shortspatula

The new pay at the legacies might be enough to leave Breeze even if it’s a pay cut initially. We’ll see how strong the kool aid is here though. Also we do have myidtravel for those far away destinations!

BobbyLeeSwagger

Considering the 401K bump, it may not be a pay cut at all. The 401k was probably the most disappointing part of the compensation there. Not even a 10% match, something! You are losing so much compounding power with 4% its not even funny. One of many things that signaled it wasn't gonna be a career carrier.

They should have given a more generous stock plan to make up for the risk you guys take getting the airline started.

Swapapotamoose

Yes lol. The last 4 FO’s I’ve flown with, either have interviews lined up or are actively trying to leave. It’s like that at every LCC, even SWA. FO’s will continue to leave. If Breeze does not fix these horrible commuter schedules, CA’s will start leaving as well.

kaputt

Any updated thoughts on Breeze as a 1500 hour CFI type? I read the info from earlier in the thread recommending against it, however they’ve expanded their partner schools, of which I am an employee, and with the regionals slowing down it seems like an opportunity worth exploring.

Curious if they’ve adjusted the training pipeline at all for those with no prior jet or 121 experience, or if it’s still sink or swim?

Thanks.

shortspatula

That’s fine but you said a legacy job trumps LCC even if pay was the same. The confusing part is that you work at breeze with that sentiment. Are you waiting for that legacy job?

I was inverted

The business model for Breeze pilots was always to have high turnover. They wanted to eventually get to a point where they can recruit from the same pool as regionals recruits from. Traditionally it’s taken 3-5 years at a regional to get enough time to then go to a major. If they paid just above Skywest, but below allegiant, they’d get newhires, keep them for just enough time for them to get competitive for a major, so then they leave, and Breeze replaces them with someone on year 1 pay. That opens up an upgrade and the cycle repeats. Ideally, breeze would have 3-5 year guys in the left seat and 1-2 year guys in the right seat in perpetuity. Nobody would be on year 6 pay. That’s been the plan since 2019, maybe earlier.

The problem is, that traditional timeline to a major isn’t holding right now, regional pay is at historic highs, etc., so they’ve had to increase comp higher than planned. That business model with pilots actually making money isn’t viable, hence the struggle for the company to make money. The business model requires very low paid pilots. Also, notice they never increased 401k with these wage increases. Why? They want you to get in, get out, and keep resetting the pay/vacation scale for their pilots.

Same was true with their flight attendant hiring at the beginning: make them part time college students and “part time” FAs, get them a 4 year degree so they go get a higher paying job after checking the FA box in their life and finishing the degree, and they can keep them also averaging low longevity.

It’s not designed to be a career airline. It’s designed to be an alternative to and “barely better than” a regional with a little bit larger and shinier planes so you go there instead of Skywest or whomever else, but not good enough to stay long term. Even a single digit seniority number didn’t make it worth it for me. The math just wouldn’t work out no matter how much I could make with only 4% 401k.

At least you got ALPA early on. But, mesa, frontier, and spirit all have ALPA too and they still suck. So, I’m not optimistic about the pilots’ future at breeze. As far as pilot jobs go, it’ll just be one industry undercutting dump for the foreseeable future. I guess those with one and two digit seniority numbers have a lot to give up as the hiring wave continues. But, there will likely continue to be a lot better opportunities for pilots than that clown show for the foreseeable future.

shortspatula

Cool story. Except that majors are making historic pay, so not much undercutting going on is there? If anything they raised the pay here and more coming soon and supposedly ALPA was voted in! Doesn’t seem like a whole lot of bottom feeding. I think you’re still stuck on 2019.

BobbyLeeSwagger

Single digit guy as well. Perfectly said

I was inverted

I don’t think you quite comprehended my post.

bonvoyage

All I get interpret out of these posts is that Breeze lags in 401k, which has been said since day one. So if Breeze did a 16% DC would it be a career-worthy airline in the eyes of a Delta pilot???