American Eagle question.....

[ready2fly]

Sorry for the stupid question.... but when does your seniority start? Hire date, class start date, or class grad date? Thanks-

Not a stupid question at all!

At Eagle, your seniority starts on your hire date - which coincides with the date you start training.

In your new-hire class, you are "awarded" seniority based on your age = the oldest is the most senior in your class, and so on down the line - then you are placed into the overall senority list at the bottom.

Clear as mud?

 

[guardguy]

Not a stupid question at all!

At Eagle, your seniority starts on your hire date - which coincides with the date you start training.

In your new-hire class, you are "awarded" seniority based on your age = the oldest is the most senior in your class, and so on down the line - then you are placed into the overall senority list at the bottom.

Clear as mud?

Thanks! Still slightly confused... I thought you could be "hired", but not start class for a month or two? Or is your "Official" hire date, the day you start class?

 

[MQAAord]

Thanks! Still slightly confused... I thought you could be "hired", but not start class for a month or two? Or is your "Official" hire date, the day you start class?

When you're "hired", you are given what is called a "Conditional Offer of Employment". What that means is that as long as your background check and everything comes out okay, you'll be in a class when they get around to assigning you one. So although you've been given this conditional offer, you are not actually an employee until the day you start class. Your "Hire Date" is the day you start class.

 

[ready2fly]

Yeah, it can be a tad confusing.

Your "official" hire date is the day you start class, even though you received an offer a few weeks before.

 

[Hubbs]

Do they still offer a choice of bases?

At what stage do you choose your base? Interview? On accepting conditional offer? First day of class?

What happens if I choose DFW, and they don't require any new pilots for the CRJ, ERJ, or ATR? Will I just go on reserve?

What happens if I choose DFW and both the CRJ and ERJ are available, is it then based on seniority (age)?

Thanks

 

[ready2fly]

Do they still offer a choice of bases?

Yes.

At what stage do you choose your base? Interview? On accepting conditional offer? First day of class?

From my understanding, you choose your base after the interview and before you start class. Used to be on the first day of class.

What happens if I choose DFW, and they don't require any new pilots for the CRJ, ERJ, or ATR? Will I just go on reserve?

We don't fly the ATR out of DFW.... I think you're thinking of the Saab.

At any rate, if you choose DFW and it is not offered in one class, you can postpone starting class until DFW is offered.

If you choose the CRJ or EMB in DFW - you will be on reserve. If you choose the Saab, you MIGHT be on reserve for a month, then you'll hold a line and fly your butt off.

What happens if I choose DFW and both the CRJ and ERJ are available, is it then based on seniority (age)?

Yes.

Best of luck! Drop me a PM should you have any further questions.

Regardless of what the previous poster has said, Eagle is a very stable place to work. Things are about to change. How drastically, is anyones guess, but that whole upgrade time could change dramatically.

As for the divestiture - rumor is that nothing is going to happen....that the main purpose of the announcement was to get Eagle's "loudest" investor (the FL Group out of Iceland) to sell their stock - which they did....

But, I'm no expert, I just work here.

From where I sit, it's a pretty good place to work. Others may disagree.

Stan

 

[flyTotheSky]

Stan,

Can you give anymore details on why you think the upgrade time is going to change soon? I mean obviously it has to come down at some point but many say it ain't going to happen too soon. Just curious....

 

[crashmbern]

There is a big hiring gap. From 9/11 until early 2004 eagle didn't hire anyone. So when the first person from 2004 upgrades the upgrade time magically drops about 2 1/2 years. I've been at eagle just past 2 years and I am closer to upgrading than getting furloughed.

 

[guardguy]

At any rate, if you choose DFW and it is not offered in one class, you can postpone starting class until DFW is offered.

If you choose the CRJ or EMB in DFW - you will be on reserve. If you choose the Saab, you MIGHT be on reserve for a month, then you'll hold a line and fly your butt off.

I'm assuming that LAX is the same... So if I wait till an LAX opening will I be sitting reserve for a long time? Are the reserve guys at LAX flying a lot?

 

[ready2fly]

I'm assuming that LAX is the same... So if I wait till an LAX opening will I be sitting reserve for a long time? Are the reserve guys at LAX flying a lot?

I think if you bid LAX for the Saab, you'll be flying a line fairly soon out of IOE.

There is a big hiring gap. From 9/11 until early 2004 eagle didn't hire anyone. So when the first person from 2004 upgrades the upgrade time magically drops about 2 1/2 years. I've been at eagle just past 2 years and I am closer to upgrading than getting furloughed.

:yeahthat::yeahthat:

I'm a class or two behind crashmburn (just crossed the 2 year mark myself) and I'm right there with him.

Most of the negativity you hear about Eagle stems from the upgrade time. The two guys I went through training with on the CRJ left after a year.

I still shake my head a folks who accept a job at Eagle knowing that the upgrade time is longer than at other regionals - then get pissed when they find out it's true. ...... and somehow, want to blame Eagle.

The QOL here is pretty good in my humble opinion. The equipment is good. The MX is very good. The pay is compitble with just about any regional out there. Some make more, many make less.

It's all about timing in this industry. The regional that promises 2-3 year upgrade times today, may not be able to uphold that promise tomorrow.

Eagle currently is upgrading the pilots who were hired prior to 9/11. They've been here 7 & 8 years. When most of them were hired, Eagle was promising 2 year upgrades....then 9/11 happened and that went out the window as Eagle gave jobs to American pilots who were furloughed.

Those guys/gals are mostly back at American now and we are waiting on the "flow through" pilots (the folks who accepted an American seniority number prior to 9/11) to move up.

As I stated earlier, we should know something on that in the next month or so as the Letter 3 issues get addressed.

When those guys start to leave, you'll see upgrade change around here pretty dramatically...at least that's the plan/hope of most of us.

I think a 4-5 year upgrade time will be the norm for guys like Adam and myself. Those who come behind us may see that time shortened.

But, then again, that's all my opinion. Time will tell.

 

[husky16]

I appreciate all the 'new' info. From my standpoint, everyone complains about something and thinks the grass is greener elsewhere. Sometimes it is. Sometimes its not. It's all about your QOL. I will be applying to eagle within the next month or so. Hopefully they will still offer base choice then. Looking forward to it. Everyone be safe.

 

[blee256]

Eh...we're one of the top-paying regionals in the U.S. First year pay sucks everywhere. You pick your poison.

I wouldnt call Eagle at the top of the regional scale. Isnt Eagle pay Industry average, literally? If Pinnacle got a new contract and better pay, wouldn't eagle get a raise to match the industry avg. that pinnacle just raised? that was my understanding.

Just do us a favor and don't slam Eagle on the whole just because you didn't dig it. It ain't all bad. :bandit:

Is there something wrong with my computer? Because I cant see any of Victors' posts. You're a bit touchy when someone talks bad about eagle, huh? haha.

 

[ready2fly]

I wouldnt call Eagle at the top of the regional scale. Isnt Eagle pay Industry average, literally? If Pinnacle got a new contract and better pay, wouldn't eagle get a raise to match the industry avg. that pinnacle just raised? that was my understanding.

Perhaps "Industry average" is a better term. Whichever analogy you choose, we're certainly not at the bottom.

As for Eagle matching Pinnacles pay scale....that's a new one on me. Our contract is locked in for quite some time. Any raises in pay (other than the yearly COL raises) would have to be mutually agreed upon by AMR and Eagle. Doubtful we'd use another carriers contract as a springboard for negotiations .....with everything else that's going on right now.

Is there something wrong with my computer? Because I cant see any of Victors' posts. You're a bit touchy when someone talks bad about eagle, huh? haha.

Well, I do admit being a bit "touchy" when somebody uses brash generlizations regarding Eagle based soley on their one experience.

Don't mean to come off as overly defensive - just get tired of folks blaming a company for their personal bad decicions. That's all.

:nana2:

 

[ready2fly]

I appreciate all the 'new' info. From my standpoint, everyone complains about something and thinks the grass is greener elsewhere. Sometimes it is. Sometimes its not. It's all about your QOL. I will be applying to eagle within the next month or so. Hopefully they will still offer base choice then. Looking forward to it. Everyone be safe.

Let me know if I can help in any way.

When it's time for your interview, drop me a PM and I'll send you my gouge.

 

[MQAAord]

Is there something wrong with my computer? Because I cant see any of Victors' posts. You're a bit touchy when someone talks bad about eagle, huh? haha.

Vic has been banned. So yes, there are posts of his that you can not see. I believe a banned user's posts are no longer visible to the general membership. (I could be wrong about how that works, if all posts of a banned user are no longer visible or if just ones they make while on the watchlist or what......)

Stan and I were both just defending my Alma Mater. There are plenty of negatives about working there, but there are also positives. Make your own decision about where to work and whether or not it sucks

 

[SteveC]

Vic has been banned. So yes, there are posts of his that you can not see. I believe a banned user's posts are no longer visible to the general membership. (I could be wrong about how that works, if all posts of a banned user are no longer visible or if just ones they make while on the watchlist or what......)

Just to clarify this a little more, his posts were specifically erased by an administrator. Just banning a user does not delete his posts automatically.

Victor has a history on this site and it is not a good one. He has been kicked off two or three times before and is persona non grata here. No more chances, period. His posts in this thread certainly weren't up to the level of warranting a banning, but his past history burned way too many bridges to ever allow him back.

 

[FLflyer]

Victor has a history on this site and it is not a good one.

Would that be the Vic formerly known as BobLoblaw? Holy cow, haven't heard from him in a while.

 

[zmiller4]

As an former Eagle guy who hasn't been banned yet, I'll chime in.

In my experience, Eagle was not a bad company to work for. I had a couple of gripes with them. The first--their method of assigning bases--has been corrected, and besides, I knew what I was getting into. I gambled that I wouldn't get the ATR and lost. I thought I could handle a year of commuting out there, but I was wrong. Since I knew how it worked, I definately don't fault the company for not letting people know what aircraft they were showing up for, but if they still ran things that way I wouldn't have recommended it to anyone who wasn't young, single, and unattached. With the base selection they're offering now, it's a *much* more attractive place to work.

I had serious issues with the way crew scheduling treated pilots. I know CS sucks everywhere, but not like this. The total lack of respect and common sense they showed totally surpassed anything I've seen at my current airline. If you go there know your contract by heart and DO NOT help them out. If they say, "hey, we keep a list of folks who help us and we'll remember" tell them to screw off and hang up.

As for the upgrade time--who cares? It's going to change at Eagle just like it will everywhere else. There's a lot of uncertainty at every regional now. It's not limited to the ones that will be up for sale or that are taking big financial hits. Eagle is overall not a bad place as long as you know what you're getting into.

 

[ready2fly]

As an former Eagle guy who hasn't been banned yet, I'll chime in.

In my experience, Eagle was not a bad company to work for. I had a couple of gripes with them. The first--their method of assigning bases--has been corrected, and besides, I knew what I was getting into. I gambled that I wouldn't get the ATR and lost. I thought I could handle a year of commuting out there, but I was wrong. Since I knew how it worked, I definately don't fault the company for not letting people know what aircraft they were showing up for, but if they still ran things that way I wouldn't have recommended it to anyone who wasn't young, single, and unattached. With the base selection they're offering now, it's a *much* more attractive place to work.

I had serious issues with the way crew scheduling treated pilots. I know CS sucks everywhere, but not like this. The total lack of respect and common sense they showed totally surpassed anything I've seen at my current airline. If you go there know your contract by heart and DO NOT help them out. If they say, "hey, we keep a list of folks who help us and we'll remember" tell them to screw off and hang up.

As for the upgrade time--who cares? It's going to change at Eagle just like it will everywhere else. There's a lot of uncertainty at every regional now. It's not limited to the ones that will be up for sale or that are taking big financial hits. Eagle is overall not a bad place as long as you know what you're getting into.

Well said.

 

[ATOflyer]

for you current eagle guys...do any of you know what's going on with the saab? i have heard over and over again that they are being phased out in the near future(due to lease expiration?)...but was wondering if there was any truth behind the rumor that i keep hearing?