Skywest Questions

Does anyone know the reason behind having such a large difference in pilots between the ERJ and CRJ? Why did they stack the reserves up on the ERJ and yet have minimal on the CRJ? I know this isn't anything new but did the company have a reason?
 
Does anyone know the reason behind having such a large difference in pilots between the ERJ and CRJ? Why did they stack the reserves up on the ERJ and yet have minimal on the CRJ? I know this isn't anything new but did the company have a reason?

Maybe we are due for more ERJs and they are as a result planning staffing in advance? At the very least SKYW management can prove to legacies that we are staffed and can handle more ERJ flying whereas some of our competition are struggling hard.
 
Does anyone know the reason behind having such a large difference in pilots between the ERJ and CRJ? Why did they stack the reserves up on the ERJ and yet have minimal on the CRJ? I know this isn't anything new but did the company have a reason?
The training classes are much larger on the CRJ right now. I was just in the hangar last week and a class of 40 just went through and they said the next 2 classes should be 45-50/ish and less ERJ new hires.

Also, attrition rate is higher on the CRJ obviously.
 
How long as folks sitting reserve in ORD and MSP right now?


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On the CRJ, ORD has about 7-8 people this month on reserve and MSP has 2-3.

Both of the guys bidding 100% got a composite line this month. Of course that could all change month to month, but right now based off this month, you will sit reserve a very short period of time.
 
On the CRJ, ORD has about 7-8 people this month on reserve and MSP has 2-3.

Both of the guys bidding 100% got a composite line this month. Of course that could all change month to month, but right now based off this month, you will sit reserve a very short period of time.
Everyone in the class ahead of me went straight to MSP and ORD. No one went to DTW.
 
On the CRJ, ORD has about 7-8 people this month on reserve and MSP has 2-3.

Both of the guys bidding 100% got a composite line this month. Of course that could all change month to month, but right now based off this month, you will sit reserve a very short period of time.

That's nice to hear. I didn't bid for it this last month bc I wasn't sure how long the reserve wait was...but if it's that short, it's a time zone closer to home. Has to be better than DTW.

Thanks for the reply!


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That's nice to hear. I didn't bid for it this last month bc I wasn't sure how long the reserve wait was...but if it's that short, it's a time zone closer to home. Has to be better than DTW.

Thanks for the reply!


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Yeah depending on how low you are that could obviously change any month. With bid transparency it really helps see where you are on the list and an idea of what you can get. Even that is a bit skewed as well because it doesn't tell you the people who aren't bidding in base.

I do know when I was junior in ORD 4 months ago, it was a lot of the bad stand-ups. So I would just bid reserve on purpose until I transferred out.
 
Yeah depending on how low you are that could obviously change any month. With bid transparency it really helps see where you are on the list and an idea of what you can get. Even that is a bit skewed as well because it doesn't tell you the people who aren't bidding in base.

I do know when I was junior in ORD 4 months ago, it was a lot of the bad stand-ups. So I would just bid reserve on purpose until I transferred out.

I’d be bidding in the 90% range...out of the 279 FO’s I’m seeing. At what point would it be worthwhile to make the switch?


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I’d be bidding in the 90% range...out of the 279 FO’s I’m seeing. At what point would it be worthwhile to make the switch?

Only 204 FOs bid for October in ORD. While there would obviously be some non-bidding people, you have to assume the other 75 people in ORD are somewhere still in the training pipeline and as they get online there will (eventually) be more reserve lines added.

One of the common errors of PBS is that you have to consider your percentage among bidders, not total in base. For that you have to look at bid transparency and see where you would be amongst bidding pilots in base. For example, when I was in DTW I was around 45% overall but because there were a bunch of non-bidding pilots junior to me so I actually bid around 55%.

When people at your seniority or who are junior to you and who are active bidders are holding schedules similar to what you want, then the transfer is worth it. Unless of course that's where you live in which case my advise would be to get there ASAP, reserve at home is IMO far better than even the best line when commuting.
 
I’d be bidding in the 90% range...out of the 279 FO’s I’m seeing. At what point would it be worthwhile to make the switch?


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What was said above is very valuable. You can use bid transparency and pairing information to see what junior guys are getting.

I don't want to say you'll be good and a line holder next month and then it all change. August I was 5 people off from being in the target lineholders in SLC. September I was 17 off and I moved UP 6% in seniority! This month I'm finally back to a line holder. Just goes to show you can't really predict that stuff. I'm sure you'll be close but I'd look at every variable. If ORD is home, no question I'd take reserve at home over commuting any day. If your commute is shorter, I'd still take it but that's just me.

Good luck my friend and keep an eye out for October information!
 
What was said above is very valuable. You can use bid transparency and pairing information to see what junior guys are getting.

I don't want to say you'll be good and a line holder next month and then it all change. August I was 5 people off from being in the target lineholders in SLC. September I was 17 off and I moved UP 6% in seniority! This month I'm finally back to a line holder. Just goes to show you can't really predict that stuff. I'm sure you'll be close but I'd look at every variable. If ORD is home, no question I'd take reserve at home over commuting any day. If your commute is shorter, I'd still take it but that's just me.

Good luck my friend and keep an eye out for October information!

Thanks for the info! ORD isn't home...but is a little closer to it (out west). I'll look into this bid transparency you speak of. Cheers!


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Any truth to what I'm hearing from colleagues that we have cancelled flights in DTW due to inadequate staffing??

There were 8 cancellations on 1 Oct due to pilot staffing. They could find a captain for a couple of trips. No cancellations in DTW. It was ORD and SFO.
 
I was told that SkyWest (in addition to the standard 121 requirements) requires 2,500 fixed-wing hours (not total time) in order to upgrade to captain. Is this still the company's current policy? As a military rotary-wing guy, this would add over an additional year of time to upgrade. Supposedly I could request a waiver, however, I would rather go somewhere where it is fact, not merely a possibility.

If they still do require 2,500 fixed-wing hours, who in the company would responsible for reviewing the policy in order to potentially change it?
 
I was told that SkyWest (in addition to the standard 121 requirements) requires 2,500 fixed-wing hours (not total time) in order to upgrade to captain. Is this still the company's current policy? As a military rotary-wing guy, this would add over an additional year of time to upgrade. Supposedly I could request a waiver, however, I would rather go somewhere where it is fact, not merely a possibility.

If they still do require 2,500 fixed-wing hours, who in the company would responsible for reviewing the policy in order to potentially change it?

I think it’s 2500TT but I could be wrong. And no they are not likely to change it.
 
I was told that SkyWest (in addition to the standard 121 requirements) requires 2,500 fixed-wing hours (not total time) in order to upgrade to captain. Is this still the company's current policy? As a military rotary-wing guy, this would add over an additional year of time to upgrade. Supposedly I could request a waiver, however, I would rather go somewhere where it is fact, not merely a possibility.

If they still do require 2,500 fixed-wing hours, who in the company would responsible for reviewing the policy in order to potentially change it?
I was told it was for insurance and it's been waived before but not to expect it to get waived again.

Also, on APC it says helo time is not counted towards upgrade. Not sure who updates that or how accurate it is. I can't seem to find it anywhere. I would say ask a recruiter, but they might say whatever to get you in the door.
 
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