 million in the 2008 third quarter. During the quarter, Pinnacle saw a 5% drop in aircraft utilization, primarily owing to network changes that resulted in shorter flights. Colgan saw a 16% reduction in block hr. and a 15% decrease in departures. For the nine months ended Sept. 30, the company reported net income of $36.2 million, a dramatic reversal from the $5.5 million loss suffered in the year-ago period.

Is what true?

Is what true? It's true that what they pay their pilots makes Republic look really, really good, regardless of what a Colgan pilot tells you.

What I meant to say is good job ladies and gents. No matter what ANYBODY else says, you are doing a great job and will pay off in the long run. May not be with a pay raise but you will retain your emplyment and that is worth more that computer screen slamming your fellow aviators.

Yup a great job making other people money.

That your pay sucks.

Confirmed....was this EVER in question in the entire history of Colgan Air?

It's 'minimum wage,' did I get that right? MINIMUM WAGE discussing pay?

Hey big guy, did your heart beat faster after that creative, mature and well-thought-out post? Did you and your friends giggle on IM, maybe a virtual high five? When you look to your left tomorrow, you and your captain can discuss how much better your REGIONAL airline job is, and probably how your Dad can beat up mine. Seriously. This is a unique profession; one that breeds so much animosity between groups, when we should be working together to fix the enormous problems we face. People like yourself are causing more harm than the Colgan pilot group, one which is trying to fix the inadequacies left by the pilots before them. True or not, congrats Colgan pilots, it's clear there is still a long way to go, but this is a start. Keep it up...

"...the Colgan pilot group, one which is trying to fix the inadequacies left by the pilots before them."

the pilots that flew those routes before you at xjt were paid almost double what you are receiving and the pilots before xjt were Continental pilots and they were paid almost double what we get at xjt. Do you see the self defeating trend we are in as a profession? I really dont think any regional getting more flying is something to be excited about. The CAL pilots took a shot in the nuts when XJt was allowed to fly 275 RJ's and their pilot group will never recover that flying. The lowest pay and the worst work rules win for that flying now. Today that is colgan but when you guys get a contract and QOL worth a damn you will be undercut by a mesa, great lakes, etc who will be trying to fix their "inadequacies."

Its great for you guys in the short term but your on drugs if you think your going to get a round of applause from anyone at another company. Good luck fixing your inadequacies.

By gaining a profession at Colgan...what does one hope to gain ? I agree one should get a job wherever you can get, but if we simply keep undercutting each other....at what point is it over ?

Most of todays "top" regionals were at one time bottom of the barrel and they worked and fought to get where they are today.

Colgan used to be a great place to work (a long time ago) but those days are long gone. The current pilot group is doing all the can to implement change by way of Alpa and getting more involved in the standards in which we are treated.

It will be a while still but most of us believe that this place will turn around. We WILL get a contract with respectable pay rates and work rules. From that point forward what the company does is their business. If we are getting paid appropriately and have a contract we can be proud of then the company can sell themselves out to other airlines for a dollar a flight for all I care as long as the money is not coming out of our pockets.

Will this ever be THE place to be? I doubt it. In a few years time this place will not bare any resemblance to what it is today. I hope we merge with Pinnacle sooner than later because we will be much stronger and more united as a whole.

We hear you and we share the same frustration. I don't know what college you went to but 25-30% is not almost double. I have a feeling that if Air Wisconsin came and took your 50 seat flying and you were furloughed, you would be spewing the same stuff- and it's really unfourtunate.

Even your MEC chairman understands that XJT used to be terrible and you guys (I'm sorry- the guys before you) built it to be something great. Well that is what we're trying to do.

While your bashing may make you feel better and enrage us at Colgan, it is not helping. Volunteer at ALPA and make a difference, I know your union could use your energy in a positive way.

Good luck to you.

Good luck with that... being under Pinnacle Corp, they're gonna go try to drag it out for years, and come up with a TA that will most likely be the same work rules you have right now with some minor changes...
Take a look at 9E... it could be a long time before we see another TA.
I just hope you CJC people stand firm and dont settle for the first POS they put.
Good luck

And just what are you proposing the pilots of Colgan/Great Lakes/Name a bottom-tier airline do? Quit because our company made money due to undercutting the guys with better pay? Does cutting of your nose to spite your face mean anything to you?

It sucks, yes. But don't blame the pilots. Blame the nature of business. It's not fair. But it is what it is.

Yawn! Great, here we go again. :rolleyes: You seem to be little more than a broken record. We all get how bitter you are since your slightly-better-than-crap regional is shrinking while a crappier regional is growing. That's unfortunate, I agree 100% (and I'm actively doing something to affect industry change)....but what are you doing about it? You know, beside the endless *****ing on the internet! Are you actively participating in ALPA at your slightly-better-than-crap regional?

I do, however, agree on one of your points....no regional should be growing! Any news to the contrary is simply eroding career expectations for all of us. Perhaps we should all be working together to improve the profession...rather than the endless *****ing that's going on now? ;)

Nah, that'll never happen....it's much easier to just be a keyboard hero than to actually man up and DO SOMETHING.

So, Newarkblows....care to share with the community your involvement in the betterment of our profession???

I suspect not, because you most likely collect your slightly-better-than-crap regional paycheck and go home at the end of your trip. This all the while, others before you and those currently there are VOLUNTEERING to improve the industry.....prove me wrong.



Edit: Sorry if I seem harsh, not entirely my goal here......just tired of the endless bashing of this/that regional....by some other REGIONAL pilot.

Tell 'em how it is, great post!

I remember years ago seeing stickers on the flight bags of Coex pilots that said "Regional Airline?" and the route map was part of the sticker. I also remember Coex and other regionals being so proud to be called an "All Jet Airline". Now they find out turbo props are more efficient as oil prices went up. I always thought it was snobbish.

It would be interesting to know what percentage of pilots are working at their current regional because that place was the first one to call and that is where they went. I know that number is not 100% but I wouldn't doubt 80% as a realistic number. Within that 80% you have pilots that look down at the pilots working at places with hourly rates that in reality are only a few dollars different from everyone else. Most of the Colgan new hires that I met in 2005 were simply pilots that got shot down at the Express jet interview, or they just couldn't get a call. Many were from Texas. Hey, they tried to do it your way. Although I can't write that thought because we need to believe that they all of course only sent resumes to Colgan in order to undercut Express Jet pilots. Yeah.

You ever notice how the advice can clash on these boards? How many times have you read "if possible do not commute" 'Commuting sucks" Hmm, I live in San Francisco. Let's see UAL has an SFO crew base, Virgin America has an SFO crew base. UAL is not hiring. However you are a ***** if you work at Virgin America. Don't commute though!!!!! It is horrible. You just can't win.

Find a place with a quick upgrade. However do not go to these 5 places because you will be a *****. The upgrade at Eagle sucks so do not go there. Comair has an upgrade around 10 years, do not go there.
Skywest isn't bad, but no union. Do not go there.

This is stupid
 

Alright, enough. This is stupid. Use whatever CRM catchphrase you want but the point is this path is pointless and self-destructive. I understand there are a lot of scared and confused pilots out there. We're scared because we realize that we are NOT in control of our professional lives. So what do we do? We lash out at each other. It MUST be Colgan's fault we're in this mess. No, wait, it's Mesa's fault. None of this will ever change until we realize that the reason the industry is in this state is because of the MAJOR Airline managements. American, United, Delta, Continental, and US Airways employ some VERY smart people who want nothing more for us to continue to bicker and fight amongst ourselves. They want this because one of the only things they're scared of is a truly unified workforce. Imagine the power we would have if EVERY SINGLE 121 pilot stood unified and said, "enough, we're not taking this any more". Only then will be truly begin to take it back. Only then will we achieve the control that we each strive to reach in our lives.

Thank you...

I was one who applied at every airline who would take my application. I live in Houston. I got a call from Comair, Mesa, and Colgan. The Colgan interview was first, I got the job. I didn't even go to the Comair interview. Nor the Mesa one (why commute when I had a job with an IAH based airline?). The only airline I would have dropped the Colgan position for would have been ExpressJet, and even then, I could see what was coming for them. Rising fuel prices + all jet fleet + all eggs in one basket + top of the line training/work rules/etc. = too expensive for CAL to continue handing them flying. I was right. Colgan was talking about getting Q400s. Growth.

Sure, I could have held out and waited the 6 months to a year it seems it took Expressjet to call applicants, but I would be without a job now. But, at least I wouldn't be an undercutting scumbag.

Yes, Yes, Colan is the root of all evil.

We fly turboprops. 99% of our flying is puddle-jumping Victoria and College Station to Houston: not flying Chicago to Houston.

Flying over 50 pax AND OVER 500 MILES should be main line.... So all you folks in COEX, RAH, Skywest, etc, etc, etc are just as guilty as we "bottom feeders". Heck, on CMH to IAH, 8 out of 11 flights are "regionals" taking away flying from main line.

But the bottom line is, any fight between so called "regionals" is really a fight over the crumbs. I WISH the folks flying Saabs had Continental seniority numbers, but alas that is not the case. So, until I can EARN a CO seniority number, I will continue to fly routes THEY DO NOT FLY to connect their pax to the mainline. Can you say the same?

Why even play the game by responding with the "you are problem, you fly mainline routes" school of argument. People will not change their views about Colgan regardless of what union we vote in, pay we acheive, or any work rules we have. It is a no win battle.

Morons will always be morons, it is not worth the time to argue them. I have tried and it is just a no win battle against a website warrior.

Much as I suspected!
 

Hey newarkblows........

We're still waiting for your answer as to what YOU do to improve the industry??? If you're too embarrassed to admit you're nothing more than a keyboard hero in public, feel free to PM me.

Colgan pilots rule. We stick up for eachother. We've been through a lot this past year and I'm intoxicated.

Very nice my friend, very nice indeed.

pretty much the best post ever. :D

Sorry to change the subject, but how did I miss this announcement we will now have to pay for the US Airways benefits and our vacation has been cut by a day? When did this happen? Better yet, how did it happen? Isn't there supposedly some "status quo" period that management kept talking about?

1. No, there isn't.
2. I've highlighted the problem in your logic.

Cheers!

Y'all are ruining my extraordinary cup of coffee...and when that's done, it's downhill for the rest of the day LoL.

Ah. Sorry, it's way too early to think like a snake.

We only have 'status quo' when it benefits the company. :p

In all seriousness, 'status quo' only exists when there is already a contract in place. Since we're in negotiations for our first contract....the company is basically permitted to change whatever they want, whenever they want. However, they'd be foolish to make large changes to our 'perceived status quo,' lest they have a mutiny on their hands.

Don't play the newarkblows games guys!

His opinion is that of a junior FO and bears no weight seeing as he doesn't respond when someone questions his loyalty to the profession.

Believe it or not there are professional aviators at XJT, including JoeyMeatballs, Steve McKnight, etc- newarkblows is the epitome of a punk.

Exactly!.……......

Exactly my point! I knew he wouldn't be man enough to admit he's nothing more than a keyboard hero. newarkblows brings absolutely no benefit to the profession....

I know PLENTY of good XJT'ers....

I thought "website warrior" was funnier.

I'm glad you enjoyed it.