SkyWest ?’s
#4981
#4982
Line Holder
Joined APC: Sep 2022
Posts: 55
Regionals are always economically constrained by the fact that they are codeshare -,they don’t sell their own tickets. But for Skywest - and most regionals right now - they have more FOs than they can gainfully employ. Because they can’t keep enough CAs. Despite DEC bonuses and credit for longevity at other regionals. And increasingly, they can’t keep their own senior FOs long enough to become upgrade eligible. No amount of zero 121 time FOs coming in at the bottom will change that until the majors stop hiring.
Adding new FOs when you don’t have the CAs you need o optimally utilize the ones you have simply slows the progress toward the day your existing FOs will be upgrade eligible by diluting out the SIC hours available - which just encourages the experienced FOs to jump to ULCCs or ACMI.
https://www.ft.com/content/70f0805c-...9-aabb0ea36324
Adding new FOs when you don’t have the CAs you need o optimally utilize the ones you have simply slows the progress toward the day your existing FOs will be upgrade eligible by diluting out the SIC hours available - which just encourages the experienced FOs to jump to ULCCs or ACMI.
https://www.ft.com/content/70f0805c-...9-aabb0ea36324
#4983
They had an opportunity to poll the pilots anonymously to find out why they didn't want to upgrade and offer them incentives that would make them feel good about upgrading. Isn't it cheaper to give certain incentives to your current pilots then have to pay bonuses and training for new DECs?
What if you gave those pilots certain alternatives they could chose from, such as (1) remain in the base they are currently in (2) longevity match (3) additional paid training, etc., and you can chose one of those alternatives to make the transition better?
2. Longevity match with what? How many different regionals have your senior FOs been employed at?
3.I am reasonably sure that you actually get paid during upgrade training. And the pay raise from making CA is non-trivial.
It doesn't work in the regional model to have FO lifers, it reduces the pull needed to train new pilots.
But with all the smart folks working there, they can't come up with a better model that significantly reduces the problem?
It seems shortsighted because the way the market is now if management doesn't get more creative, they are going to struggle with this problem for a long time and it will negatively impact operations and financial outcomes for years.
#4984
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Oct 2005
Position: RJ Captain
Posts: 1,174
Yes, I am fully aware of this problem. But Skywest forced upgrades and how many folks left due to that? They had an opportunity to poll the pilots anonymously to find out why they didn't want to upgrade and offer them incentives that would make them feel good about upgrading. Isn't it cheaper to give certain incentives to your current pilots then have to pay bonuses and training for new DECs? What if you gave those pilots certain alternatives they could chose from, such as (1) remain in the base they are currently in (2) longevity match (3) additional paid training, etc., and you can chose one of those alternatives to make the transition better? It doesn't work in the regional model to have FO lifers, it reduces the pull needed to train new pilots. But with all the smart folks working there, they can't come up with a better model that significantly reduces the problem? It seems shortsighted because the way the market is now if management doesn't get more creative, they are going to struggle with this problem for a long time and it will negatively impact operations and financial outcomes for years.
Do you work here?
The forced upgrades were mostly done so they could stay in their current domicile. Not all, but most. Longevity match? You do know you transfer over to the captain scale with however many years you have with the company and not start over at year 1. 10 year FO goes to 10 year CA pay. If you need extra training, you are always paid for it. Nothing here is done without pay. There are some limits on how much extra training you can receive, but they also just added extra stuff into the syllabus.
The pilots I know that weren't upgrading, did not need the money and usually had other stuff going on in their life.
#4986
Yup, and the imbalance is the same as it was before the forced upgrades began. So what has this disaster of a policy achieved? Let's see... Ah yes. Precisely nothing, aside from encourage more people to update their apps.
#4987
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2022
Posts: 443
#4988
#4989
And under present conditions, if senior FOs aren’t going to upgrade, the company is better off encouraging those high time FOs to leave. They have lots of applicants waiting who will be happy to have those SIC hours, even on first or second year pay.
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