New Hawaiian Dispatcher Contract

Yeah, at 35k to start, you ain't living alone nor can you hope to bring a family there.

Wtf 2am starts? That has to be almost as bad as the 3am Air Wisconsin starts. Those are some seriously whackadoodle start times for shifts.
 
kilo said:
Is there anybody out there who started at Hawaiian and went directly to a legacy/major carrier on the mainland? I know of former HA dispatchers who left the island life to work at regionals in thoroughly unglamorous cities on the east cost. It's a decent first job simply because it is *A* job, but it sounds to me like a newly certified dispatcher is actually better off getting on with one of the regional carriers dba legacy brands in the contiguous states.
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I don't necessarily agree. Those you know may have been victims of bad timing or just not being chosen over other interviewees. The plus about working there is you'd get international, heavy jet experience right out of school. Not to mention ETOPS. This is great experience to help you get to another major.
 
pljenkins said:
Yeah, at 35k to start, you ain't living alone nor can you hope to bring a family there.

Wtf 2am starts? That has to be almost as bad as the 3am Air Wisconsin starts. Those are some seriously whackadoodle start times for shifts.
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Haha we start 2 3 and 4 in the mornings. Nothing new for us.
 
womanpilot73 said:
From a friend who currently works there...

Yes. We rotate 4 on, 2 off, 4 on, 2 off, 4 on, 4 off, repeat. Every rotation you you change times. Ex: you work 2am-10am, off 2 days, work 10am-6pm, off 2 days, work 10pm-2am, off 4 days and repeat.

Starting pay for assistants is $35k/year.

Top out for dispatchers is currently $78k/year.

Approx upgrade time 1-2 years.

It is possible to commute - you need to catch a ride on Aloha Air Cargo or Trans Air Cargo.

Downsides... COL extremely high. Current contract expired in 2013 and they just voted down another. It will likely be 2016 before another is presented. There is no relocation assistance or annual bonuses of any kind.

In my personal opinion, if you are single and it's your first job out of dispatch school, you could do worse. It would be good experience to gain to get to where you really want to go. Hope all of this helps. :)
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Well, none of those apply to me.. Bummer, because I've wanted to live in Hawaii for a long time, but it doesn't sound too feasible with a family. I really appreciate how helpful you've been. Thanks a bunch!
 
womanpilot73 said:
I don't necessarily agree. Those you know may have been victims of bad timing or just not being chosen over other interviewees. The plus about working there is you'd get international, heavy jet experience right out of school. Not to mention ETOPS. This is great experience to help you get to another major.
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What's the turnover rate and what's the percentage of people that make upgrade from assistant?
 
Hecklers2002 said:
What's the turnover rate and what's the percentage of people that make upgrade from assistant?
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Again, from a current employee...

We had approx 10 assistants leave in the past 2 years. There is 30 of us total.

Upgrades are done by seniority. We do not allow career assistants so the next person in line needs to upgrade. If the person fails to upgrade they will be cut loose.

Avg wait for upgrade 1-2 years BUT we have some assistants waited as short as one month.

We will be expanding the operation next year as we prep for the A321NEO's so upgrade times might be faster.
 
CS0290 said:
Dealt with 540. Did not like them.
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TWU seems to have done a pretty good job for Southwest dispatchers (I don't know which local they are in) but I'm pretty happy to have left the TWU behind. Feel sorry for everyone at AA dealing with the mess created when they fired all the officers there.
 
Hecklers2002 said:
What's the turnover rate and what's the percentage of people that make upgrade from assistant?
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One positive that I forgot to include in my last post is that assistants are in CASS.
 
Socks and sandals said:
Anyone know of cheap apartments on other islands? Big island has pretty good housing options, but I don't know about apartments.
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I hear Hilo on the Big Island is pretty affordable but they rarely go there so commuting would be tough.

If you're single, I could see making this work by having a roommate or renting a room in an established place. Just show up with clothes and essentials. Buy a bed and a cheap car and good to go for a while.
 
manniax said:
TWU seems to have done a pretty good job for Southwest dispatchers (I don't know which local they are in) but I'm pretty happy to have left the TWU behind. Feel sorry for everyone at AA dealing with the mess created when they fired all the officers there.
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WN is Local 550.
 
womanpilot73 said:
I hear Hilo on the Big Island is pretty affordable but they rarely go there so commuting would be tough.

If you're single, I could see making this work by having a roommate or renting a room in an established place. Just show up with clothes and essentials. Buy a bed and a cheap car and good to go for a while.
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I'm not single actually. Yeah, that's my biggest concern really.
 
Socks and sandals said:
Haha that's seriously nuts. I wouldn't trust myself working an entire shift and dispatching flight after being awake that long...
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Yeah, apparently he wasn't told he couldn't commute, but rather that he couldn't be late. ;-)
 
kilo said:
Is there anybody out there who started at Hawaiian and went directly to a legacy/major carrier on the mainland? I know of former HA dispatchers who left the island life to work at regionals in thoroughly unglamorous cities on the east cost. It's a decent first job simply because it is *A* job, but it sounds to me like a newly certified dispatcher is actually better off getting on with one of the regional carriers dba legacy brands in the contiguous states.
Click to expand...
I worked wit a dispatcher who left HA for envoy (American Eagle) back in 2005 or 2006. I asked if he lost his mind but reply was that it was low pay and high cost of living and he couldn't afford it. He was single to boot. He got on wit AAL 2.5 years ago.
 
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