Welcome to Skywest! Everyone is happy to be industry leading in that we find innovative ways to screw ourselves out of pay. And we're happy to do it! Because we're just a regional!

 

Hmm I guess that should say you not we now.

 

Don't have to be an ass. I was curious about it because I thought there was no per diem during training and I was recently told differently. I didn't say I was happy, I thanked him for the clarification. I would love to have per diem but I'm not going to ***** and moan because I don't. I'm happy to be getting a paycheck, hotel provided during training, and a job. Could it be better? well **** of course it could be. But it is what it is. It's a hell of a lot better than 10 years ago and we just got to keep trying to make it better. Not going to happen over night.

All you do is *****, you are no longer apart of skywest and happy to have left, so just leave already.

 

Remember kids...

 

I know you are happy to be here and that is great in all but you have to take into account the ball rule.... As a new hire you will give both to work here, 6 months go by and you want one back. Second year you want them both back, and by 4 years you want both of theirs.

It is really easy to get beaten down when flying 90+ hours a month and if you're reserve that is a special h***.

 

I don't think CC was trying to be an ass. He was one of those that was all sunshine and rainbows when he first started here as well. All I think he was trying to say is that once you are here, you start to see all the things people tried to warn you about and that the recruiters failed to mention. And if you are one of those that want to make things better, you are told that we are just a regional and if you want better you should just go somewhere else or mainline. Like it is just that easy to walk in and say, I'm here United!! When do I start??

And it is truly death by a thousand cuts. Not getting a bonus check if you leave a couple days before they are issued, payroll errors that you may or may not catch, block vs credit. I like the firestorm that is brewing over PBS, but I'm afraid that train left the station when we have the company the ability to raise first year pay without going to pilot vote. All they have to do is get approval from SAPA and we know how hard that is!!

 

The best thing you can do is channel all the negative energy that"ll come about from working here/regionals into getting out. Now everyones mileage may vary but to me even maxed out captain pay here isn't worth dealing with the day to day issues that'll arrive.

 

What he says. They wont change a thing at skywest. Not a thing. When the storm over PBS gets so bad that it is a constant drumbeat, then they will agree to publish the awards of everybody so anyone can see it. And the silent majority will think that "oh, pBS can't be bad because they are showing it to us now" Another few years will go by and the same old song and dance will continue. And that's the way they want it. Regionals are not a career. They were for a while but now it's back to cut throat operations and trying to stay alive a few more years while mainline absorbs back much of the regional flying. If you have not looked at the new UA pay scales with CRJ flying included including CRJ 1000 and 900, now is a good time to start realizing the end game is changing. When those 100 seat RJs start showing up on both DL and UA property, you can bet your bottom dollar that the regional model will turn on its head.

 

And looking at those scales you'll notice it's cheaper for mainline to outsource to cheaper crews. Beyond the hourly rate there's economies of scale from operating more than a few crjs for crew costs, maintenance costs etc. as well as diversification of risk by outsourcing.

I'm not saying it won't happen, but there will always be regionals in one form or another. If mainline can get their pilots to agree you will see 100 seaters at the regionals. The only way regionals will disappear is if staffing gets bad, so far SkyWest is staffing classes 80-100 people a month, where's the shortage? Surprisingly most new hires aren't not just making lateral moves but are military and CFIs.

On the up side the more planes mainline effectively take back the better the chance of moving on. There will never be a shortage at mainline.

 

Laterals and military are short term solutions to a long term problem. The military guys are just getting the 121 box checked and the laterals are just using SKYW as a short term roost until a major, LLC, or cargo op calls. SKYW is becoming a transient duck pond for those flying south to warmer weather.
Thinking that "the pilot shortage" is only a regional problem is only partially right, as soon as the majors go into high gear for retirements, the regionals will be siphoned down. How many regional pilots can be removed from an operation before it be comes unsustainable at the current sizes?
The "pilot shortage" may be a misnomer, it might be renamed "the shortage of pilots willing to do a 2 leg commute to reserve, for crappy pay" shortage. Add the extremely high costs of training, and the shrinking of the middle class for another factor.
Sorry guys, the industry has spent the last time 30 years wringing every last penny over to their side of the table, by hook, crook and downright thivery(BK)and wonder why no one wants to play anymore. Think of the entire airline industry a a closed system, until there are a number of entrants equal to the number of retirements, it's just reorganizing the chairs on the Titanic. 5 years ago Great Lakes was chugging along, today? A regional shortage is a mainline problem, every crew cancellation affects the major partner right in the pocketbook. How many regional crew cancels happened yesterday, today or possibly tomorrow, any more than 0 is a problem, long term.
Proof? The Jet Blue 0 to hero program, expect more of the same. Age 67 or more is just around the corner.
The Perfect Storm is here, and the only shelter will cost them dearly.