Virgin America pilot payraise

[Cherokee_Cruiser]

Some good news on our end, pilots are getting a 7% - 9% pay increase on average.

First Officers:

$5 per hour across the board, including first year pay.

$44 ---> $49

$65 ---> $70

$75 ---> $80

$80---> $85

$82 ---> $87

$85 ---> $90

$88 ---> $93

$90 ---> $95

$91 ---> $96

$92 ---> $97

$93 ---> $98

$95 ---> $100

Captains:

$105 ---> $112

$110 ---> $118

$118 ---> $126

$123 ---> $132

$127 ---> $136

$130 ---> $139

$132 ---> $141

$135 ---> $144

$139 ---> $149

$141 ---> $151

$145 ---> $155

$150 ---> $161


Pay raises effective April 1.

Improvements, with various effective dates this year:

SALARY (eff April 1)
• Pilot Step Rate Increase 7% overall
o CA avg. $9/step* / FO avg. $5/step*
*Refer to updated rate chart for greater detail
• Check Pilots override to increase from 8% to 10%


401(k)
• Board of Directors supportive of improving for 2014
• 2013 strategy as follows:
o Conduct vendor review with Teammate committee to
review alternative choices and recommend solutions
o Recommend improvements to 401(k) for the 2014
Board Meeting
o Implement automatic enrollment for Teammates hired
before 10/1/2010

GROUND SCHOOL (PELESYS) PAY
• 2 CBS days paid/year, retroactive to January 1, 2013


PRODUCTIVITY
• 75 hour min bid for Lineholders, up to 5 months a year:
o Three months pre-identified as JUL, AUG and DEC
o At least 90-day notice for additional 2 months
o Ability to drop to 70 hours, if buffers permit


TRIP TRADE/RESERVE DESK
• 24 hours a day/7 days a week
• Enables Lineholders to trade/swap trips, including trading
portions of 4-day trips
• Enables Reserves to proffer trips they want to work

RESERVE IMPROVEMENTS

75 HOUR MINIMUM GUARANTEE FOR RESERVES
GUARANTEED 12 DAYS OFF EVERY MONTH
THREE (3) DAY OFF BETWEEN RDP (reserve duty periods)
• Excluding the first 5 & last 5 days of every month

SHORT CALL RESERVE ENHANCEMENT
• Call me first/last (indicated at the start of each month)

LAST DAY RDP REASSIGNMENT PAY
• Incentive pay if on call for AM reserve for several hours,
then put on rest and assigned to PM reserve
• Pay is 25% additional for hours worked on last day only

WILLING TO FLY (WTF)
• Volunteer to fly on days off (WTF) while on reserve
• May go above guarantee

PREFERENTIAL BIDDING FOR RESERVES
• Ability to bid for particular reserve days/blocks

TRADE/SWAP RDP
• Ability to trade and swap RDP based on coverage

LONG CALL RESERVE
• Extend call back period to 30 min (currently 15 min)
• 2-hour minimum call out is extended to 14 hours
• Assignment window is extended by 1 hour (12:00 to 15:00)

 

[Autothrust Blue]

iiiiiiiiiinteresting.

 

[amd87]

WILLING TO FLY (WTF)
• Volunteer to fly on days off (WTF) while on reserve
• May go above guarantee

Volunteer to fly on days off? WTF!!!

 

[SeanD]

The effective pay increase date is April, 1st

 

[KHanson]

I thought Branson threw in 1 last chunk of $$$, and whatever happens, happens. Weather they sell, close, go bankrupt, trade, whatever... If that's the case, it seems strange to hand out pay raises...

 

[Cherokee_Cruiser]

I thought Branson threw in 1 last chunk of $$$, and whatever happens, happens. Weather they sell, close, go bankrupt, trade, whatever... If that's the case, it seems strange to hand out pay raises...

Branson didn't throw one last chunk. Both the foreign and domestic investors are still committed to the airline. The latest rumor is that they have offered more money, but management turned it down (currently have 75 million cash on hand). The management message was that it's nice to know it's there, but don't need it right now. The BOD and management have done the math on our revenues and costs, and have accordingly allowed this pilot pay raise by planning it within the budget. The FA group got a payraise to be effective Apr 1 as well.

 

[SlumTodd_Millionaire]

So the pay rates are still $10-20 behind what they should be? Joy.

Get a union already.

 

[grkero]

Branson didn't throw one last chunk. Both the foreign and domestic investors are still committed to the airline. The latest rumor is that they have offered more money, but management turned it down (currently have 75 million cash on hand). The management message was that it's nice to know it's there, but don't need it right now. The BOD and management have done the math on our revenues and costs, and have accordingly allowed this pilot pay raise by planning it within the budget. The FA group got a payraise to be effective Apr 1 as well.

My girlfriend is an FA there and she is happy about the pay increase but she mentioned something about changing up the bidding where they are trying to get more day trips to save money on the crew hotels? Don't know if that is actually the case, maybe you've heard something?

 

[killbilly]

Got a family-member-by-marriage over there. He's really happy.

 

[dasleben]

So the pay rates are still $10-20 behind what they should be? Joy.

Get a union already.

The company just barely posted its first profit; you've been around long enough to know that you can't just expect a newer airline to meet the industry average. Relax.

 

[Cherokee_Cruiser]

So the pay rates are still $10-20 behind what they should be? Joy.

Get a union already.

10-20 behind who? JetBlue and Delta/United. Compared to other LCCs, Spirit/Frontier/Allegiant, I'd say this new package is competitive based on our competition carriers of about ~50 airplanes with a LCC model. That would include Frontier, Allegiant, and Spirit. Comparing apples to apples here, I don't expect VX to achieve legacy payrates.

"Get a union already."

Right, because if the union drive had passed last December, we'd get already get a raise this soon? You negotiate with leverage, and right now we have zero. A union passes, we go through 1-2+ years of SSDD negotiations, finally enter NMB mediated sessions, where the company will put out their bleeding red ink papers and say they just dont have enough for the pilot ask. With no leverage, we wont get anywhere. Thats why pilots at places like Pinnacle and Evergreen suffer so long since the amendable date. No leverage and incompetent leadership. Throw in someone like you who interferes with other union business (SLI) and gets himself recalled, and the union isnt going anywhere fast. I think a good union (not ALPA) would be needed at some point, but not right now. Lets survive first, get in the black, get leverage, and then give it a go. And a union would have sold out pay on the lower end to secure wages on the upper end, RE: Spirit. First year pay taken down to 38.50/hr for duration of contract, and years 1-5th CA rate sold out for higher earnings for year 6 and beyond. Here, the pilot group got a uniform raise, as it should be!

 

[Cherokee_Cruiser]

My girlfriend is an FA there and she is happy about the pay increase but she mentioned something about changing up the bidding where they are trying to get more day trips to save money on the crew hotels? Don't know if that is actually the case, maybe you've heard something?

That I dont know. I know the FA group got a raise, too. As for their trips, the FARs allow them to fly more than pilots. So a pilot can't do a SFO-ORD out/back, but a FA can. There are day ORD turns for FAs. Maybe thats what they meant? But there are many trips where the FAs overnight just like the pilots.

killbilly said: ↑

Got a family-member-by-marriage over there. He's really happy.​

I'm pretty happy here too. 1 month on reserve and a lineholder ever since. The new pay increase is a welcome addition. New planes, I can count on my two hands the number of MELs Ive had in over 1 year (still no deferred APU yet). Great crews, great hotels, good overnights, and a good ratio of block to duty time, very efficient.

 

[Seggy]

10-20 behind who? JetBlue and Delta/United. Compared to other LCCs, Spirit/Frontier/Allegiant, I'd say this new package is competitive based on our competition carriers of about ~50 airplanes with a LCC model. That would include Frontier, Allegiant, and Spirit. Comparing apples to apples here, I don't expect VX to achieve legacy payrates.

"Get a union already."

Right, because if the union drive had passed last December, we'd get already get a raise this soon? You negotiate with leverage, and right now we have zero. A union passes, we go through 1-2+ years of SSDD negotiations, finally enter NMB mediated sessions, where the company will put out their bleeding red ink papers and say they just dont have enough for the pilot ask. With no leverage, we wont get anywhere. Thats why pilots at places like Pinnacle and Evergreen suffer so long since the amendable date. No leverage and incompetent leadership. Throw in someone like you who interferes with other union business (SLI) and gets himself recalled, and the union isnt going anywhere fast. I think a good union (not ALPA) would be needed at some point, but not right now. Lets survive first, get in the black, get leverage, and then give it a go. And a union would have sold out pay on the lower end to secure wages on the upper end, RE: Spirit. First year pay taken down to 38.50/hr for duration of contract, and years 1-5th CA rate sold out for higher earnings for year 6 and beyond. Here, the pilot group got a uniform raise, as it should be!

The work rules at Spirit are fantastic (transition conflict) and comparing the work rules, pay, and other data points at Virgin America to Spirit are not comparing apples to apples. Quite frankly, Spirit blows Virgin America out of the water when it comes to the stuff that should matter for pilots.

 

[Cherokee_Cruiser]

The work rules at Spirit are fantastic (transition conflict) and comparing the work rules, pay, and other data points at Virgin America to Spirit are not comparing apples to apples. Quite frankly, Spirit blows Virgin America out of the water when it comes to the stuff that should matter for pilots.

I think what we have is fair, and a good deal. I'll have to disagree with the "blowing out of the water" comment. Your management wanted contractual concessions to continue in KCM, and when the ALPA wouldn't agree, they bowed out of the program. That's pathetic and a slap in the face. VX loses money, but it's one small gesture and continues to pay KCM for us. We don't have transition conflicts because PBS already "sees" pre-assigned activity. But I don't lose sleep over it. I get 125% over 80 hrs so there is some incentive to work more than just guarantee. And I do apple-to-apple comparisons because that's what matters. 3 weeks vacation right now in my 2nd year. Also, first year pay. It's actually sad that a RJ FO would have to take a paycut to fly a Airbus, but that's what ALPA decided was fair (38.50/hr) when they decided to sell out the juniors (what's new?). I like Spirit for their bases and for the growth plan they have coming, and I would have worked there if I had the chance last year, but management is about the sleaziest out there and would sell you out in a heartbeat if they legally could.

With all that said, I'd still recommend NK to anyone at the regionals looking. Getting in last year or now would put you at an excellent timing to be in a good position 3 or 4 years from now.

 

[dasleben]

With all that said, I'd still recommend NK to anyone at the regionals looking. Getting in last year or now would put you at an excellent timing to be in a good position 3 or 4 years from now.

I'd recommend any of these companies to anyone at the regionals looking. The regionals simply aren't the "up and out" places a lot of these guys remember them to be. People need to get their time and move on, regardless if it's FedEx, VX, Spirit, or any of them in-between, simply so their resumes don't look the same as 20,000 other pilots.

I think you made a great decision to move to VX from what you were doing before. I'm afraid that some of these reps hit things just right at the right time, rode the rocketship to the majors, and just haven't really experienced what it's like to not have quick movement and a fast upgrade. Gotta do what you gotta do in this industry.

 

[Seggy]

I'll have to disagree with the "blowing out of the water" comment.

When I was on reserve I averaged 18 to 19 days off a month, we have Captains who can make $10,000 to $15,000 per trip under certain contractual provisions, and four days off in between duty periods I would say counts as 'blowing one out of the water'. The work rule structure of the Spirit contract came from the old Midway (the MDW Midway) contract as a side note.

Your management wanted contractual concessions to continue in KCM, and when the ALPA wouldn't agree, they bowed out of the program. That's pathetic and a slap in the face. VX loses money, but it's one small gesture and continues to pay KCM for us.

I'll agree with you there. But glad ALPA stood it's ground.

Also, first year pay. It's actually sad that a RJ FO would have to take a paycut to fly a Airbus, but that's what ALPA decided was fair (38.50/hr) when they decided to sell out the juniors (what's new?).

Now let us look at this a little deeper. The first year pay is low, no doubt, but it was negotiated during the end game of a strike. So, I can see how those on property wanted to put the wages for those that were already at the company.

 

[Cherokee_Cruiser]

Seggy, those are exceptions where guys work extra hard. Like running a transition conflict, getting a vacation week, and then picking up on top of that vacation. Then they'll average the total pay over that 4 day trip and say they're making a bajillion dollars. For the majority of trips, without vacation or conflicts, you get normal straight pay. As is the case at almost every other airline.

Again, I don't want to get into a match of one airline being better than another. I recommend JetBlue, Spirit, and Virgin America all as good airlines to get out of the regionals.

 

[Seggy]

Seggy, those are exceptions where guys work extra hard.

When I got 18 days off a month on reserve I didn't work extra hard

Again, I don't want to get into a match of one airline being better than another. I recommend JetBlue, Spirit, and Virgin America all as good airlines to get out of the regionals.

Very true.

 

[Cherokee_Cruiser]

When I got 18 days off a month on reserve I didn't work extra hard

The record I've heard here is all 30 days off a month on reserve at VX... never flew, never called.
We get 2 personal days/year (on top of vacation), and in the one only month I was on reserve, at one point I had 5 days off, 2 days of reserve, then 3 days off. I used the 2 personal days to cover those 2 reserve days, therefore getting 10 off in a row that way. My reserve month was a breeze.

 

[SlumTodd_Millionaire]

The company just barely posted its first profit; you've been around long enough to know that you can't just expect a newer airline to meet the industry average. Relax.

If an airline can't meet the industry average, or close to it, then I'd prefer that they not be in business at all.