For all of you aspiring airline pilots, the advice of some of these people at RAH is over the top. Your first job at a commuter/regional is usually the hardest one to get. With your due diligence you have probably done your homework and weighed the pros and cons of each airline. You will have your top choices and send your resume to them first followed by everybody else. If you do not get your top choices and RAH called you would you not take the interview/job? You would be crazy not to. I believe Beechlover was very fair on his assessment of RAH.
Good luck in your future endeavors.

 

Let me try to explain. Right now the company has offered us FO's a raise. The only significant raise was to the first year group. From 23 to 30. Everyone else after that got $3 more per hr. Our applicants are few right now. This was a knee jerk reaction to help recruit people. The companies previous offer for the FO group was significantly LESS!

I have been here for a year now and will be getting off of first year pay next month. It has been very difficult to make ends meet this past year but you have to start somewhere. What people on here are saying is accurate and complete. I understand the need to have a job but be forewarned.

There are other places out there that have WAY better work rules and quality of life. Here you will be on reserve for an indefinite period. I have no idea when I will get off this pergatory called reserve. I have know people to be on reserve for 4 years because of the downturn in the economy.
There are bad things about every Jon. Make an informed decision. I wish I wouldn't have taken the first one that came my way. If I had waited just a bit longer I could have gone to Skywest last year. Oh well. Read the website that was put together. It is very good. Good luck!

 

BOLO! my fellow RAH bro! i meant knowing what i know now back as a applicant, theyd have to pay me more than $30 an hour. this whole place is in trouble...it just not worth the risk of having to scramble and reapply somewhere else this summer or fall.

BOLO...BOLO...BOLO...tisk, tisk, tisk. havent we learned you nuthin?

 

If you need a job, apply. You'll most likely get called as the company seems to have a hard time attracting people. It's a great pilot group for the most part, and you will be welcomed with arms wide open on the line.

As to honest tellings. Everything you've read has been honest, and true. No one here is trying to sabotage the company, we simply want to be treated fairly. I don't think we're shooting for the sky, but current pay and rules are a joke. As many have said, the contract is not followed by the company, nothing is guaranteed, there are no pay protections, your body will be pushed to the limits as scheduling does not take sleeping patterns or anything for that matter into consideration, you will spend a lot of time sitting at airports between flights not getting paid (this may not sound bad if you're new to 121 ops, but it gets old quickly and wears you down), you will get called on your days off at random hours (no time is off limits even though contract says otherwise), bases close all the time, pilots get displaced out of seniority, we just lost significant flight benefits, etc.

Also, if it comes to a strike you will be put in an awkward position. You're on probation, so you will be threatened with your job once the rest of us walk. I won't go into the whole scab issue. Honestly, I don't think it will come to one. The company will drag it out for as long as they can, may not be much longer if they actually increase pay in a few weeks, but they won't want planes sitting idly, so something will be hashed out before that happens.

Go to that website that's out about what it's like here. Inform yourself, and if it's that bad that you do need the job, then by all means apply and come join the circus. Know you will be stuck here for at least two years since they seem to be enforcing that training contract. Everyone, and their mother, has their resumes out. Let me put it this way, a top 5% guy in company, who's top 5 in base, lives in base, has great QOL, is looking to leave. If that doesn't paint a good picture I don't know what does.

Hope this helps a little.


BOLO,

C'mon man. Nobody here is trying to discourage people from applying or working here. We are fighting a loosing battle for as long as there are new pilots willing to fly for peanuts. The dream is still being sold, but the dream is far from the truth. You know this. It's a loosing battle for you, me, and every pilot, major or regional, for as long as there is a major outsourcing flying, and a race to the bottom as to which regional will get the contract.

Pilots entering the industry in general need to start getting informed about the state of the industry, about the fact that the dream more often ends at the regional level these days. 50% of domestic flying, and climbing. You're not exempt, no one is. How about we fight the good fight together, and put the BS aside when it's about all of us. There is a common cause here. I think you can see that, even though our contract negotiations don't necessarily impact you directly.

Peace...

 

SSMR, thanks. That is what I have been looking for. I just wanted some opinion from the people there. I have flown on RAH aircraft a few times and I will say you all seem like good people. Good luck with everything there!

 

Does RAH require newhires to sign a contract?

 

yes. two year pro rated one

 

Truer words were never spoken (except for the "loosing", vs. "losing").

The only solution is to demand that CFI's get paid $60-$80 per hour, with a monthly guarantee of 75 hours. That way, they won't go to a regional airlne unless they offer a decent pay scale.

 

how much is it?

 

15k... effective once you finish training... 24 months from your date of hire..