Maa (republic)

[RowUnderDCA]

lol... guys I don't think 'career expectations' means the expectations of those that had a willful lobotomy about 4 years ago to avoid reality changing their expecations. I'm sure they mean expectations based IN reality.

 

[luvn737s]

Why not a nice long fence, say 8 years or so? Any hiring or recalling could be done on each side respectively. If a furloughee thought they had a better future at the bottom of the AWA side, then they could do that. If the two sides could work separately for a period of 8 years or so, attrition and retirement would take care of any fears that one side is making out better than another.

Remember that contract negotiating time will come back around and everyone will have to learn to stand together.

 

[elixir]

frankwasright:

You and your cohorts are why the profession is turning into a job. You equate what you do with the Home Depot. You castigate a pilot who understands the manipulation of the profession by management as a "bitter, sad ass" yet fail to understand what he has been through because guys like you who do the job for peanuts. Your handle is correct. Lorenzo was right. There are literally thousands of you who will fly for truck driver wages because you don't get it. Just like U's 320 and his buddies who inhabit the U MEC.

Let me explain: You are responsible for a 30 to 100 million dollar jet. You are responsible for 50 to 450 lives which no amount of money can replace. I could continue with the training, checkrides, physicals, etc... but it wouldn't matter. You don't get it. Never will.

U is losing 10 to 20 pilots per month who do get it. And they will be replaced by guys like you who "just want to fly." That is what the free market is all about. Fair enough. But it is truly sad that you don't unerstand what you do is worth substantially more than you are making. Maybe, someday you will get it. But in the meantime stop criticizing those who do. They have pride in the profession. They understand that's is not just a job. They should be bitter. And sad. They are the first casualties of your fly for any salary mentality.

mr

[post="280010"][/post]​

F'cking A man

These punks have absolutely no idea what it has meant to be a professional pilot.
Additionally, they have paid (if any) a minscule of the "dues" that U people have.
We have all been handed our a$$ by the company AND ALPA.... which is even more disturbing. I say you guys at MAA should leave them in a lurch, similarly as they have left all of us. Let them figure out their own "proving runs"...why help your own demise?

 

[FrankWasRight]

F'cking A man

These punks have absolutely no idea what it has meant to be a professional pilot.
Additionally, they have paid (if any) a minscule of the "dues" that U people have.
We have all been handed our a$$ by the company AND ALPA.... which is even more disturbing. I say you guys at MAA should leave them in a lurch, similarly as they have left all of us. Let them figure out their own "proving runs"...why help your own demise?

[post="280524"][/post]​

Buh-bye ! "Don't let the screen door hit you..onyour way out ..".

 

[Mike]

F'cking A man

These punks have absolutely no idea what it has meant to be a professional pilot.
Additionally, they have paid (if any) a minscule of the "dues" that U people have.
We have all been handed our a$$ by the company AND ALPA.... which is even more disturbing. I say you guys at MAA should leave them in a lurch, similarly as they have left all of us. Let them figure out their own "proving runs"...why help your own demise?

[post="280524"][/post]​

Even sadder still..my neighbor manages a trucking company in SouthWest PA. He has many drivers who make over 90K per year and they are home alot. Just deliver to surrounding states.

 

[Mike]

On another note..This was just in Newsweek this past week. The average home in many major metro areas is approaching 200K. You will never own one flying planes for nothing. Aviation...the only business where you price yuur product for less than it costs and where people will work for nothing. Even a 747-400 gets old very quick when you realize your making peanuts. Nothing is getting cheaper either!

 

[michael707767]

Pilot staffing and labor expense in the U.S. is simple Economics 101 -- supply and demand. The demand is low and the supply is high. Thousands of pilots are willing to work at RJ or LCC operators for wages and benefits much less than than those previously enjoyed at legacy and former legacy companies.

[post="280023"][/post]​

You are exactly right. The irony is the vast majority of those pilots willing to work RJ wages are only willing to do so as a stepping stone to legacy type wages and benefits.........the very wages and benefits they are destroying with their willingness to work for less.
Michael

 

[CHQDRVR]

You are exactly right. The irony is the vast majority of those pilots willing to work RJ wages are only willing to do so as a stepping stone to legacy type wages and benefits.........the very wages and benefits they are destroying with their willingness to work for less.
Michael

[post="280614"][/post]​

Ah yes, the tired old "you're destroying my job by doing yours" argument.

In 1993, your pilot group told DL "no thanks, we don't want those little airplanes, let the commuter boys have them". Thanks for that. The argument about 170s/190s looking or feeling like a mainline plane is a joke; if it doesn't have props it should never have been allowed off the mainline certificate, regardless of the number of seats.

As you know, I and my fellow pilots have personally called up the CEO of my airline and yours and said "why don't you sell all those tired old 73s and Maddogs and send me some shiny new Embraers. I'd much rather retire from CHQ at 100K a year than DL at 250K with a pension. Thanks guys."

By the way what were you doing to raise the bar within commuter/regional aviation before you started with Big D? Were you military? If so thanks for your service, I salute you. The glasses I've worn since childhood stopped me from doing that. Were you civilian? Flying left seat in a Brasilia for 25K a year? Or PFT-ing at Valujet? What did you do to improve the commuters before you left? Or wasn't it important since you upgraded in 6 months and then got the hell out? See my point? The regionals are a helluva lot better now than they were a decade ago, but since the line between regional/mainline airplanes has been erased, suddenly our pilot groups are the root of all evil.

 

[michael707767]

Or wasn't it important since you upgraded in 6 months and then got the hell out? See my point? The regionals are a helluva lot better now than they were a decade ago, but since the line between regional/mainline airplanes has been erased, suddenly our pilot groups are the root of all evil.

[post="280622"][/post]​

I am not trying to paint regional pilots as bad guys, that is not my point at all. And yes, regional wages, benefits are not what they used to be. But, the fact of the matter is for a long, long time the only reason many pilots accepted the lower wages at regionals/commuters, whatever you want to call em, is because of the draw of a major airline job. Tell me, when you became a pilot did you dream of getting hired at a regional and staying there the rest of your career? The regionals have come a long way in turning themselves into career airlines. Great. But I still think a career at a regional is not what drew most people into this career.

I am not knocking regional pilots at all. But its an economic fact, as long as there are people willing to work for less, in any job, there will be pressure on the highest paid people to work for less.

 

[CHQDRVR]

Tell me, when you became a pilot did you dream of getting hired at a regional and staying there the rest of your career? The regionals have come a long way in turning themselves into career airlines. Great. But I still think a career at a regional is not what drew most people into this career.

I am not knocking regional pilots at all. But its an economic fact, as long as there are people willing to work for less, in any job, there will be pressure on the highest paid people to work for less.

[post="280624"][/post]​

When I grew up dreaming of being a pilot I thought the first jet airplane I flew would have NW, DL, or US colors painted on the side, without the express/connection/whatever. I absolutely agree with your point there.
But when I got hired at my carrier we had approximately 500 pilots and 60 37-50 seat airframes. I never dreamed then that my company would be flying an airplane that quacked like an Airbus and could fly 2000 plus miles. And now that it is my opportunities to move on are extremely limited. It just gets old being constantly blamed for that sad fact...

On a more positive note I've needed to ride up front on mainline DL several times in the past few weeks, and have been afforded top-notch treatment. I've had grizzled 76 and MD-88 pilots tell me "the industry sucks, but this job is still worth it. Do whatever you have to to make it here, and good luck." With all the crap going on comments like that give you a little hope for what's lefr of the "brotherhood". It's easy to forget sometimes with all the crap you read on these message boards about whose paid their dues, young punks, regional whores etc.

 

[michael707767]

I never dreamed then that my company would be flying an airplane that quacked like an Airbus and could fly 2000 plus miles. And now that it is my opportunities to move on are extremely limited.  It just gets old being constantly blamed for that sad fact...

[post="280630"][/post]​

unfortunately, opportunities to move on will become more limited. Fortunately, getting to fly a 100 seater is not a bad job and I think the regionals are fast on their way to becoming true career airlines. The line between a regional and a major is getting more and more fuzzy. I wanted to add something I left out in my last post, if regional contracts have been somewhat substandard in past times, I think it was in large part due to the fact that many of the pilots there did not plan on staying, and thus were not as apt to push the limits of what they could achieve thru negotiations.

And by the way, if anyone is to blame for regionals flying bigger and bigger aircraft, it isn't the regional pilots, its the fools at the majors who gave away that flying. Anyone who blames you is an idiot.

Negotiate hard and get what you deserve. YIf you are flying a 100 seater, you should be paid accordingly.

 

[Phoenix]

.... The MEC is investigating this correspondence and any implications. Additionally, the MEC’s position is that no pilot should consider making a career decision with less than complete and detailed information. We will vigorously oppose any move to force a training decision with less than full information. As a reminder, the MEC has filed a grievance regarding the proposed MDA transaction.

[post="279964"][/post]​

The MEC's vigourous opposition reminds me of a story I heard while in Prisoner of War resistance training. The lesson was to demonstrate inefective ways of resistance.

The story begins with a description of a young couple walking along the beach late in the evening. To their dismay a group of thugs came along and expressed a keen interest in the pretty young lady. The thugs announced their intention to have their way. They ripped the woman from the arms of the husband, drew a cirle in the sand around the husband as he watched in horror, and told him that while they enjoyed his wife over there in the bushes he was not to step foot out of the circle under any circumstances whatsoever. The husband protested vigourously from inside his circle until they were sufficiently far away. When the thugs departed and his wife returned, the husband triumphantly declared how many times he had defiantly stepped foot out of the circle while they were in the bushes.

 

[USA320Pilot]

MDA Chief Pilot Frank Blazina sent the following information to all MDA pilots last week:

PILOT J4J PARTICIPATING CARRIER INFORMATION

CARRIER - Republic Airways

INDOC TRN CITY - IND

SIM TRN CITY - CLT

TRN START TIME 1st DAY - 0800

PAY FOR TRN - Minimum Guarantee 75 hrs (no per diem)

HOW MANY DAYS FOR TRN - 3 weeks

TRN SITE ADDRESS - IND 2500 South High School Road, Suite 92 (4th Floor) Indianapolis, IN 46241

TRANS TO TRN (HOME TO TRN) - Company will provide transportation to and from Training

Are pilot required to sign a TRN Contract - YES (1 YEAR) Amount: $7,500 (prorated) NOTE: Waived if recalled to USAirways

PAY RATES (effective 10/1/05)
CAP - 1st year - $56.26
CAP - 2nd year - $59.57
CAP - 3rd year - $63.62

F/O - $35.20

MINIMUM MONTHLY GUARANTEE - Minimum Monthly Guarantee 75 hours

J4J AIRLINE DOMICILES - PHL, DCA, PIT & possibly IND

EQUIPMENT - EMB 170

TOTAL # AIRCRAFT - 28

POSITIONS - CAP: 70 F/O: 70 = TOTAL 140 pilots
HOTEL INFO

WHILE IN TRN - IND (To be determined)

HOTEL EXPENSES - Hotel accommodations based on double occupancy during initial training.

TRNS FROM HOTEL TO TRN - Hotel Van

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS CONCERNING REPUBLIC AIRWAYS

What will be my seniority at Republic?

You will be assigned a date of hire at Republic of July 18th along with other pilots accepting the approximately 70 Captain and 70 First Officer positions at Republic Airways. In that class (regardless of when you start training), you will be ranked by your APL date of hire. This will allow relative bidding seniority among the other US Airways pilots accepting employment at Republic. Management at Republic has agreed to this provision. The Teamsters have also agreed in principle, however, the MEC at Republic still has to ratify this agreement.

Will First Officers already at Republic be given the opportunity to upgrade to Captain?

You will have the opportunity to upgrade to Captain according to your USAirways seniority. Opportunity for positions at Republic will be offered to MAA pilots per LOA 91.

Will calling for every class date start at the top of the MAA pilot list?

Until a more automated process can be put in place, we will call all pilots on the MAA pilot list until enough pilots commit to the upcoming class in seniority order.

Will there be a Training Contract for MAA pilots accepting positions at Republic Airways?

Yes, you will be required to sign a Training Contract for one year. If a pilot leaves Republic prior to the one year expiring, he/she will be required to pay Republic Airways $7,500 (prorated throughout the year). This contract will be waived upon recall to US Airways. EMB 170 trained pilots who accept employment outside of the J4J program will have to agree to the same 1year / $7,500 Training Contract. Non-EMB 170 trained pilots (from the APL list) accepting employment at Republic Airways will agree to the standard Republic Training Contract of 2 years and $15,000.

How many MAA pilots will be offered employment at Republic Airways?

Under the Jets for Jobs program, 28 aircraft will be flown at Republic Airways for US Airways. Jets for Jobs pilots are entitled to 50% of the jobs created. Under the current staffing requirements at Republic Airways, this equates to 140 positions or 70 Captain positions and 70 First Officer positions.

Where will the crew domicile be located?

We expect Republic to utilize the same crew domiciles as MAA, however, that is a decision that will be made by Republic Airways in the near future.

Will I have to wait for medical benefits to start once accepting employment at Republic Airways?

US Airways will pay the cost for you to continue on your current medical plan during the 30 waiting period for medical benefits to be available at Republic.

Regards,

USA320Pilot

 

[Dog Wonder]

It sounds great. You should apply.

 

[USA320Pilot]

Dog Wonder:

I thought you would have understood this (then again maybe not), but I'm not eligible. How about you?

Regards,

USA320Pilot