Future AWAC Opportunity
 

Folks,

I just received an email to interview with Air Wisconsin, which I am extremely excited about, given the fact that I have an upcoming Shuttle Am. class and the constant negativity has me second guessing that decision. I was hoping a few of you can answer some questions below.

- Overall, in you opinion will AWAC be around for the next 3-5 years.
- What are the chances of receiving a LGA or PHL base out of training
- How long is reserve currently? and what are upgrade times looking like?
- Travel benefits for family, does my immediate family and spouse receive travel privileges aside from the 8 annual passes.
- How is the overall quality of life for a pilot
- Would you recommend taking AWAC over Shuttle America?

Thank you so much, running out of time and I really want to make the best decision for my future. Thanks again guys?

stay away from there

I'm sure they will be around for the next 3-5 years.
Should get the base you want out of training.
Reserves varies by base but 1 year tops is what I've heard.
Don't know about the family bennies yet.
Upgrade is always a hard number to guess.
From what I've heard the quality of life is about as good as it can get for a regional, one of the best contracts out there pay is better than most.

Try the Awac thread and you can get most all the info you want there.

-I believe AWAC will be around for the next 3-5 yrs
- you should be able to hold any base right out of training.
- reserve times right now I would estimate to be anywhere from 3-6 months possibly a bit longer, upgrade right now it seems guys who are upgrading now have been here about 4-5 yrs. that should drop as people continue to leave.
- you get 16 buddy passes (8 round trips or 16 one way passes) as well as your immediate family and spouse benefits.
- I can't tell you which airline to choose. It's all about QOL in my opinion. If you live in an AWAC base I would go with that, if you live in a shuttle base then go there. If you live in neither then look at the other factors such as pay, contract, Etc. Honestly no one can predict which regional airlines will still be around in 5 yrs. things change all of the time.
Hope this helps. I'm an AWACer and I live in base so I'm likely much happier than the guys who commute.

After seeing all your negative posts about AWAC, it's obviously best for them you left too. Hope the grass is/was greener with your current airline. Care to elaborate why you left AWAC? Its plain to see you care enough about your former coworkers to keep hanging on their thread...

Another unhelpful post without any supporting information.

If your information is: Their planes are ancient, their contract is up in 2015, the place is falling apart, and the 50 seaters are going away....you basically don't know jack.

Since I see the above posted so often here is the truth:

AWAC's CL-65 are the newest aircraft in the domestic fleet that are the longest under contract.

Officially the contract is up in 2015 but AWAC negotiated an extension and it's AWAC's call how they want to use that extension.
..so therefore the absence of an announcement doesn't mean that the doors are closing next year.

There are too many 50-seaters at the moment, that is why many airlines are parking them. But 50-seaters are not going away because there are many routes that can't be economically utilized by all these shiny jets that people are creaming their pants over.

400-500 50-seaters is right for the domestic fleet, AWAC is trying to be in that number. One reason they will is because they can actually staff the flying they are assigned. Additionally, they are being asked to take on more because many of the regionals with shiny jets are having trouble keeping their promises.

Why can't they keep their promises? Partly because their pay sucks and so even with the shiny jets, recruitment has been suffering. AWAC pilots have the best contract in the regionals and the view out the window is the same.

Upgrades are coming down across the system...if you choose to chase it at another airline go ahead. You want basically the same track but with better pay and work rules, don't rule out AWAC.

Before you say I'm just shilling the company line The above is based on monitoring information from the company over many months. It has been consistent and without obfuscation nor has they been disingenuous.

Bolded is incorrect. Most of AWAC's acft are 1999-2002. Most of PSA's 200s are 2004 with a few in 2003. I'm not sure what year Skywest 200s were manufactured. I don't think anyone else flies 200s for Airways nor is this post very relevant to this topic. :p

Carry on.

My friends that are/were at AWAC liked it. My friends that are at republic........do not.

He left AWAC for Pinnacle. I think it was 2010-ish maybe? Can't remember exactly. He made a pretty bad call at that point in hindsight, he did it because he lived in DTW at that time.

That being said, personally I wouldn't go to AWAC at this time. They treated me great and the contract is good but I am praying for everyone I knew there to bail. AWAC's extension comes at a significant cost in margin to the company, I would expect the company to operate until the end of their leases and just return the planes. FYI the UAL large RJ provision expired at the beginning of this year, too.

[QUOTE=pagey;1748176]Bolded is incorrect. Most of AWAC's acft are 1999-2002. Most of PSA's 200s are 2004 with a few in 2003. I'm not sure what year Skywest 200s were manufactured. I don't think anyone else flies 200s for Airways nor is this post very relevant to this topic. :p

My post is completely relevant since the first response to the OP was to dump on AWAC...the OP is making a good choice by coming to AWA.

In reading many threads here...there is this misinformed group-think about what is important in an airline career. Is it to fly the newest jet with the fanciest avionics or the fastest upgrade? It may be, but if you arrive at that answer immediately you may not be thinking strategically enough.


I won't argue too much with those CRJ numbers but I also want to point out that we have a skewed version of the definition of ancient. AWAC's oldest aircraft are 16 years old as I believe the first were acquired in 1998.

For a car, 16 is old...for a US flagged airliner with under the care of modern maintenance programs it is in its prime. I used to fly a 1973 Hawker 400 with four decades of avionics evolutions...ancient is as ancient does.

I won't say that you are not a real pilot unless you have flown a certain aircraft...but the view is the same out the window...the important part is...are you getting paid what you are worth?

I'd take shuttle over awac any day. They are still taking delivery of new AA 175s and have 50 new UA 175s coming soon with an option for 50 more. Go where the movement is.....Compass or RAH.

What? Are you joking or do you really just not know anything about how this industry works? New airplanes does not = movement.

This is what's scary about taking advice from people online... you get folks recommending you go to RAH. *SMH

Honesty if your trying to get to a major fast I'd probably have PSA, Mesa and Compass on the top of list. Piedmont if something is announced soon. AWAC is a great company but upgrade time could leave you far behind. If you wanna fly a E Jet and be really really broke go to republic.

That depends on which major, FedEx and UPS did have a 60,000lb requirement for a while. Im not sure if they dropped that but for those that don't know the 145 and crj200 are under that weight, while the e170 will get you the proper experience to qualify.

So will the q400 :-)

Funny we've had people get hired with only Dash 8 time at both FedEx and UPS.

Not necessarily. I know they're telling civilian guys at the United open-house that the range in Total Time that they're looking for is 4,000-8,000 hours. Obviously things might change a decade from now. But if you get hired at a place like Mesa with only 1,500 hours...even with the quick upgrade, you're still looking at least 4 years on property.

Agreed...To upgrade 121 you need 1,000 SIC at a 121 and/or a combo of 135 PIC or 91K. So you chase that quick upgrade...a major is still going avoid hiring a person with scant seasoning even with that PIC designation.

You may say to the majors over and over, "But look...I'm a captain." they will say, "Come back after you have scared yourself a few times."

So the point is...why do many of us at AWAC stick up for the airline? Its because while we know that our people are getting hired at the major airlines just as fast as any other regional...and we have fatter wallets while we are waiting our turn...oh and that's all without having shiny new jets.

Settle down there B.B.!

Those times will change. Just look at the retirements over the next 8 years at the new American. Soon they will be retiring almost 800 pilots a year through 2023.

Get on...... Move to the left seat and get out. I wouldn't go to AWAC to spend 6 years in the right seat when I could go to the others and spend maybe 2-3 years in the right seat and upgrade. Even JetBlue has started hiring pilots with no 121 PIC time because they know they'll have them for awhile. Alligiant is also about to follow that model of hiring regional FO's with no Pic time.

Now if I was from any of there bases I'd think twice. It's nice to live and be based where your from. Not too many people get that chance until they hit a major.

LOL.. I know people at RAH that have been there over 5 years and haven't upgraded.

Plus why go there when you can't even live off there crappy pay and work rules. Republic until they get a new contract is the one I'd stay far far far away from.

Upgrade time at AWAC is coming down, just like it is everywhere. If you chase a quick upgrade, be ready to get stuck for 7 years in the right seat when things slow down. At least at AWAC, you will be making almost $45 /hour, hell pick up a trip in open time and you make more than captains at other regionals.

Yep. At Shuttle you'll get paid much less to fly more people and newer aircraft.

If you count the Chatauqua 145s that are going away (after they are moved to the Shuttle certificate at the end of this year), the 50 UA 175s for Shuttle are not growth.

At the current attrition and hiring rates the upgrade times at AWAC will be 3.5 to 4 years.

Last vacancy shows upgrades in the 22000 employee number range. Not sure where that is in years with the company, but that seems surprisingly high to me. If i had to guess thats about the 4 year range right now.

That 22000 range is because we didn't hire pilots for a few years and only picked up ground handling


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22 numbers are 4 year guys.

I'm a 23 guy and I could see upgrade late next year which would be 3.5 to 4 years into my time. Upgrades were 6.5 years when I started in early spring of 2012.

It's high because we're heading into the holiday season, and many people bypassed. It'll go back down.

How long does it take to get a call or email after submitting a app?

If you qualify then not too long...we are hiring as many as we can fit in each class. Don't worry, we'll find a space for you.

You never should've leeeft. Esp if this DAL DTW flying comes around.

For what it's worth I submitted new pay rates as of Oct 1 they are quite a bit higher than what's on APC
However for some reason these pay rates have not been posted

Anything is great for AWAC however, I'm curious if this is just slowing the progress of this company eventually closing it doors.

If........ AWAC is losing airplanes with the American Airlines contract extension this will just cover the loss of A/C from that. Then when the 2 year extension is up and the owners aren't willing to operate at low margins like the ground handling, it will leave them without a contract with American.

Assuming that the Delta Flying with 20 something airplanes will only be a short-term contract, 2017 could be a stressful time at this company.

I have been wrong many times................