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NWA's Compass unit begins recruiting
Carrier plans to boost work force to 300 by year's end
BY SHERYL JEAN
Pioneer Press
Compass Airlines, Northwest Airlines' new regional unit, has begun recruiting workers as it aims to begin flying later this year.
Compass plans to hire 120 pilots and flight attendants and about 60 other staff this year, said Northwest spokesman Roman Blahoski.
The airline expects to have more than 300 employees, including those already working for Compass, and a fleet of 10 planes by year's end, according to the carrier's Web site, www.compassairline.com. In time, it expects to fly 36 planes.
The Compass site went live last week. It advertises that the airline is hiring pilots, maintenance controllers, quality-control representatives, quality auditors and maintenance supervisors. Right now, the Web site's main purpose is "to assist in the employee recruitment process," Blahoski said. The site also has some background on Compass and its leadership team.
Compass has one 50-seat Bombardier CRJ200 plane and will start receiving delivery of 36 new 76-seat Embraer 175 jets in the second quarter. It has received approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation but still is in the process of getting its certification from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Eagan-based Northwest has said that Compass initially would offer two daily flights between the Twin Cities and Washington, D.C., using the CRJ plane. Compass has told the Air Line Pilots Association at Northwest that it would start flying the CRJ within four months and the Embraer 175s in the third quarter, according to the union.
Ron Hay, a spokesman for the Northwest pilots union, estimates that Compass would need several hundred pilots for 36 planes.
Furloughed Northwest pilots largely will staff the new airline, because they get first shot at Compass jobs under their union contract. However, Hay expects Compass will have to hire additional pilots from elsewhere. A first-year co-pilot at Compass would make about $23.18 an hour versus about $30 at Northwest, according to ALPA.
Northwest has 526 furloughed pilots, but that number has declined in recent months because of attrition, retirements and recalls by Northwest. About 125 furloughed pilots have returned to work at Northwest in the past few months, according to ALPA.
Although other regional airlines are hiring, industry consultants don't expect Compass to run into any trouble.
"I suspect that pilots at other airlines who have taken pay hits may be interested," said airline consultant Doug Abbey of the Velocity Group in Washington, D.C. "Compass will be flying state-of-the-art airplanes, which would be appealing to pilots."
Another incentive is that growth at regional airlines is much faster than at major airlines so pilots will move up the ranks faster, said Jerry Glass, a former airline executive who advises airlines on labor issues.
The unions for Northwest's flight attendants and ground workers said they haven't heard anything about hiring at Compass. Northwest has recalled all of its 830 furloughed flight attendants.
In addition to Compass, Northwest has two other regional flying partners: Eagan-based Mesaba Airlines and Memphis, Tenn.-based Pinnacle Airlines. Northwest is buying Mesaba, which will become a subsidiary.
Carrier plans to boost work force to 300 by year's end
BY SHERYL JEAN
Pioneer Press
Compass Airlines, Northwest Airlines' new regional unit, has begun recruiting workers as it aims to begin flying later this year.
Compass plans to hire 120 pilots and flight attendants and about 60 other staff this year, said Northwest spokesman Roman Blahoski.
The airline expects to have more than 300 employees, including those already working for Compass, and a fleet of 10 planes by year's end, according to the carrier's Web site, www.compassairline.com. In time, it expects to fly 36 planes.
The Compass site went live last week. It advertises that the airline is hiring pilots, maintenance controllers, quality-control representatives, quality auditors and maintenance supervisors. Right now, the Web site's main purpose is "to assist in the employee recruitment process," Blahoski said. The site also has some background on Compass and its leadership team.
Compass has one 50-seat Bombardier CRJ200 plane and will start receiving delivery of 36 new 76-seat Embraer 175 jets in the second quarter. It has received approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation but still is in the process of getting its certification from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Eagan-based Northwest has said that Compass initially would offer two daily flights between the Twin Cities and Washington, D.C., using the CRJ plane. Compass has told the Air Line Pilots Association at Northwest that it would start flying the CRJ within four months and the Embraer 175s in the third quarter, according to the union.
Ron Hay, a spokesman for the Northwest pilots union, estimates that Compass would need several hundred pilots for 36 planes.
Furloughed Northwest pilots largely will staff the new airline, because they get first shot at Compass jobs under their union contract. However, Hay expects Compass will have to hire additional pilots from elsewhere. A first-year co-pilot at Compass would make about $23.18 an hour versus about $30 at Northwest, according to ALPA.
Northwest has 526 furloughed pilots, but that number has declined in recent months because of attrition, retirements and recalls by Northwest. About 125 furloughed pilots have returned to work at Northwest in the past few months, according to ALPA.
Although other regional airlines are hiring, industry consultants don't expect Compass to run into any trouble.
"I suspect that pilots at other airlines who have taken pay hits may be interested," said airline consultant Doug Abbey of the Velocity Group in Washington, D.C. "Compass will be flying state-of-the-art airplanes, which would be appealing to pilots."
Another incentive is that growth at regional airlines is much faster than at major airlines so pilots will move up the ranks faster, said Jerry Glass, a former airline executive who advises airlines on labor issues.
The unions for Northwest's flight attendants and ground workers said they haven't heard anything about hiring at Compass. Northwest has recalled all of its 830 furloughed flight attendants.
In addition to Compass, Northwest has two other regional flying partners: Eagan-based Mesaba Airlines and Memphis, Tenn.-based Pinnacle Airlines. Northwest is buying Mesaba, which will become a subsidiary.
