echelon

Having airplanes taken away naturally feels like a punishment. I think they're just (and probably correctly) assuming that the pilots/other employees would assume that that was the case without an emphasis to the contrary.

Let's not flatter ourselves, the company certainly doesn't do sh1t about any of the other things that are posted on here so I don't think that even if they were reading this they would feel compelled to respond.

afterv1

I'm just gonna copy and paste my response from a similar question asked a few pages ago in regards to this. You can exclude the 1-2 months for a class date since you can get one in two weeks.

In my opinion if I was in your shoes I'd wait a little and see how attrition goes and how this all plays out. We can speculate all day but truth is none of us really know what's going on in management (if someone knows the truth and have solid facts from the inside now is your time to leak the info lol ). I do believe they are trying to get flying but I don't think they're close to getting anything yet and I'm not very optimistic just yet but I do hope they pull off something.

If you bail that'll be another 3-4 months of training and maybe it'll take you 1-2 months or longer to even get a class date based on where you're trying to go. Things are really not that bad just yet. You could leave tomorrow and compass gets just 10 planes and that'll change the whole picture. It's a very unpredictable industry but I don't think being 60ish pilots overstaffed is the end of the world. Assuming we lose 20ish a month that'll take 3 months or so to be back on track. I know for a fact a good amount people are leaving in January and I know few others that are in pools waiting for dates but time will tell. But best of luck in whatever you decide!

middies10

If you were coming here for a base that must mean that either you live in LA or will have an easy commute. QOL is huge and a little slowdown shouldn't impact your decision too much. I'd stick it out for a bit.

CaptainDooley

short answer, yes that is legal
1- they can contact you in flight or up to 15 minutes from blocking in.
after the 15 minutes you are automatically released for that day
2- you just need to watch the times, since you just did one leg, you had plenty of time left on that day. and as long as they gave you 10 hrs of rest before the flight they added, you are legal.

here is an example from the recent LA mess.
had a turn on to my schedule. because of the delays in LAX we left late. They ended up turning the trip into an overnight. They gave us 10 hrs of rest and we were scheduled to just return to LAX next day. During the return flight they sent an ACARS, telling me to DH after landing and then repo a plane. I got done about midnight. Since I only came on the clock that day at noon, I was legal.

Bottom line, if you are a reserve pilot, they own you for your reserve period unless you are automatically released per the 15 minute after a flight rule or you call and get released. (also auto release at 1800 on last day)

CaptainDooley

IMHO you should not make a decision on where to work based on what you think the upgrade time will be. Things in this industry change all the time. It has always gone in cycles related to the economy. Last few years has been an expansion across the industry. It could slow down very quickly. (check out the recent Airline Pilot mag article about the current state of the industry. there is a chart in there that shows the cycle. It has been that way since the Wright brothers.)

In general you should pick a place with the thinking you may be there several years before you can move on. So biggest impact on your QOL will be where you are based related to where you live. If you want LA, then CP or Skywest are your choices. Ask yourself, do you like the company culture, the contract rules, the pay, etc?

LAX will always be easy to get at CP since half the pilot list is based there. That also means steady movement as long as people are leaving. Skywest has a much larger pilot group, approx 4000. So when things slow down it will take longer to move up, it is just a numbers game.

The decision mainly comes down to what is important to you. But if you think well I'll commute because I will not be on reserve too long,and upgrade is quick, just talk to someone that commutes to reserve and ask if they like it or would rather be living in base?

FTN616

Thank you for taking the time to respond. Solid advice.

CaptainDooley

When deciding on a place to work, you should pick a place that you will be happy at with the current conditions and that you would be happy at for several years. No one knows what will happen in the future, good or bad. what if you were at CP right before they got the AA contract? There were guys that upgraded right after finishing initial IOE. Did anyone predict that?
I can tell you stories of many that have had their career path altered after getting hired at their 1st choice major. None of them saw it coming.
If you have a spot in a class, take it. Things could be totally different by time you finish IOE.
If you are just starting out, you have nothing to lose. You will get good training and a type rating.Ground school will feel like drinking from the fire-hose with all the 121 stuff you never had before. If you do decide to move on later, your next training will be easy because you have been exposed to it all.

welcome to Compass and PM me if you have any questions.

barabek

It really depends on many different things: where do you live or where do you wanna live, what's your experience, and ultimate goal (I understand upgrade and legacy carrier)? It is ever-changing industry and a company that everyone wants to go today, can be stagnating tomorrow and vice versa. I came to CPZ at the perfect time and it really worked out for me and most of those hired before 2015. Nowadays, I can honestly say that I would have not applied here being in the same situation as I was when I started here. It's simply another average regional with an average contract and rather stagnating seniority list. The pros are west coast bases, mostly young pilot group that is pretty motivated to move on, and fleet that is in demand. The cons are many. The biggest I would say is that we are owned by TSH, the company that would sell their own mother for a dime. Their cost cutting policies directly influence our performance, and those who try to deny it are either blind or part of the problem. The MX department is a perfect example of the penny pinching and how it influences our performance. There are many other problems like already mentioned shrinking fleet with no plans for the future (although this may change at any time), training department and curriculum that is not too friendly to non-121 experienced pilots, absolutely awful reserve rules. The list could go on and on. It simply isn't a place that I would hold for nowadays. I would definitely look at other options. SkyWest is experiencing a dramatic growth and has many west coast base options, Endeavor has pretty nice compensation, growth and some sort of Delta guaranteed interview. Envoy has long upgrades, but a real flow. CommutAir and Piedmont have a quick upgrade, but you're gonna hate your life commuting from the west coast. It's tough to make a decision and you never know what is around the corner. Simply, there is no perfect regional. I hope it will work out for the new hires here at Compass, but I'm certain it's not going to be anything like we experienced 2 years ago. I wouldn't expect a new hire to upgrade for at least 2-3 years now (maybe longer). New airplanes could change it, but I don't see anything any time soon, to be honest. The 6 airplanes are all going to be gone by May 1st, so don't expect any movement until the summer. We are overstaffed with those 6 airplanes, so expect to log no more then 20-30 hours a month on reserve for a long time. I wouldn't count on upgrading any time soon either. The are many qualified FOs bypassing an upgrade until they can hold a line. I can imagine how they feel now because the upgrades are over for at least 6 months. Sorry, but that's a realistic picture from my perspective. I feel sorry for anyone influenced and hope the luck turns around in the new year, and those hesitating what to do are going to make the best decision. Happy new year and good luck!

HeWhoRazethAll

FTN you're getting good solid advice. Gotta second everyone. Ask yourself what you're willing to do. Are you willing to move to the East Coast? PIEDMONT. Hands down.

When choosing a regional I asked myself three questions: where can I afford to live? Do I want to commute? How long can I bear having a terrible schedule?

For me it was an easy choice: Compass. For many of my close friends, Skywest and Envoy made more sense. For some others, Mesa made the most sense. It all just depends. I don't think you can really place the regionals in a ranking of any kind. Different things matter to different people.

Envoy offers a big fat bonus and a flow. That would tempt me nowadays.

All these questions are related. There's no easy answer. Having said that, I don't regret coming to Compass for a second. But that was well over a year ago.

sparrowhawk

It sounds there are some additional aircraft in the near future. After sending a message to management about taking the company leave of absence my brother was told it would be approved only if there was in fact a loss of flying. Hopefully that means they know something no one else does.