ClickClickBoom

Anyone who has been here awhile, knows that reserve is the kiss of death, except you don't die, but wish you had. When guys wait for a 40% pay raise that speaks volumes.

skiK2

Around 110 FOs have been awarded captain since 09/01/14. Not all are even in training or have completed training. This place is top heavy, if you have a chance to go anywhere else, do that.

MoovenUP

But I do talk to friends at other regionals with the same hiring timeframe at their regionals and I feel like my reserve went a lot better than some of theirs did. Yeah I know SkyWest isn't perfect, and we have some real problems immediately in our face, but we will get it figured out and move on. Skywest is a regional SkyWest is a regional SkyWest is a regional SkyWest is a regional SkyWest is a regional.... And there are much worse regionals, remember the park we are playing in. I have worked worse jobs for worse companys, keep your perspective accurate and plan accordingly, in a few years if I don't like my position at SkyWest I will absolutely be gone. Maybe a fractional, corporate or freight is in my future all options are considered. But for now life is good.

MoovenUP

LOL, very true. They only used me about 50% of the time and only woke me up once or twice before 10am. Typically it was all on skedplus at least the day prior.

disillusioned

One of my biggest beefs with communication around here. The only reason I have those numbers is because I keep track of them myself. It would be awesome to get updates from the student body with how many people were in new hire classes and when they will be out of IOE. Of course, it could just be the company doesn't provide that info, but that doesn't make it right.

Those are awarded classes and the December class started 12/1. So yes 52 of those don't even start class until next month. We have lost about 90 Captains in that same time frame, but we have lost almost as many FO's that probably realized they were not going to upgrade in the next 5 years.

There is not enough money in the world to make me go back to reserve. I once had a Captain try to give me the phone when SS was trying to get a hold of me. After looking at him like he was trying to give me a venomous snake, he informed SS that I was doing the walk around. I informed him of the rules of contact under our "contract" and let him know I was under no obligation to talk to SS. Amazingly enough, he had only spent a few months on reserve and had no idea why I wasn't willing to "help out"

This particular Captain reminds me of most in SGU. They think that everything is so rosy and everyone wants to help the company out. Guess what?? They don't. This is just another job now. You haven't cared about when PBS screwed my bid and gave my trips to Junior folks, and made me work Christmas. You didn't care when I could have been released early to make an event for my child. Nothing personal, just business I understand. Just make sure you okay when I hold the same line. You don't want to work with our group and negotiate in good faith, okay. Just don't expect me to go above and beyond during my personal time.

ClickClickBoom

I guess you never got 5 days of Ready Reserve, or during that RR 5 hours into it released into rest for 8 hours exactly, only to be scheduled to fly a Stand-Up, and had RR added right to the limit after getting back. Or any other number of SS punishments for being on reserve. SKYW reserve was easily, by far the worst experience of my aviation career.
Glad they didn't ride you like a rented Army mule, but for every story like yours, there are 50-100 stories like mine. I have said it repeatedly, there are 2 SKYWs, the regular line and reserve, the reserve contingent is treated as 14th class citizens and the line holders are treated like 6th class citizens. I was never released early from RR, and wondered what I had done to deserve the treatment I received.

skiK2

The company doesn't want all this factual information out there. It hurts their recruitment efforts. Half the CA training right now are transitions.

MoovenUP

Yikes, that does sound inhumane. I would say they treated me as well as they could, however I never got early release and didn't really care because I drive to work. I came to skywest as a beaten dog. The last two pilot jobs i had already raped my soul enough to the point SkyWest could hit me with a club and it still felt like love. LOL

skiK2

Not many had his experience. CCB is senior and chose to be based in SFO when it was a reserve only base. He had the seniority to commute to great line but he chose to sit reserve.

Make no mistake, reserve sucks. I spent 2 years on it (forced, well sorta, I chose to apply at SkyWest), and I never spent that many days in a row on ready.

The SLC CAs on reserve now are choosing it. They could commute or move, but they could all hold lines in other bases. SLC will never be the base it once was. The past isn't the future. Get out if you can. If those junior captains in SLC want to be based at home and making more money relatively soon, try for Delta. New hires are in SLC now.

ClickClickBoom

SS's job is to staff flights, their secondary job is to bolster their stats to make Anita look good. If they need you to sit RR for your entire week of reserve to make the stats look good they will do it without blinking. They won't release a reserve early, even if there are no remaining flights leaving for the night. They might need you to repo a plane that isn't there, but might divert due to no weather west of the Mississippi.