Great Lakes

I got a call about 4 or 5 months back. It was the standard interview scenario with a sim ride. I turned down the interview when I found out I would have to pay for my flight to and from DEN which seemed strange since they have "agreements" with United and Frontier. They also don't pay you a salary or hotel while you are in training. I am just a cfi so I can't afford all the expenses that come with working there. I will say they seemed like a nice group of people. They didn't sound very surprised at all when I called and respectfully declined the interview.
There is no longer a sim ride for the interview as there is no written either. Just 50% HR questions and 50% basic IFR (point at symbols on Jepp charts and IFR scenarios).
 
after you upgrade the pay cant be that bad? either way geten paid to do what you love to do. is the atmosphere at the airline that bad?
 
after you upgrade the pay cant be that bad? either way geten paid to do what you love to do. is the atmosphere at the airline that bad?

You're new on this forum, so it's no big deal. But just because you love to do something doesn't mean you shouldn't be paid fairly for it. Good for you that you love flying, but please, please don't be willing to do it for less than other people JUST because of that. And even more so, don't ever offer to pay somebody just for the privileged of flying around in the plane if they actually need somebody sitting in that seat.

How are Lakers viewed upon by the rest of the industry?

I think Lakes is a known entity. Basically, they are one of the last true "commuters" out there. Their routes don't go head to head with anybody else. They aren't threatening anybody else's feed. The two ex Lakers I've flown with were both VERY sharp guys and good sticks. I think anybody who can put up with the amount of crap that is SOP there and fly the routes they do in the aircraft they do is considered a good person.
 
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How somebody can live off that payscale is beyond me.

1) When your furlough pay is $0/hr with 0.0 hr guarantee, something is better than nothing.

2) Finding a flying job is easier when you have a flying job.

3) See #1, rinse, repeat.

A Laker, I believe, recently wrote something along the lines of "I fly a 19 pax plane for 19 pax pay."

Let's take this from another direction. Let's start with an assumption that Lakes is low pay for a 19 pax plane. Then Colgan and GULFSTREAM have pretty good pay scales for the same aircraft. Since Colgan 1 FO is published at $21 and Compass 1 FO is $24, wouldn't that mean that Compass FOs are working for substandard pay (19 seater v. 76 seater)? Or RAH 1 FO's at $23?

It's all relative. Like Ethan wrote, since Skyway, Air Midwest, and Big Sky have all folded, Great Lakes might just be the last, true regional/commuter airline.
 
1) When your furlough pay is $0/hr with 0.0 hr guarantee, something is better than nothing.

2) Finding a flying job is easier when you have a flying job.

3) See #1, rinse, repeat.

A Laker, I believe, recently wrote something along the lines of "I fly a 19 pax plane for 19 pax pay."

Let's take this from another direction. Let's start with an assumption that Lakes is low pay for a 19 pax plane. Then Colgan and GULFSTREAM have pretty good pay scales for the same aircraft. Since Colgan 1 FO is published at $21 and Compass 1 FO is $24, wouldn't that mean that Compass FOs are working for substandard pay (19 seater v. 76 seater)? Or RAH 1 FO's at $23?

It's all relative. Like Ethan wrote, since Skyway, Air Midwest, and Big Sky have all folded, Great Lakes might just be the last, true regional/commuter airline.


Couldn't have said it better myself.
 
It's better than 0.

Now Great Lakes will do something for you, you'll get in, get your time quickly, and get out. Also, flying a 1900 and shooting NDB approaches will certainly make you a great pilot.
A few major pilots I talked to said they went there to get their time and bailed, just like everyone else.

However,

No pay during training and poor pay. If you're single and have a nice sum saved up then sure but I don't know otherwise.

When every regional was hiring and upgrade times were low then Great Lakes made no sense but now that things have slowed down, well it might be worth the while to go there for 2 years.
 
Are they still hiring street captains? If not, how fast could someone upgrade?


Once I'm 23 if I don't military it up after my degree, or go to the bush, I think I might try that route, walking in and jumping into the hondo again would be good, especially if I could go right into the left seat. I wonder if my 600hrs of 1900SIC count for much with them.
 
Once I'm 23 if I don't military it up after my degree, or go to the bush, I think I might try that route, walking in and jumping into the hondo again would be good, especially if I could go right into the left seat. I wonder if my 600hrs of 1900SIC count for much with them.

What happened to india?

I was offered an interview here awhile ago but turned it down due to having to pay my own way. I wonder if they would still hire street captains with over twice their mins but without 121 time.

=Jason-
 
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