What's going on with Mesaba?
 

What's the real deal with Mesaba? I heard NWA bought them outright (although I don't know if it even through or not) and does anyone know if they are really getting those CRJ900s or not? How does this all play out with Compass being wholly owned by NWA too?

Beware of the expressjetters and skywest guys replying on this....The actually have no clue what they are talking about, but its kind of like the mob mentality so they actually convince themselves they do. The 900 domiciles are supposed to be primarily (if not all in MSP). From what I understand the ultimate goal is to end up with one seniority list, due to a scope clause supposedly in place that prohibits the flying to be shared by two airlines owned by the same company. My good friend is in the training dept, there and I could probably get some more info as to exactly what is going on if you really need it, RJ85FO could probably tell you more as well. From what I understand mins are 1000-100 as posted and they dont tend to lower them at all, so any ALLATPERS need not apply.

See RJ85FO posts under "Mesaba Recruiting" for the most accurate information.

Couldn't have said it better myself!

Thanks! I'll check it out. Does anyone also have any details about the other stuff? i.e are they REALLy getting those 900s? RJ85, I've read some of your posts and would certainly appreciate your side of the rumors.:D

Had to through that shot in, right. The bottom line is that no-one knows anything until it happens. We all know people that know people that help "hear say" travel faster while mixing in their own opinions and falsities in order to add validity to their statements. Don't be naive and think that us hear at SKW or those at XJT are the only ones who are guilty

BTW, Slaphappy was the only SKW poster who thought we would get the NWA 900 flying. If you look at my postings you will see that I have said many times that Mesaba should be award the flying. After all that was lost you guys deserve some movement in the right direction and this is a start.

With that being said, my fiend at NWA who is also a pilot at SKW and sleeps with Lisa Nowak said that SKW, XJT and RAH will each be receiving an initial order of 3 Discovery Challengers to fly connections to the International Space Station. Source closest to the president said they need to reduce cost and since the regionals are willing to bind over for the majors then maybe we can get in line with a little lub as well. LOL :D

Seriously, GOOD LUCK GUYS!

My apologies...this post was not directed at you in particular, i know you have been a class act...it was more towards people like, well i dont want to name names, but saaboroski or whatever he calls himself...you know what I am talking about. I love you guys at SKW, some of my real good friends are there, just didnt want to get the XJT'ers all excited by isolating them, might make them feel more powerful than they are, but yes Mesaba is my airline, and thankfully it is time to get back in business.

Its not that hard to spell, its SAABAroowski, and like the "mob" keep disrespecting me and you'll be sleeping with the fish hehe lighten up, its an online forum:eek:

" I love you guys at SKW" get a grip, thats the most ridiculous post I have ever read

YES! First one comes in May, then 2 per month until Dec 2008. 36 total. I haven't seen the revised delivery schedule, but there are a couple of months that only have 1 delivery. They are selecting the 10 Check Airman/Instructors right now.

Regardless, all furloughs are being recalled, and HR is actively recruiting. You can apply by follow the directions at www.mesaba.com. It is a very short online application and you will attach your resume as a text file.

Happy to answer any questions. PM me if you don't want it in open forum.

Any idea if the interviews which will be starting shortly will be for hiring into a CRJ pool or if they will be assigned to the Saabs? Thanks!

Since we will be operating both aircraft types you can expect to see new hires go to both. The odds are stacked in favor of the jet, but some will be on the Saab no doubt about it.

Be aware of the following to help you understand how it works here:
All new hires are subject to a 3 year equipment freeze. However the freeze shall not prevent you from upgrading before the 3 year limit. If, after 3 years, you have NOT had the opportunity to upgrade, you can switch equipment (if you so desire) and then will be subject to a Seat (status) lock of 24 months.

Since upgrade time will be dropping with the addition of these new aircraft, very few existing Saab FO's will make the bid to the Jet so as to avoid being seat locked for 24 months. This is why the new hires will see a majority of the jet slots. However, as people continue to leave for greener pastures, there will be Saab openings as well.

During any interview, especially in tight markets like pilots, they will try and sell you on the company by hyping up the jet and how it is "likely" to get that aircraft when hired. You should be armed with the facts and know that since we have 2 aircraft types, you could get either.

The Saab is less glamorous, but the pay is the same and you will fly more. It is all turbine 121 experience. The size of the fan really doesn't matter.

I have talked to a couple of pilots at Mesaba and they say the Saab is a fun aircraft. Which aircraft usually upgrades to captain sooner?

The Saab is junior equipment for captains. When you upgrade, it will most likely be to the Saab. When we had the Avro, several people waited to upgrade until they could hold the jet (six years) and then got the short stick when the fleet went away.

The truth is this. The jet will spoil you. I know the Avro did to me. Now imagine being spoiled for 2 years on the jet, upgrade comes and you have to take your first command, learn a new airplane entirely, and learn to fly again with VORs and crossing radials and NDB and non-towered airports. We have had more than one fail to upgrade for those very reasons. Coming from the right seat of the Saab to the left seat is a breeze from what I have heard.

And hey, they are turning on the FMS's in the Saab now. It even displays the hold on the screen!! For the Saab, that is close to miraculous.

OK, I appreciate the input....especially from RJ85FO! Here's the short and skinny....I am a corporate pilot; I am a Captain on a Lear 45 and a Falcon 2000. They are great airplanes and it is a great job with great pay...but....I feel the pull to the airline side of the business. Let's face it, none of us (generalization) went through school thinking we were gonna be corporate pilots. I wanted to fly the airlines and I know this will be a MAJOR financial hit for me. I have a wife who has a good paying job and I've been called for an interview with Mesaba, SkyWest, and Horizon. I guess, I am looking for advice from the "other" side of the fence. I know, I know, the grass is always greener...but just think, if you were on your death bed one day...will you ask yourself if you did what you wanted to with your life?

I've trained guys like you at UPS who were corporate Captains. Have you considered the cargo dog side of the airline business?
Best of luck in your decisions.

Thanks....I've looked at that too but UPS and FedEx require an FE cert (or at least written) which is no problem except that they also require an "inside" recommendation (from what I"ve heard).

[QUOTE=Falconguy;117422]OK, I appreciate the input....especially from RJ85FO! Here's the short and skinny....I am a corporate pilot; I am a Captain on a Lear 45 and a Falcon 2000. They are great airplanes and it is a great job with great pay...but....I feel the pull to the airline side of the business.
QUOTE]

Remember free advice is worth as much as you pay for it. So with that, here is my opinion.

If you have Turbine PIC and especially in aircraft like the Falcon, I would be setting my sights on the LLCs or majors. Regionals are tough and if 121 flying is truly your goal, I would hate to see you get the wrong impression by starting at a regional. You certainly must have the qualifications to apply at Jet Blue, AirTran, SWA, Delta, Continental, UPS, FedEx, Alaska, Frontier, Champion, Sun Country and probably some others that are hiring that I am missing. At these carriers, your 2nd year pay is at least livable.

If you are in regional mode for personal reasons then also consider Compass. They are looking for Captains, so with your qualifications they might be a good opportunity to make the leap and upgrade in months to the EMB-175 left seat. www.compassairline.com

Mesaba has a 1 year training contract and our upgrade time is not going to be close to that of Skywest or Republic or some of the others. I'd hate to see you get stuck in the right seat if you find out it is not what you are looking for.

Good Luck to you whatever you choose.

The Mesaba profile page on Airline Pilot Central REALLY needs to be updated. Don't know who is authorized to do so.

Thats great that Mesaba is hiring again and things are looking up for the guys already there, but what kind of problems does NWA's purchase of Mesaba and the possibility of that purchase violating NWA's scope clause create? I was thinking about applying for Mesaba when I read they were hiring again, but the possiblity of legal action because of a violation really dampens my enthusiam.......
Plus, does that mean that Compass and Mesaba will be merged together and NWA will form a holding company similiar to AMR having both American and American Eagle?

The following is from RJ85FO in an earlier thread dealing with the same question.

"Today we were informed that NWA MEC is NOT trying to, in any way, prevent or dissolve the deal that is place. They are not opposed to the NWA purchase of Mesaba, and are comfortable with us operating the 900's. It is true that the CURRENT language in the contract does not work for this situation. NWA MEC is willing to change the language to allow all of this sale/new jets however, they want something in return...a requital of some sort. Right now they seem to be pushing for a flow-through between Mesaba and NWA, which would allow more protection to NWA mainline pilots in the event that downsizing occurs in the future.

This came out on our MEC conference call earlier today. We'll see what happens, but it appears that our operation of the 900's is not headed for derailment."

RJ85FO: Didn't mean to steal your thunder. Figured you were out flying. I'm just sitting on a sailboat in Key West.

Ftrooppilot

UPS likes all types of backgrounds. Who knows, they might like your background for whatever reason. They have in the recent past. Am sure you are qualified. Though it doesn't occur often, they hire people without 4 year degrees and no inside recommendations as well. These people gave it a shot. and were successful. Getting my UPS job for all my complaints was like getting a winning lottery ticket. It is a crapshoot in many ways, but may pay off. One chance in a million is better than Zero chance in a million <g>
You will need an FE written. As you said though, easy enough to get one. The hardest part at UPS now is there incredulously stupid computer program that appears to allow only a few (said to be 100) online applications at a time to be processed. Many posts on this in the cargo forum.
Good luck with your future!

Not at all! I wish I was down there on the boat. This -38 windchill in the morning is really making me crabby!

So our first vacancy of the year was awarded yesterday. 50 recalls. They went through the ENTIRE list (220) to get those 50. Many, many bypasses. I have heard that our next vacancy will be posted in two weeks and they are hoping to have the furloughs all recalled with that one.

The MSP CR9 went senior. More than I though it would. Only 4 were recalled to the jet. The other 6 were lateral moves from existing Saab FO's. They will now be seat locked for 24 months. MEM Saab FO went very junior. The most junior pilot on the system seniority list was recalled to that position.

Stay tuned. For those applying and interviewing, good luck. It won't be long before new hire classes are turned on.

-38, where are you based out of Detroit?

I live in MSP. It actually is not quite that cold today, only -6 here. Bemidji is feeling -16, but last week we were waking up to those windchills in the morning. Needless to say, we're ready for spring up here.

Cold front in Key West Thursday night. Expected low +64 degrees.:cool:
Panic Edit : Forecast for Friday night is +55 degrees.

It was -1F last nite w/o the windchill so I am ready for spring too.

Do you have any idea of how flexible the mins are going to be at Mesaba? I have a couple of buddies that are interested but one is a little short on the multi.

Thanks

Honestly, I do not, but I will ask the question of HR.

The advice I am going to give is to apply anyway, and keep updating the application every two weeks or month. On the online application there is a "Your Specifications" field. Here an applicant will check all the boxes that apply. You can see that "100 totol multiengine hours" is one of those check marks. I am telling you straight up, if you leave ANY of those boxes unchecked, you NEED to explain why in the "Other pertinent information section."

For someone that is short on multi, I suggest an explanation of how many hours of multi you typically log per week or month and your estimate of when you will meet the minimum, or what you are doing to meet the minimum.

Please fill out the online app, attach the resume and ALSO fax your resume and cover letter to the number listed. Faxing is the only way to get your cover letter into HR. Mention in the cover letter that you have filled out the online app. This will allow the documents to be correlated.

Good luck.

The Avro's are gone. Open positions are bid by seniority, there is no preference given to former Avro pilots. New hires will be placed in the 900 as well as the Saab. The first few classes of new hires MAY realize a quick upgrade (less than 2 years). Later classes this year and into 2008 will see the upgrade time rise. The 900 crews will be at all three bases. Probably a slight majority in MSP, then DTW with the fewest in MEM. MSP will be senior for the jet. Mesaba pilots can jumpseat on pretty much any 121 carrier, we are CASS approved. NWA now has unlimited jumpseats. There is nothing special about being wholly owned by NWA (as of today) in regards to commuting or benefits etc. We are still a separate company in that regard.

Thanks again for all your info.

Knowing what you are getting into is much better than being surprised when you get here.

Now I am confused. I know some people here would know better than others but I am now hearing that Mesaba "might" not get the 900s at all. This is somewhat of a predicament because in addition to my other decision making dilemma, I might be interviewing for something that may not even happen. I know that sounds pretentious and egotistical but that is not my intent. I am just trying to sort out a major career shift and I want to make sure I have all the facts. We're all just lucky to be able to have a choice in jobs these days! If anyone has any insight, I'd sure appreciate it.

Now I am confused. I know some people here would know better than others but I am now hearing that Mesaba "might" not get the 900s at all. This is somewhat of a predicament because in addition to my other decision making dilemma, I might be interviewing for something that may not even happen. I know that sounds pretentious and egotistical but that is not my intent. I am just trying to sort out a major career shift and I want to make sure I have all the facts. We're all just lucky to be able to have a choice in jobs these days! If anyone has any insight, I'd sure appreciate it.

FROM RJ85FO in another post today:

"So here is the thing. The 900's are coming. A minor issue with the NWA MEC but that is being worked. 50 Furloughs are recalled. The next vacancy is expected in a couple of weeks which should recall the rest (that are coming back). Hiring will begin after that. Mesaba is actively recruiting and interviewing, but they are not "hiring" unless into a pool as of right now. The class with the furlough recalls will begin in April. I wouldn't expect new hire classes until end of May or June."

Other then "wishful thinking" in a few posts, where did you "hear" that Mesaba "might" not get the 900s ?

Well, I take the "rumors" with a grain of salt...I've been in this industry long enough to know that rumors are always abundant. I think I saw a comment to that effect (re: not getting the 900s anymore) in another forum thread. I also heard it from another regional guy (of course). Trust me, it is not wishful thinking on my part...I'd love to see Mesaba, NWA, Compass, etc. succeed. I just have a future to think about.

The wishful thinking was expressed by a few "other regional airline" crew members. There's an old addage, "Indecision is the key to flexibility." The decision to apply is not a decision to leave your present employment. You still have options. Listen to what RJ85FO has to say; it's the straight word. APPLY - when you get the call, then decide. :)

Friday's company memo said that the CRJ900 training manuals and materials were submitted to the FAA for approval last week. As soon as the course is approved, training can begin. First class (10 capt, 10 f/o) is scheduled for April 2, 2007.

Well, I did get an interview call but was also told that there was no guarantee that I was interviewing for the 900. I understand this but when I asked how aircraft assignment was determined, I was told it would be partially based on background, experience, etc. I'm not sure what this means...if I have a fair bit of jet time (inlcuding jet PIC), do I have a decent chance of being offered (if the interview goes well) a position on the 900?

There are no guarantees here. It really depends on the need at the time you are offered a class. It could be that your whole class goes to the CRJ it could be 50/50 or you could be in a whole class of SF3 FO's. There is just no way to tell now, how it will play out then.

I guess you have to comtemplate what it is you really want. If you are looking for 121 JET experience, Mesaba might not be the best choice since there is the possibility you could get the Saab. If you are placed in the Saab as a new hire, you will be equipment locked until upgrade or 3 years have passed whichever comes first. That is just the way the contract is written.

Applying at Pinnacle will guarantee you a jet and the same choice of bases. RAH will guarentee you a jet but with a wider selection of domiciles.

You are the best judge of your own particular situation. As much as I would like to see experienced pilots come join the rank and file here, I simply cannot in good faith try and sell you on the company by assuring you that the jet is what you will get.

I just noticed that RJ85FO answered. Mine becomes ( as the doctor says) a second opinion.

RJ85FO is much more qualified to answer than I am.

My advice - think long term. Mesaba is ON THE WAY UP. Morale is good, exciting things are happening. The contract issues are settled. Expansion (Hiring) will be explosive. I've made predictions on other posts that I stick with - they will be getting more then the 36 CRJ900s on order (perhaps more then the two 500s they had) and possibly ERJs (Compass). Running three airlines (Mesaba / Compass /NWA) requires tooo much top heavy management $$$$$$. Todays economy demands efficiency in order to profit.

As Mesaba and Compass becomes "blended with NWA" the lines will blur as will the terms major / regional. A pilot shortage will require companies like NWA to "bank" groups of pilots and institute flow through.

Being among the first 50-100 Mesaba new hires will give you a seniority number in the high 500s or low 600s with the eventual total at 900+. I think more if they get additional CRJs or the ERJs. Lets assume they do and have 1200-1400 pilots in two years. With industry dynamics, Mesaba Captains will be moving to NWA or other majors; the opportunities to upgrade will be great.

My advice - if you want a career go to Mesaba NOW and take whatever airplane you get. With all your jet time, I would say a CRJ would be the logical place to put you. If you want to play "bionic ping ball ball in a box" (all energy and no direction) bouncing from one flying job to another, it's hard to establish a flying career.