Just remember, this is not a negotiation between the pilots and St. George. They may or may not come back even with the same offer if we turn it down.

To be quite honest I don't even know why they "put it to a vote". I suppose it maintains the illusion for us that we have a modicum of control over our aviation life.

 

It's four airplanes and we are woefully understaffed. It won't change the picture much. I also don't think it will have much of an effect on profitability. Again, it's a very small part of the big picture. I think it's more of an experiment, a test lab for our relatively new and inexperienced network planning and revenue management people to learn how to run a CRJ pro-rate operation under the Skywest name with a codeshare. Might be useful experience depending on how scope clauses evolve at the majors over the next few years.

Instead of keeping that operation running, we'll just store the airplanes for a little bit until we need to send more of the original batch of CRJs to retirement. This saves us from having to bring in four more former Mesa birds, like we're doing now to replace our own CRJs when they hit 40,000 hours.

As to the vote, I'm voting NO and here's why:

1. It's insulting to give a first officer a $400 raise and the guy sitting next to him a $4,000 raise.

2. Management is going to have to buy labor peace at ASA/XJT. While I'd rather set the bar really high for them, that doesn't seem very likely since we don't have any serious leverage. Our options are to vote yes to this and screw ASA/XJTs chances of a great deal, or vote no and wait to piggyback on their gains. Neither option is great, but one is obviously better than the other.

3. They didn't address the Highly Compensated Employee problem. It doesn't affect me personally since I'm on third year FO pay, but it's an easy fix for the company and would help a lot of our captains save for retirement.

4. Our 401(k) match sucks. It needs to go up and it won't under this proposal.

 

I can only imagine that the folks at Skywest work just as hard as I do at Republic. Hard enough to put our respective companies in the position to make acquisitions when other companies are barely making payroll.

Don't sell yourselves short. Your company Execs just like mine are making money hand over fist and when they toss you a shameful bone like the one displayed here, you should not be glad that they are offering you a raise in a crappy economy, they should be glad that you are showing up to work for a company that doesn't show any value toward you.

 

Amen brother!

Sadly they (management) do not realize that when the majors will start hiring in big numbers the First Officers at Skywest (that are all senior FOs by now and well qualified for other airlines) will leave in big numbers leaving this company in a situation that will cost the company a lot, both in training cost and performance numbers. (like when 600+ FOs left Mesa in 2007). Management is slowly killing the feeling of commitment and loyalty of their FOs with the show of disrespect and unfairness that the present pay package presents.

I for one expected more from smart people from ST. George..........

If you want to be succesful in the future of this industry you try to keep your low cost labor group (FOs and future Captains) happy and inhouse as long as possible.........as it will get harder and harder for Regionals to find quality people that will have 1500 hours and will be willing to work for regional FO wages......

 

No they won't. The FO's will take whatever scraps are handed to them, and they will wait to have 1000 or 1500 multi-crew part 121 PIC.

A very few will leave before, but because they may go onto a charter / corporate jet job that gets them instant PIC time.

The only real variable is if the majors begin to hire without PIC time. Obviously, that has happened in the past, but there will be a many, many year backlog of regional PIC guys who will get the seats for years into the future.

Which will open up the FO's to the left seat. So, I don't see much change.



I know everybody is all giddy about this, but the reality is that we don't have the final FAA rule. The FAA is getting wined and dined as we speak by every lobbyist who thinks there should be a loophole for their particular entity.

I expect that 1500 / ATP will not ultimately prevail. Even if it does, you'll get a MPL developed for these schools that will effectively be the loophole.

The only thing missing is the demand for pilots. The rest is academic.

 

Wow, I believed that you Tony as a former Skywest FO would understand if any....

1. There is no CRJ FO at Skywest right now that do not already have 1500 hours + multi Crew time. Delta, JBLUE and others have taking away PIC demands. The most junior line FO has been with the company for 3 years or more.

2. Delta has taken more First Officers from Skywest than Captains this year. More than 10 FOs have left for Delta.

3. Many FOs at Skywest have former 121 experience before starting with Skywest and some even PIC time part 121. Not all that got hired 2006 -2008 are former CFIs that started with Skywest at 1000/100. Most had way more than that.

4. You have been away from Skywest for a while and you would be surprised how things have changed specially among CRJ FOs that have by now been on FO salary for a few years and seen their QOL go down the drain so to say that they will take any crap for just getting the 121 pic time is not longer right.

The 1500 hour demand is already accepted. The lobby group tried to get the 800 hr but failed. The 1500 hour rule to be hired by a 121 carrier will soon be implemented.

We are tremendously short staffed. We have lost 200+ pilots according to the seniority list compared with the numbers from 2007. Etc, etc

Everyone thinks that MESA (Regional of the year 2005) failed due to a few bad deals. Part of the truth is that the biggest blow that affected their performance and resulted in losing contracts was the drainage of pilots that they had in 2007. They never recovered from that. If things do not change at Skywest they will experience the same.

 

They justify it because they are truly getting paid to keep the labor costs down. This isn't about running an airline its about running money and expenses. These CEO's could run McDonalds about as well as they would run the airlines without knowing anything about Hamburgers. Its all about keeping costs down and that is what they are getting paid for. They will tell you its nothing personal, and it isn't. So we need to stop letting them guilt trip us into thinking that if we stand our ground the airline will die and families across the world will starve because of it.

 

Ok, you're not quite comparing what I said. I said 1500 multi-crew part 121 PILOT IN COMMAND.

Then I said something like those majors would not take away the PIC requirement, since lots of CRJ PIC's would be taking those jobs for years. Obviously, here I am wrong.



I'd love to hear those FO's background. I'll bet virtually all military.



Of course. That's my point, actually. The straight CRJ FO (that was not military, or PIC at Mesa, or whatever) probably will still be at a disadvantage. You said TEN went to Delta. Not sure that makes a trend.

From my new hire class of Feb 2007, I can think of several FO's who went on to bigger and better things, including Delta. I wouldn't say that it's a trend, or even probable.

I guess it all matters on how many CRJ captains want to stay at a regional. I do not believe that the majors are actively picking FO's with NO PIC part 121 time over part 121 captains.



You're right, I've been gone what seems like a lifetime. Airlines have merged, lot's of guys I know have gotten jobs at all kinds of places, including me.



The 1500 rule has not been published by the FAA in their rule making process. The congress gave them a period of time to institute the rules under Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations. I'm not convinced that it will be exactly what you think it will be.

There is a loophole in the law. I believe you will see "exemptions" that equal exactly what the lobbyists want. I guess I'll believe it when I see it.

Sorry, been around the FAA too long to not expect surprises.

 

Tony is right . . . from what I have personally heard from a former Skywest Captain I know who is in training right now at Delta, the majority of the Skywest FO's that were selected at Delta right now have mucho military in their backgrounds. (i.e. military PIC)

However, I do agree it may be possible for a small percentage of FO's with only SIC in their log books (i.e. ZERO 121, jet, glass, PIC) to go directly to a legacy like Delta. Even if the flood gates open to hiring at the legacy carriers in a few years, I believe these will by far be the exception and not the rule. If for no other reason that that there are thousands upon thousands of CRJ PICs who have patiently been waiting their turn to move up and on.

For argument sake, lets say all the CRJ PICs that want to move up get hired, and then the legacies start hiring CRJ FOs in large quantities. Great, this might be a scenario an FO might be hoping for. But let me rhetorically ask this then, are those FO's being hired at the beginning, middle, or likely END of a legacy hiring wave? Another golden rule in aviation - get hired at the BEGINNING of a hiring wave, NOT the end.

That being said, let me say this as well - I very much think it is a BAD career move as a CRJ FO to go to a legacy without any 121/jet/glass/PIC in your log book. If the industry takes a dump again, which it will in the future, it always does, and for some reason you get furloughed, you are screwed. Being a "career" FO up to that point in your career will get you nothing.

Let me repeat that, it is worth repeating because of what I have seen in this business over the years and it is what I have been told this by many, many legacy CA's and legacy FO's I know, who are much older and wiser - being a "career" FO is worthless beyond your next paycheck.

Before the flames begin because I have somehow offended some FO's somewhere, let me say I only took the time to write this post because I want to pass on a few words of advice that have been given to me and have served me very, very well in this industry.

This is only some advice I was given, and I now pass it on. Whether you think it good advice or bad advice. Take it or leave. It is your career.

 

Voting is open