PSA new hires....
09-06-2007, 12:45 PM
#11
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Aug 2007
Position: rear GV
Posts: 294
Yes I'm in the 9/10 class. For me, one of the advantages of PSA is the DAY domicile because it's close to where I'm living now. I realize each airline has its ups and downs, but I think a 6 year upgrade time is a bit exaggerated. APC's PSA page indicates that the most junior CA was hired in July 2003...about 4 years ago. When I interviewed in August, we were told that currently the upgrade time is 4 years, but it's expected to fall soon due to the J4J recalls and attrition. A four year upgrade wait is tolerable for me, and is not too far off from the regional average...and is certainly better than Comair and Eagle's upgrade times. Like any job, it's not for everyone. The main reason I'm going to PSA is for the DAY base, which will keep me close to home. Hopefully, everything will work out...but like anything else, only time will tell 
09-06-2007, 05:29 PM
#12
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Oct 2006
Position: 777, sofa
Posts: 1,183
Florida,
1) There is no commuter clause in the PSA contract.
Management unilaterally instituted a commuter policy, which is similar to what you described. You think "Great! What a progressive understanding company. It must be a nice place to work." However the flip side of the commuter policy involved accepting the reliability policy, also unilaterally instituted by the company. Which says if you call in sick, more than the specified allotment, the company can terminate you. The Union opposes the relaibilty policy for a number of reasons, not the least of which is flying while sick is against company policy as stated in the Flight Ops Manual, and is patently an unsafe act. But a pilot would inevitably be forced to choose between flying sick and losing his job.
The other part of the commuter policy says if you miss your trip, you are not pay protected, and will be a reserve pilot for the duration of the assignment.
2) In DAY, you should be able to hold a tolerably good line in much less time than in CLT. A year to 18 months perhaps. Of course in that time PSA might be feeding LAS and PHX. Commuting to DAY from FL could be a real disaster. I was flying from IAH to DAY at first, there were 2 Xjet ERJs a day. Or connect via some combination of CLT, CVG PHL, ATL, or DFW. I flew into IND and CMH and rented a car on more than one occasion. A two leg commute is required out of FL to DAY, that will be problematic, no matter how good a line you hold. It would not be unreasonable to expect to regularly lose a full day on either side of your trip due to the commute.
Check with PSA ALPA about upgrades - they can give you the most up to date info on that topic. A six year upgrade was what they were at when I left. I understand that the last of the dork FO's has now been awarded CA... I think that's at least five years, but I'm by no means certain.
Once you've decided that you dont want to be Pam's beech anymore, (You'll hear stories about Pam. She is one of the least loved PSA schedulers) you could take thet CRJ training over to Republic, get a healthy signing bonus, and be based in CMH or IND - neither to bad a drive from DAY.
328dude,
I love driving to work. Flying at Eagle is day and night from my life at PSA. Even when I was in LGA, proffering for trips or reserve periods meant I had some control over my life. Less than 6 months to hold a line. Great flying - no more no more FAY, Jacksonville, NC, or CAE type overnights. The Hotels are generally a cut above where PSA would stay. Automated trip trades & open time. Real time posting of open trips. Pay protection for reassignment, and you never get reassigned, unless the wheels fall off because of bad weather - not just scheduling being idiots.
But yeah, I am home a lot more, and it has worked out for me far better than I really expected, or even could have hoped.
1) There is no commuter clause in the PSA contract.
Management unilaterally instituted a commuter policy, which is similar to what you described. You think "Great! What a progressive understanding company. It must be a nice place to work." However the flip side of the commuter policy involved accepting the reliability policy, also unilaterally instituted by the company. Which says if you call in sick, more than the specified allotment, the company can terminate you. The Union opposes the relaibilty policy for a number of reasons, not the least of which is flying while sick is against company policy as stated in the Flight Ops Manual, and is patently an unsafe act. But a pilot would inevitably be forced to choose between flying sick and losing his job.
The other part of the commuter policy says if you miss your trip, you are not pay protected, and will be a reserve pilot for the duration of the assignment.
2) In DAY, you should be able to hold a tolerably good line in much less time than in CLT. A year to 18 months perhaps. Of course in that time PSA might be feeding LAS and PHX. Commuting to DAY from FL could be a real disaster. I was flying from IAH to DAY at first, there were 2 Xjet ERJs a day. Or connect via some combination of CLT, CVG PHL, ATL, or DFW. I flew into IND and CMH and rented a car on more than one occasion. A two leg commute is required out of FL to DAY, that will be problematic, no matter how good a line you hold. It would not be unreasonable to expect to regularly lose a full day on either side of your trip due to the commute.
Check with PSA ALPA about upgrades - they can give you the most up to date info on that topic. A six year upgrade was what they were at when I left. I understand that the last of the dork FO's has now been awarded CA... I think that's at least five years, but I'm by no means certain.
Once you've decided that you dont want to be Pam's beech anymore, (You'll hear stories about Pam. She is one of the least loved PSA schedulers) you could take thet CRJ training over to Republic, get a healthy signing bonus, and be based in CMH or IND - neither to bad a drive from DAY.
328dude,
I love driving to work. Flying at Eagle is day and night from my life at PSA. Even when I was in LGA, proffering for trips or reserve periods meant I had some control over my life. Less than 6 months to hold a line. Great flying - no more no more FAY, Jacksonville, NC, or CAE type overnights. The Hotels are generally a cut above where PSA would stay. Automated trip trades & open time. Real time posting of open trips. Pay protection for reassignment, and you never get reassigned, unless the wheels fall off because of bad weather - not just scheduling being idiots.
But yeah, I am home a lot more, and it has worked out for me far better than I really expected, or even could have hoped.
09-06-2007, 05:37 PM
#13
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Aug 2006
Position: SWA/FO
Posts: 309
[QUOTE=robthree;226712]Once you've decided that you dont want to be Pam's beech anymore, (You'll hear stories about Pam. She is one of the least loved PSA schedulers)[QUOTE]
Pam, Really? Nah, Ginger ( aka, FAT, Scaly Dragon or Horse puss) has the cake in that department and eats plenty of it. Just offer her a Double Whopper (with cheese), and she will do anything you want.
Pam, Really? Nah, Ginger ( aka, FAT, Scaly Dragon or Horse puss) has the cake in that department and eats plenty of it. Just offer her a Double Whopper (with cheese), and she will do anything you want.
09-06-2007, 08:50 PM
#14
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2007
Position: Right Seat
Posts: 1,458
Don't listen to these guys. A lot of their information is inaccurate. I currently work at PSA. It is not near what they make it out to be. The only thing I can agree with is that the Dayton Hotel sucks and Wilbur's will make you run for the crapper.
PSA is a stable company. They are owned by US Airways, so PSA doesnt have to compete like Mesa or Air Wisconsin for contracts.
The schedules are not as bad as these guys make it out to be. They do not junior man you all the time. I have been junior manned once so far. And even if you are, who cares, you get extra pay and you get your day off back. I like getting junior manned. This month I am not flying nearly as much on reserve as I did last month. The new hires must be taking up the slack.
I do not wait for hours between flights. The work is generally real close together, so most of the time you get crew meals. Not very good food, but I love it because it is free.
You can get pretty much any base you want right now within a couple of months.
Psa DOES have a commuter policy. I am in Charlotte and I have NO problems commuting to Dallas. I have been paying for a crashpad here in Charlotte and have only used it once in the last month. Pretty good for a reserve guy. Reserve is now down to around 8 months in Charlotte. Knoxville reserve is about 1-2 months. I'm not sure about Dayton, but you wouldn't want to go there anyway.
I am transferring to Knoxville next month. It is dirt cheap to live there, nice country folk to be around, and I can already hold a line there. The lines out of Knoxville are great. Good days off and enough hours to make some decent pay. The only drawback to Knoxville is it is not very commutable.
Everyone I have worked with here so far has been great. There are alot of good people here. I have not flown with anyone I didn't get along with. Take what all these people on here say with a grain of salt. No matter what job you want to go to, you will hear people gripe and complain about something. I'm sure you'll even hear a UPS or FedEx guy complain about how something there sucks. Gather the facts and make an educated decision based on facts, not hearsay. I personally love working here, and from what I can see, most everyone else does too.
Try not to get into the negativity that some pilots convey. It will only bring you down when there really is no reason for you to be. I just ignore most of it.
Hope this helps. Best of luck to you.
PSA is a stable company. They are owned by US Airways, so PSA doesnt have to compete like Mesa or Air Wisconsin for contracts.
The schedules are not as bad as these guys make it out to be. They do not junior man you all the time. I have been junior manned once so far. And even if you are, who cares, you get extra pay and you get your day off back. I like getting junior manned. This month I am not flying nearly as much on reserve as I did last month. The new hires must be taking up the slack.
I do not wait for hours between flights. The work is generally real close together, so most of the time you get crew meals. Not very good food, but I love it because it is free.
You can get pretty much any base you want right now within a couple of months.
Psa DOES have a commuter policy. I am in Charlotte and I have NO problems commuting to Dallas. I have been paying for a crashpad here in Charlotte and have only used it once in the last month. Pretty good for a reserve guy. Reserve is now down to around 8 months in Charlotte. Knoxville reserve is about 1-2 months. I'm not sure about Dayton, but you wouldn't want to go there anyway.
I am transferring to Knoxville next month. It is dirt cheap to live there, nice country folk to be around, and I can already hold a line there. The lines out of Knoxville are great. Good days off and enough hours to make some decent pay. The only drawback to Knoxville is it is not very commutable.
Everyone I have worked with here so far has been great. There are alot of good people here. I have not flown with anyone I didn't get along with. Take what all these people on here say with a grain of salt. No matter what job you want to go to, you will hear people gripe and complain about something. I'm sure you'll even hear a UPS or FedEx guy complain about how something there sucks. Gather the facts and make an educated decision based on facts, not hearsay. I personally love working here, and from what I can see, most everyone else does too.
Try not to get into the negativity that some pilots convey. It will only bring you down when there really is no reason for you to be. I just ignore most of it.
Hope this helps. Best of luck to you.
Must be a new guy. So much to learn young Jedi
09-07-2007, 12:44 AM
#16
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Aug 2007
Position: rear GV
Posts: 294
09-07-2007, 09:50 AM
#18
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Nov 2006
Position: B737, On Top
Posts: 433
The schedules are not as bad as these guys make it out to be. They do not junior man you all the time. I have been junior manned once so far. And even if you are, who cares, you get extra pay and you get your day off back. I like getting junior manned. This month I am not flying nearly as much on reserve as I did last month. The new hires must be taking up the slack.
Try not to get into the negativity that some pilots convey. It will only bring you down when there really is no reason for you to be. I just ignore most of it.
Hope this helps. Best of luck to you.
You LIKE getting junior manned??Your crazy!
Junior man with a high speed?? So much fun euh?
I've never been junior manned before, thank god!
And PSA does not suck.....scheduling sucks...management blows....and the lines are like tossing someones salad
.....we just need a whole new staff...Pay could be a bit higher....but that could always be higher right....?
P.S
Don't plan on a career at PSA
09-07-2007, 01:33 PM
#19
Line Holder
Joined APC: May 2006
Posts: 95
I just got a response the other day for an interview on the 25th of Sept. with PSA and am very excited to go; as PSA has always been my first choice. I wanted to apply to them before I went with Eagle back in 05 but their minimums were to high and I got some good regional experience anyway. After reading the posts all I have to say is that all regionals have problems and you just have to work for a regional that works for you and is close to where you want to live. When I was with Eagle there were certainly things I could not stand about them. Such as, only flying about 100 hrs in 5 months and sitting ready reserve for 8 hrs. at the airport, in uniform, for 5 days then doing a 2 leg commute to get to TN. Spend 1 day at home then commute back to do the exact same thing. When I transferred to ORD the flying got better but the commute was still tough. Also, the morale was horrible especially among the senior eagle guys. The flowbacks were fun to fly with for me because they were very laid back and provided good flying advise while the senior eagle guys just complained and looked down on their FOs. Also, even when I had a line, I was always reassigned sometimes for the good but most of the time for the bad. You just have to take it for what it is and adjust accordingly. I decided to get out because the commute was getting annoying to get to ORD and I just love living in TN. I just hope I get the privilege to work for PSA and be based in TYS or CLT flying the CRJ.
09-08-2007, 10:42 PM
#20
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Oct 2006
Position: 777, sofa
Posts: 1,183
Fly21,
Its funny how two people can have opposite perspectives on a company. I have had nothing but good experiences at Eagle. I agree, TWA flowback CAs are really some of the best guys I've ever flown with, but the native Eagle guys have been really cool too. My commute to CLT was heartburn day after day. Living in base is like a cool breeze.
Eagle gives you much more control of your life than you will have at PSA. There is no proffering, you sit or fly at scheduling's whim. You could be the ready guy in DAY for five days straight, and never fly, but they won't let you know what trips are open or how many guys are sitting reserve at home. They won't even tell you if they have given you a trip, until the required 90 min call out.
Had I lived in base, I probably would have stayed at PSA. And the CRJ is a nice ride, better than the ERJ in most respects (except for the packs in the -200). When you get TYS, you'll probably have no regrets about making the jump, but except for your commute, Eagle is an all around better place to work than PSA will be.
Its funny how two people can have opposite perspectives on a company. I have had nothing but good experiences at Eagle. I agree, TWA flowback CAs are really some of the best guys I've ever flown with, but the native Eagle guys have been really cool too. My commute to CLT was heartburn day after day. Living in base is like a cool breeze.
Eagle gives you much more control of your life than you will have at PSA. There is no proffering, you sit or fly at scheduling's whim. You could be the ready guy in DAY for five days straight, and never fly, but they won't let you know what trips are open or how many guys are sitting reserve at home. They won't even tell you if they have given you a trip, until the required 90 min call out.
Had I lived in base, I probably would have stayed at PSA. And the CRJ is a nice ride, better than the ERJ in most respects (except for the packs in the -200). When you get TYS, you'll probably have no regrets about making the jump, but except for your commute, Eagle is an all around better place to work than PSA will be.
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