ASA interview
 

Just curious if anyone else is in the late aug interview class and what you're doing to prepare for it, etc. Anybody currently with ASA, im sure you have some good advice too! Thanks!

I wish you luck. As a yankee transplant to Atlanta many years ago, ASA is at the top of my list of regionals I could feel comfortable spending a couple of years ago. Let us know how it goes!

Also, TT, MET? Current job? Education?

1500TT, 680multi - 4 year degree - sent in the app and they called back so in the meantime, just studying!

Where did you do your training? What attracted you to ASA?

Thanks,
LAFF

I did my training thru ATP then was a CFI/MEI at an FBO in CT for a year. Are you applying to the regionals? I just like ASA because the pay is really good for a regional, and good equipment (turbojet time)

Fellas, I have been in the ASA pool since April. I have been told that there is no planned classes before next year.

Might want to look into somewhere else if you want to start soon. However, I live in ATL... so its my #1. Just My .02. PM me if you want interview details.

Oh yeah... 1000 and 275.

Hey guys,

I don't want to discourage you, but like jacksjj I interviewed, and was hired by ASA in April. They told me a "tentative" class date in May, but called back 2 weeks prior and told me it was cancelled. The also said they didn't know when the next class would be, so to just sit tight. I had the incredible fortune to be hired at Air Wisconsin as well, and I started ground school in June. I still haven't heard anything back from ASA and it's almost the end of July...

Not yet. I'm trying to learn about this industry and getting some facts on where people went to school and how much time they spent as CFIs before making the move.

I am planning on going to ALLATPs and then would like to CFI with them before going to a regional. I'm in the Charlotte area - PSA and anything down in Atlanta are big on the list of regionals. I've also heard many good things about XJET and have them near the top as well - it would mean a commute which I'm not too keen on...

-LAFF

I'm in the same boat as LAFF. . . except I'll be starting the adventure (COM-MEI ratings) next spring. I've grown up in Atlanta, old man works for Delta (he run's their madd dog, 737, and CRJ engine test shop - along with any contract engine work Delta does for AeroMexico, etc), and I'd love to be able to stay in the urban Atlanta area. More importantly, my wife doesn't want to live anywhere else but Atlanta - preferabbly the NE side. We are both from the PTC area and would like to be able to put an hour or so between us and any family.

The 141 school I'm looking at attending has sent 50% of their recent graduates the way of ASA, 20% to XJT, 10% to 135, and 5% of them are still CFI/MEI's with the school. The numbers are in my favor, but I still have to do the work. . . which I can't start on for another couple of months.

How senior is ASA? I've done a seniority forecast from over at airlineinterviews.com and it doesn't appear that bad, should only get better with attrition, etc.

jacksjj - check your PMs when able.

ASA pool guys, There might be hope on the horizon..... When we settle our contract things will get good again, but the question is when. Immediately I can tell you that we are way, WAY short on pilots and also just opened a new (but very small) base at LAX. Somethings gotta give and I would expect that they would start hiring soon just to cover our massive attrition.

I sure hope so. Its been a while for me... and Im beginning to get a little discouraged with sitting in the pool.

Did you apply at Skywest? I wish 10 years ago I would have gone there instead of ASA. Living in the west is great, and Atlanta..... well let's just say I can't think of anything good about Atlanta! Nothing but Hip Hop and Hillbilly!! Seriously, SW (despite a few obnoxious newbies who post silly things) is a better airline with a good group of people working for them.

There a good number of crashpads for commuters in SLC?

Well at least there is some good news!

I'd like to second what stickwiggler said. There is MASSIVE attrition in SLC up to 1/3 of the F/os have left this month and there are litteraly hundreds of hours of open time up for grabs.

Just wait it out once the contract is signed expect there to be massive growth and hiring.

Sweet! Now if I can pass the interview...

ahhhh, ooopps... V.P. in crew lounge yesterday (at ASA) says there is not going to be any hiring. They are going to continue to draft and screw over the pilots until Sep 30 when they close the base, then they will have more pilots than they need. LAX base doesn't open until Dec 1 but is so small it can't really absorb that much of the excess pilots in ATL. I predict that in Nov to Jan you will see 700 pilots displaced to the 200. If a contract get signed that all might change.
It is obvious that this is a Jerry (Lorenzo) Atkins ploy to try and break the union or have us get such a crappy contract that the SW pilots won't see a reason for bringing ALPA on property. Meanwhile, as the fight rages on, we are stagnant and quite frankly coming apart at the seems.
Sorry to give false hope, I was wrong. Again.

It's all cyclical. . . or so I've been told. . . I've got two years or so before I'm even in the process of applying to a regional or 135 ops. A lot can happen.

I think what is going on at Skywest will help ASA. JA is going to bring the Payrates up to what they are at ASA. I think the doom and gloom failed at ASA and JA was forced to conecede defeat. There will be no Paycuts on the CR7

Slap, I think your right, the strike vote probably helped.... But I think the fact that on time performance went from 90 something to 70 something after King Tutt took his paycut roadshow out for a spin was a big factor too. I have confirmed from union and management that after the tutt fiasco, that the company did go back for informal talks which fell apart, but that the company did hypathetically take pay cuts off the table in exchange for other things. I for one am all for it.... I don't mind working more, giving some relief in training and maybe, just maybe do dual flying and get paid 50 seat rate on 50 days and 70 seat rate on days you fly that airplane. My guess is that combining the lines will only hurt that top 10% of the seniority list and will give us the mini bases that they say they want. Being good for the majority of pilots. I say that know that with my seniority, it will not be better for me, but sometimes the needs of the many outweigh the.... you know the rest.
I hope that we sign a contract soon, as I have said before, the industry grows in spurts, and even though I am not a doom and gloom guy, I fear that we are missing out on one of those waves of opportunity.

This is what ASA Managment propsed unofficially a few weeks ago

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Offer last week from ASA:

-Payraise for 50/ATR
-No paycut for 700
-$1.55 perdiem increasing to $1.60
-Skywest training pilot section
-1:2 duty rigs
-401k improvements
-PBS


This was before the new Skywest Proposal.


I think this is a victory for us at ASA we not only stopped the race to the bottom we also in a way helped the Skywest pilots. JA and BL tried all they could to try and convince the pilots at ASA that we were going shrink and die and lose planes if we didn't take pay cuts. Don’t forget about those 3 crj-200s they snuck in under our noses and those 3 more coming in Jan. We called their bluff and now they are trying to make good with us. I think we should take an offer similar to what skywest is getting. I don't see any increases on the 70 I just don't think that is realistic. I do see at least a 5% raise on the 50 and ATR.

Also ASA won't be losing any CR7s it was never in writing and only an idle threat. From what I understand is that they will be coming to ATL and will most likely be put in service in LAX after a year or so here. I would also bet that crj705/900s will come to ATL and we will fly them. Skywest inc has 57 on order and I Highly Doubt they are all going to SLC to be flown by SkyWest. Those crj705/900s are ALL going to the Delta system. ATL is deltas bread and butter and they WANT a first class airplane there. Trust me this time next year we will feel mighty proud of what we accomplished and I think that is what separates us from the Mesas and RAHs out there.

P.S. don't forget about the 20 or so new 70 Turboprops (ATR-500s or Q400s) to replace the ATRs.

i hope everthing works out good for you all at ASA and Skywest. getting a higher pay rate for the 700/900 would be good for Skywest and much deserving. im glad things aren't going the opposite direction... hold your ground just like tsa and psa did.

Slaphappy,

Any word from the masses on what they thought of the last proposal? Will you guys be having a vote in the near future or has the union made another counter offer?

Thanks!

Alpa said said no, only because of pref bid. Also that proposal was just thrown out there and wasn't an official proposal. The problem was pref bid from what I heard from Alpa. They arn't sure if they want it or not.

Thanks for the info, just waiting to see. Seems like things (contract talks) are moving forward a bit now as compared to just before they put the hiring freeze on. I don't see how it can continue much long without some hiring due to attrition unless there are enough displaced guys from SLC. You must be running short?

Yeah and that fact that Skywest just had their propsal leaked, which was an increase on 70/90 seat rate for skywest as well as 50 seat rate doesn't help managements position on "pay cuts or else" either. I think its safe to say that the pilots won and we will get exactly what we want and we won't lose 1 airplane in the process.

Anyway about staffing levels at asa. Its so bad here that the ATR has 0 Captains on reserve and even has 1 relief line that wasn't filled. CRJ-700 Fo side in SLC is so empty there was hundreds of hours of open time up for grabs.

We just got a flica message that said CJ7 Pilots and ATR Pilots get 150% EXTRA pay for picking up open-time.

Good deal, glad ASA held out and hopefully soon will have a better contract. Lots of people on here waiting to see how it turns out! Seems like something has to change.

Slap,
I hope you're right. I see your logic, but I fear you are overly optimistic. The only thing that I am sure of, is that no one is sure of anything. Just as soon as you get a handle on things, Delta changes their mind, again... and puts a wrench in the gears.

It will be very interesting to see what ASA management response will be to the news of the skywest raise. As you said, awfully hard to defend the pay cut thing now.

Also, Scott what's his face V.P. said in SLC crew lounge that Pref Bid was not a condition of the contract, only that it could be implimented in the future with a side letter. I know, that's grey....

I am definitely one of those people waiting around on this to work out... Has anyone heard anything whatsoever about when classes are to resume??

Jack the prevailing thought among many people on-line is that "Why aren't we hiring!". The company just released a memo saying they will pay 150% pay for open time on the ATR and CR7. From what I hear from people its pretty bad on crj in SLC with the open time. I've heard something like 1/3 of the f/os have left and ect. Those cr7 are coming back to ATL. Delta needs them for the etops stuff to the Caribbean.

We are all just line pilots so we don't really know 100% on what’s going on in the company but from what we see online they really need to run a class or 2. With the continued exodus of pilots to Skywest and other Majors/Regionals I think it will happen sooner rather than later.

Stickwiggler, are you SLC or ATL? Maybe you can shed some light on the situation in SLC. I'm ATL myself so its all hearsay but that 1/3 number was from a CRJ IP.

slapjack, (clever, huh?) my previous post should cover it, but everything you said is true. FO just know the are getting extended when they come in off a trip.
I'm not sure if they will hire or not. If everything stays like it is, i.e. not contract, no new work, then I think the company is hoping to hold out and when we all get to atl and the dust settles, then they will take another look at it. Eventually, yes they have to hire, but I fear it could be until november when they start putting people in classes for the LAX thing. Like you said, we're just pilots. What do we know?????? p.s. yep, I'm SLC