Is there light at end of the tunnel for us regional FO's?

Re: Is there light at end of the tunnel for us regional FO's

v1valarob said:
As for Eagle running classes, Im just looking at the recent displacement thread in which today someone mentioned that displacements were on hold and possible furloughs instead due to decrease in flying.
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I can honestly say that this forum is the first I've heard of the furlough rumor at Eagle.

AMR announced today that it would be furloughing 323 Flight Attendats at American Airlines (which sucks BIG TIME either way) so, that may be where the rumor came from. I haven't heard anything (yet) about furloughs at Eagle.

As for Eagle hiring - from what I'm hearing, they are waiting for better times to start hiring, so that may be on the backburner for a while. Earliest I've heard is that hirings may resume this summer..... maybe...if things pick up.
 
Re: Is there light at end of the tunnel for us regional FO's

v1valarob said:
My post was merely pointing to the original poster that if he is stuck at any airline at the bottom of the barrel, Colgan might be the only place where movement or even upgrade is within site. If it wasnt for the new Qs coming on, my decision on wether or not I feel like weathering this storm would be already made.

As for Eagle running classes, Im just looking at the recent displacement thread in which today someone mentioned that displacements were on hold and possible furloughs instead due to decrease in flying.
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Well I'm not attacking your post. I just want to point out you aren't the only ones with growth on the horizon and the OP should not get pigeon holed on Colgan. Maybe if I explained a little bit:
my priority:
1. Pay/base
2. Quality of contract
3. Stability

If the poster is dead set on Houston cause he lives there then rock on with Colgan. If he's in LGA or EWR or something and is commuting from Atlanta, maybe something like Republic is more a choice. So I'd suggest to the OP to take the "future growth" thing out of the picture. Look at it more from a priority standpoint.

If your (the OP) first priority on that list is the left seat then I'd bet you a Benjamin you'll leave Colgan for whichever company is the next one taking street captains. There is nothing wrong with that mentality (I think), but if that is your priority, you should put being comfortable on top of your list as being an FO, because Colgan doesn't pay FO's enough to stick around for years and commute.

You could, in a few months, build some time at another airline where life could be much better for you, and then make the jump as a street captain somewhere else (maybe Colgan again).

If your QOL is already high at Colgan then stick around. Something will come along, it did for many of us.

EDIT: I think I've said many times Colgan treated me (just me though :( )alright. But I was based up in New England (near all my fam and friends) and ran one of the crash pads in AUG so life was good for me. When Mesaba came along I bailed fast for the pay and MEM base. Sitting pretty comfy right now, about to buy my first home in MEM.
 
Re: Is there light at end of the tunnel for us regional FO's

v1valarob said:
We have firm orders for new Qs next year, as well as a place already to put them. Its isnt a rumor, its a fact. If it falls through for some reason then I have a feeling Ill have to worry about something other than movement in a company.
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Careful here. Don't count the airplanes before they're parked. Orders can be canceled, and until there's a hard deal signed with CAL, those planes are just "reserved" for CAL. If CAL decides they don't want to fly them, Pinnacle Corp is gonna be stuck with Q400s sitting on a ramp not generating income. Management here isn't exactly running a good track record on smart decisions lately......
 
Re: Is there light at end of the tunnel for us regional FO's

v1valarob]We have firm orders for new Qs next year said:
Careful here. Don't count the airplanes before they're parked. Orders can be canceled, ......
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:yeahthat::yeahthat::yeahthat:
A-freakin-men!!

Eagle has had the option for 25 additional CRJ's for a while. We've supposed had the financing secured for over a year. An arbitrator ruled in favor of Eagle getting 22 of the 25....... yet NOT ONE of those aircraft has rolled onto property.

NOTHING is a "fact" in the airline business until you see it, fly it, park it.
 
Re: Is there light at end of the tunnel for us regional FO's

Seems like management is hellbent on growing the Q fleet. I have a feeling at some point, those frames will show up regardless of the contract they fly for.

Up to the point of last month, CAL seemed to be very happy with the Q start up - now Im not sure... nobody is.

It does not appear to be any public out lash from the crash. We are still full all the time, so hopefully that extends to CAL, UAL etc as well.
 
Re: Is there light at end of the tunnel for us regional FO's

TUCKnTRUCK said:
It does not appear to be any public out lash from the crash. We are still full all the time, so hopefully that extends to CAL, UAL etc as well.
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And that is courtesy of the deceptive marketing and ticketing systems the majors have. You book a flight on CAL's website thinking your getting CAL's product, instead you end up with just a cheap outsourced labor group. Thats the story of the airlines...a sad reality. Like ordering a new movie on Amazon to open the box and find its a bootleg copy that doesn't have the same quality as the original.
 
Re: Is there light at end of the tunnel for us regional FO's

Airdale said:
And that is courtesy of the deceptive marketing and ticketing systems the majors have. You book a flight on CAL's website thinking your getting CAL's product, instead you end up with just a cheap outsourced labor group. Thats the story of the airlines...a sad reality. Like ordering a new movie on Amazon to open the box and find its a bootleg copy that doesn't have the same quality as the original.
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That's what they get for the rock bottom prices they must have! People whine when airfare exceeds the price of a bus ticket and are suprised when they don't get a leather lazy-boy seat and hot meal on a Citation X! For the prices people are paying, they are lucky they are not climbing aboard a C150!
 
Re: Is there light at end of the tunnel for us regional FO's

Hernandezcfi said:
That's what they get for the rock bottom prices they must have! People whine when airfare exceeds the price of a bus ticket and are suprised when they don't get a leather lazy-boy seat and hot meal on a Citation X! For the prices people are paying, they are lucky they are not climbing aboard a C150!
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I love flying into places like LEX or GSP and hearing "Oh. It's a LITTLE plane." as people board. Really? Did you think you were gonna get a 757 for $79 each way?
 
Re: Is there light at end of the tunnel for us regional FO's

kellwolf said:
I love flying into places like LEX or GSP and hearing "Oh. It's a LITTLE plane." as people board. Really? Did you think you were gonna get a 757 for $79 each way?
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Technically...yea. LEX and GSP are small market cities. Its generally expensive to fly outta there.

The more passenger traffic out of a particular city the more they can spread out the cost. In most cases flights operated by RJs are very expensive, aimed at business travellers(who helped spark the whole RJ revolution in the first place) Look at the cost of flying thru CVG, the modern day RJ hub.

I would bet a ticket on a 767 ATL-MCO is a heck of alot cheaper than a ticket on a CRJ-700 ATL-SRQ
 
Re: Is there light at end of the tunnel for us regional FO's

kellwolf said:
I love flying into places like LEX or GSP and hearing "Oh. It's a LITTLE plane." as people board. Really? Did you think you were gonna get a 757 for $79 each way?
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:yeahthat:It's so little!!!
 
Re: Is there light at end of the tunnel for us regional FO's

The light at the end of the tunnel has been MEL'd.
 
Re: Is there light at end of the tunnel for us regional FO's

Trip7 said:
Technically...yea. LEX and GSP are small market cities. Its generally expensive to fly outta there.

The more passenger traffic out of a particular city the more they can spread out the cost. In most cases flights operated by RJs are very expensive, aimed at business travellers(who helped spark the whole RJ revolution in the first place) Look at the cost of flying thru CVG, the modern day RJ hub.

I would bet a ticket on a 767 ATL-MCO is a heck of alot cheaper than a ticket on a CRJ-700 ATL-SRQ
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Oh no doubt, because they can fill a 767 going to MCO. ESPECIALLY since a huge chunk of the people on that 767 are connecting from other cities, not flying ATL-MCO only. Lexington? Not so much. People flying to LEX are either originating or it's their final destination. I'd wager a ticket from LEX-ATL is more expensive per leg than a ticket to LEX-ATL-MCO. The reason it's expensive to fly out of there is b/c the yield is smaller. Still no reason to expect a 757.
 
Re: Is there light at end of the tunnel for us regional FO's

Trip7 said:
Technically...yea. LEX and GSP are small market cities. Its generally expensive to fly outta there.

The more passenger traffic out of a particular city the more they can spread out the cost. In most cases flights operated by RJs are very expensive, aimed at business travellers(who helped spark the whole RJ revolution in the first place) Look at the cost of flying thru CVG, the modern day RJ hub.

I would bet a ticket on a 767 ATL-MCO is a heck of alot cheaper than a ticket on a CRJ-700 ATL-SRQ
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Interesting point. I was talking to my station GM the other day, and I asked him why we have 11-12 flights per day, all RJ's, when many of them are half full, if that. He said he had the same question, and asked it to a higher up, one day, and the response was that it was due to contracts the airline had with local companies, here, in particular, ExxonMobil, and others, worth millions, that basically they will book their people on the airline, if we offer a certain number of flights, at a certain time - frequency. He said that even though they are not full, sometimes not even half full, due to those contracts, they don't have to be. They are still making money.
 
Re: Is there light at end of the tunnel for us regional FO's

NickH said:
Why would you take the job knowing it was that bad?

They can and will continue to pay dismal wages while people who should know better can't wait to work for them.
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Spot on. One should do his homework before taking a job.
 
Re: Is there light at end of the tunnel for us regional FO's

Hootie said:
Spot on. One should do his homework before taking a job.
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You guys seem to think that we WANT to fly for places like Lakes, as if it was our first choice. If there were other options out there, we would be there, but there aren't. So congrats on getting a job that allows you to put all the other pilots that couldn't well beneath you. You all are so wise. :sarcasm: With the upcoming pilot shortage in the next 5-10 years or so I don't think this will be an issue... So why worry about why others are where they are, things will change and places like Lakes will be forced to pay competitve wages.
 
Re: Is there light at end of the tunnel for us regional FO's

DavCo said:
You guys seem to think that we WANT to fly for places like Lakes, as if it was our first choice. If there were other options out there, we would be there, but there aren't. So congrats on getting a job that allows you to put all the other pilots that couldn't well beneath you. You all are so wise. :sarcasm: With the upcoming pilot shortage in the next 5-10 years or so I don't think this will be an issue... So why worry about why others are where they are, things will change and places like Lakes will be forced to pay competitve wages.
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Lakes wasn't forced to pay competitively last "shortage". No need to pull the inferiority card. I've been thrown under other pilots feet while I was at Colgan by friends at PCL and XJT, you will always get some dick trying to "keep you down" there is no point whinning about it. You fly a 1900, challenge the guy to a dogfight I'll put money on you.

Anyway, get out of mistakes to a place that pays better someday, for ur own good.
 
Re: Is there light at end of the tunnel for us regional FO's

DavCo said:
You guys seem to think that we WANT to fly for places like Lakes, as if it was our first choice. If there were other options out there, we would be there, but there aren't. So congrats on getting a job that allows you to put all the other pilots that couldn't well beneath you. You all are so wise. :sarcasm: With the upcoming pilot shortage in the next 5-10 years or so I don't think this will be an issue... So why worry about why others are where they are, things will change and places like Lakes will be forced to pay competitve wages.
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I'm presently furloughed, and working as a ski instructor. I could be flight instructing if I wanted. I could have gotten a job at Amflight again I'm sure.

There are other options.
 
Re: Is there light at end of the tunnel for us regional FO's

jtrain609 said:
I'm presently furloughed, and working as a ski instructor. I could be flight instructing if I wanted. I could have gotten a job at Amflight again I'm sure.

There are other options.
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I am flight instructing, pulled in 3 hours last month. Its not what it used to be. And I'm not pulling an inferiority card at all. I had enough time for Mesaba and ASA but was thrown into a pool. I just hope people understand that I'm not at Lakes by choice, but and making the most of it.

My application is currently overseas as we speak.
 
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