Horizon

Ground training is about 4 weeks, sim is around 3 weeks. I think it's a pretty fluid transition between ground, sim and IOE, most likely not more than a few days wait to start IOE.

Last I heard everyone was getting MFR out of training, HOWEVER... you can typically pick where you do your IOE, and they are also saying that PDX is possible by the time IOE is complete. I think MFR is just the default for the paperwork, so you could do IOE in PDX and get PDX base by the time you are done and never see MFR is my understanding.

Not sure about the commuting question...
 
JDean3204 said:
Just a few questions for current QX guys that may be in the know how...

What is the training timeframe for ground/sim?

2.5 ish months to get through the whole program.


How long is the wait for IOE?


What bases are new hires getting out of training? Anyone getting PDX straight out of training?
Is MFR really a PITA for commuters?

Yes...avoid it.


If given the choice between GEG,MFR, BOI would it be wise to choose GEG as a PDX commuter?
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Bid for what you want, always. GEG is super easy commute v. the other bases. SEA is also a pretty easy to commute to.

If you want, message me. I'll answer questions...me surferlucas and pete4800? Are pretty level headed




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I had ~ 5 days between ground and sim, and 2 days between sim and IOE. There were three 2-3 day IOE trips, each about 3 - 4 days apart.

No new hires have gone to Seattle since around November of 2015, but that should change soon.
 
pdxcfi said:
Bid for what you want, always. GEG is super easy commute v. the other bases. SEA is also a pretty easy to commute to.

If you want, message me. I'll answer questions...me surferlucas and pete4800? Are pretty level headed




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Thanks! I will be sure to do that if I have any other questions!
 
Congrats JDean! I was in that interview with you, wasn't sure what happened to you after lunch!

I'm grabbing the June start date, so I can update you on how training goes from my perspective.
 
PICPaul said:
Congrats JDean! I was in that interview with you, wasn't sure what happened to you after lunch!

I'm grabbing the June start date, so I can update you on how training goes from my perspective.
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I had To work that day so they offered me the job and did all the paperwork earlier for me not to be late for my trip, which I really appreciated.

Definitely keep me in the loop with your progress in ground. Best of luck!
 
What are the pros and cons of each base? I know ANC is isolated up north. What are the route structures of the other bases? Do they all have lines to Canada? Are some bases more focused just on domestic flying and no Canada trips? Just trying to get a feel for each base. Thanks! Have a great weekend.
 
Exactly where each base flies tends to vary depending on the season and how the how schedules got built for that bid. Overall, I'd say that all of the lower 48 bases end doing pretty much every overnight in the system at some point in a given year, but (as an example) there will be bids where one base has lines with a ton of Canada overnights, and the next bid will see the Canada flying go to another base, and get replaced with Montana overnights, or California overnights, or a bunch of day trips.

As for bases, SEA has the drawback of being expensive, being a senior base, and tending to get horrible trips (for a variety of reasons), but it's the second largest base we have, and will probably get some of the first jets when those show up. PDX is larger than Seattle (80 some lines of flying, versus 60 some), also goes senior, but gets better trips than SEA, has airport reserve for pilots (not sure if that's a pro or con) and will also get jets. PDX and SEA also have a reputation for having some absolutely miserable crews who spend most of their time complaining about absolutely everything, and it's unknown if the arrival of jets will make that better or worse.

BOI is the largest of the outstation bases in terms of overnight airplanes (which means it's probably the least likely to close), and tends to have pretty good trips most of the time. On the downside, BOI has an annoying habit of losing flying to Skywest, and reserves tend to get sent to work PDX or SEA trips pretty often.

GEG has pretty good trips and is fairly commutable, and I don't know much about it beyond that. MFR used to get a ton of the California overnights (that's spread out to other bases recently) and still gets pretty nice trips, but it's perpetually voted "base most likely to close" (the weather tends to trap airplanes there during the winter, and the flying could easily be done from PDX or SEA), so everyone expects it to close every time there's even a hint of a rumor about discussing base closures.

That said, the adoption of PBS next year could change those dynamics somewhat, and with the arrival of jets and Alaska buying Virgin, it appears that any serious discussion of closing bases or changing staffing isn't really a priority right now.
 
This is probably a dumb question to ask, because if I wanted to be paid more I should have made the decision to go elsewhere... But do you think Horizon will raise their pay rates? I know the contract that some were saying was "concessionary" was approved earlier this year, does that freeze pay rates until 2018? I will say that is the only con I feel Horizon had relative to other regional options. I still chose Horizon because it is just first year pay that will be a pay cut, after that it will be equal to my income now which is livable.
 
I think it's unlikely that you will see contract changes before 2018 but they are pretty much going to have to do a bonus. Whether it's for new hires only or a retention bonus - I lean towards new hire only. Considering the way this company operates, they will probably start out at $7500 or something well below market then eventually raise it.
 
Horizon is getting desperate for new pilots (the last three classes produced a total of five new hires), and our lack of jets, flow, or signing bonuses (not to mention the seat lock and B-scale for healthcare) means that situation isn't going to get better any time soon, even with Shiny Jets.

There was a recent announcement that Horizon is partnering with ATP for a program that gives ATP graduates up to $11k of tuition reimbursement while at ATP and their first year at Horizon, but since that program is probably a year from putting anyone on the line here, it's basically a case of "too little, too late", since QX needs something like 50 new pilots by early 2017 to staff the jets, to say nothing of the normal attrition.

At this point, the pilot group is mostly content to sit back and say "told ya so!", since we told management this contract was going to cause hiring problems down the road, so just watching the hilarity ensue as QX management alternately denies there's a hiring problem and then comes up with all kinds of half-baked ideas to draw people here is nice payback for the amount of grief they gave the pilots during the negotiations last year.
 
ndakcfi said:
Horizon is getting desperate for new pilots (the last three classes produced a total of five new hires), and our lack of jets, flow, or signing bonuses (not to mention the seat lock and B-scale for healthcare) means that situation isn't going to get better any time soon, even with Shiny Jets.

There was a recent announcement that Horizon is partnering with ATP for a program that gives ATP graduates up to $11k of tuition reimbursement while at ATP and their first year at Horizon, but since that program is probably a year from putting anyone on the line here, it's basically a case of "too little, too late", since QX needs something like 50 new pilots by early 2017 to staff the jets, to say nothing of the normal attrition.

At this point, the pilot group is mostly content to sit back and say "told ya so!", since we told management this contract was going to cause hiring problems down the road, so just watching the hilarity ensue as QX management alternately denies there's a hiring problem and then comes up with all kinds of half-baked ideas to draw people here is nice payback for the amount of grief they gave the pilots during the negotiations last year.
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Five new hires total?? Dang. Guess ground school will be a small class then..
 
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