Piedmont CS Agent vs. Envoy Station Agent?

jayd1038

jayd1038

Well-Known Member
So I am trying to get my foot in the door in aviation. I live 25 min to CAK, 45 min to CLE.

Looks like Envoy in CLE and Piedmont in CAK are offering positions. Essentially seems like the same job, same pay, same bennies etc. I am concerned on both honestly b/c every review I read from employees has been pretty consistently bad.

Aviation Management major still in process and I have many years of customer service experience, management level experience.

I have been fortunate to speak to a former Envoy Station Agent, and I would appreciate some more input from others, especially someone with some Piedmont knowledge to share.

PM me if you want as well.

Thank you all in advance!
 
@motoboy

I was with Piedmont for about 4 years in SDF, I left before the merger stuff got underway (and before US cancelled our ground handling contract), so my info might be a little dated. I can probably answer a few questions though.
 
JordanD said:
@motoboy

I was with Piedmont for about 4 years in SDF, I left before the merger stuff got underway (and before US cancelled our ground handling contract), so my info might be a little dated. I can probably answer a few questions though.
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How was your experience and do you have any advice for me about the company? Namely, if it was worthwhile or not etc.

I read a lot of job reviews by current and former (http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Piedmont-Airlines-Reviews-E14513.htm) workers, and it obviously is making me a little nervous.

PM me if you don't want to say anything about them on here. Thanks!
 
jayd1038 said:
How was your experience and do you have any advice for me about the company? Namely, if it was worthwhile or not etc.

I read a lot of job reviews by current and former (http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Piedmont-Airlines-Reviews-E14513.htm) workers, and it obviously is making me a little nervous.

PM me if you don't want to say anything about them on here. Thanks!
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Sure it was worth it for a little while, but it was pretty much a step above McDonalds after a while. Pay sucked for the amount of work we were doing (I saw less than a $2.00 an hour raise in my entire time working there). The flight benefits were awesome for a while, after a while flights would be so full that it'd be a pretty huge pain in the rear to get anywhere. That said, I still miss having the ability. I believe they've since taken American's nonrev system which I know nothing about. It was really good when I was there (mainline priority on any US branded flight, Date of Hire, etc). It's definitely not something you want to make a career out of. Pretty much every year but one that I worked there we were under the constant threat of mainline contracting out our station. It was always "we got the bid... for a little while." Then we got surprised that we were under bid again and lost our station before our previous contract was even up.
Don't go in with crazy high expectations and you'll be fine. I learned a ton about the inner workings of an airline, especially working operations, that I'm sure will come in handy when I decide to go fly 121. That said, other than the fact you're working around airplanes and have some cool benefits that you'll get to use every now and then, it's still a job that comes with plenty of frustration. Do it for a while, travel a little bit, then keep climbing up the ladder.
 
Like @JordanD, I also worked at Piedmonster for close to 3 years. I don't regret my time there, it was a learning experience, and opened the door for some great traveling opportunities for my family. Like any other regional job, you're always going to have to worry about job security. Piedmont regularly puts out RFP's (request for proposal). Basically opening the doors for other ground service vendors to throw a cheaper bid in. In the last few years AWAC, AE, and DGS have taken over quite a few stations. You're in school, so obviously you're not looking to make a career out of it, which is good. Pay is crap, just remember you're using it as a resume builder. Get in, learn about the industry/121 operations, make as many contacts as possible, and then move on towards your end goal.

I worked at the CAK station from 2010-2013. From what I hear they need people badly, turnover has been a constant revolving door over the last year. If you want the job, and have a decent interview I'm sure they will hire you. Management is enduring some struggles right now, as they have lost two supervisors in the last month or so. AM lines usually start at 0400, PM lines typically end at 0030. When I was there part time lines were around 16-20 hours, with open time shifts posted weekly. Everyone is currently cross trained, but judging from the new job postings, it looks like job duties are segregated which helps. One big advantage of working at CAK over CLE, is the parking situation. You literally park right next to the terminal and walk in. In CLE you will have to budget 20-30 minutes waiting/riding the employee shuttle to get into the terminal, just something to keep in mind.

If you have any questions I can help you with feel free to shoot me a pm, I'll do my best to answer or at least point you in the right direction. If you decide to pursue it let me know, I'll try and put you in contact with some people that I still know that are there.
 
Anyone know about how many hours a week you get part-time as a customer service agent at Piedmont?
 
Will depend solely on how the station manager does the bid. I've seen lines that had from 3-5 0430-0730 shifts a week to lines that were a solid 25 hours a week.
 
JordanD said:
Will depend solely on how the station manager does the bid. I've seen lines that had from 3-5 0430-0730 shifts a week to lines that were a solid 25 hours a week.
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Really, so it's possible that you can get 3 (or 4,5) shifts where you only work 430am-730am? That would be rough driving to work for that little of time.

I also just now realized Motoboy answered my question above earlier, I forgot haha.
 
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