Trouble in Air Whiskeyland?

[FCYTravis]

Posted by an Air Wisconsin pilot on Airliners.net...

"1. Per Diem and work rules don't matter if you are never at home. The schedules are terrible. Many uncommutable on both ends and sometimes a 2-day followed by a 3-day, all of it uncommutable.

2. Complete lack of communication by the company. Their attitude is, "Hey, they can be happy to have jobs".

3. Very little plan for the future. They clearly did not plan well for this transition. What makes you think they are planning for the next thing? I think that in ATW they are so insulated from what is going on that they are unaware of most of the problems except now they slowly are starting to see bad statistics.

Air Wisconsin has suddenly gone from being the best contract airline to being a place to avoid. I am very loyal and even I am putting out feelers at other employers. The situation has gotten ridiculous.

As far as I am concerned, they have demonstrated that they are not able to operate in the airline world. They got fat and comfortable with United. The next couple months will be critical. I truly think we will have to reduce the aircraft usage in order to make this work. That is never a good thing.

I just finished my second-last reserve days in DCA. I sat for the last 3 days without getting used. And yet flights are being cancelled for lack of crews. We are also desperately short of mechanics.

It is my opinion that they expected everyone to just move along with this transition to the east coast and now, unexpectedly, people are leaving in droves."

 

[Bluestreak]

Sounds like you work for PSA. We've had those same problems for years at PSA and yet we keep going somehow. I think part of the problem is the way mainline US Airways distributes its flying to the express carriers. At PSA, mainline will task us wih flying trips that result in terrible schedules. Just about the time our scheduling department figures out how to make things work, mainline completely changes things again. I think our management at PSA is afraid to speak up because if they make it look like we are having trouble scheduling, mainline will end up giving more of our flying to other express carriers. Everyone grins and bares it; all the time afraid mainline will reduce our flying.

You guys might have it even worse. Mainline doesn't care if Air Wisconsin makes a profit. They are going to give you the worst flying. That's why they stuck you in DCA and PHL while PSA is in CLT. CLT costs a lot less to operate in and is better at staying on-time than PHL and DCA. I'm not saying PSA is better than Air Wisconsin. I'm just saying that since PSA is wholly owned it's in managements interest to keep PSA profitable. Air wisconsin's financial well eing isn't a concern for mainline management.

The above points help explain a lot about Mesa. They overcome a lot of the problems of being a contract carrier by having their employees cover the added cost through low wages and terrible work rules. It doesn't take long for a smart express employee to understand their place in the US Airways system. Because express employees are doomed to be bottom feeders forever, a lot of the good employees either leave or turn bad and the only people that can be recruited are people with problems in their lives. In the end it's the passengers that have to suffer $8/hr gate adgents and ghetto FAs. Also, all these bad employees cause inefficiencies and management is then further forced to cut costs. Where do these cost cuts come from? The employees. Can you see the downward spiral?

 

[WSurf]

Whiskey makes a profit on every flight! It's a fee for departure!! Doesn't matter what there flying is!!! If the plane is empty, they get paid a profit!

 

[Winglet]

Posted by an Air Wisconsin pilot on Airliners.net...

"1. Per Diem and work rules don't matter if you are never at home. The schedules are terrible. Many uncommutable on both ends and sometimes a 2-day followed by a 3-day, all of it uncommutable.

2. Complete lack of communication by the company. Their attitude is, "Hey, they can be happy to have jobs".

3. Very little plan for the future. They clearly did not plan well for this transition. What makes you think they are planning for the next thing? I think that in ATW they are so insulated from what is going on that they are unaware of most of the problems except now they slowly are starting to see bad statistics.

Air Wisconsin has suddenly gone from being the best contract airline to being a place to avoid. I am very loyal and even I am putting out feelers at other employers. The situation has gotten ridiculous.

As far as I am concerned, they have demonstrated that they are not able to operate in the airline world. They got fat and comfortable with United. The next couple months will be critical. I truly think we will have to reduce the aircraft usage in order to make this work. That is never a good thing.

I just finished my second-last reserve days in DCA. I sat for the last 3 days without getting used. And yet flights are being cancelled for lack of crews. We are also desperately short of mechanics.

It is my opinion that they expected everyone to just move along with this transition to the east coast and now, unexpectedly, people are leaving in droves."

To management, it's not a problem because people still work there.

 

[BCDurbin]

I have to agree - Air Wisconsin does seem to be having problems with the transition. I have heard a few gate agents say quite a few flights are being cancelled due to no crew. But they will get it figured out. And still they will lose people left and right to better jobs or other jobs, that's the nature of the business.

...Because express employees are doomed to be bottom feeders forever, a lot of the good employees either leave or turn bad and the only people that can be recruited are people with problems in their lives. In the end it's the passengers that have to suffer $8/hr gate [adgents]and ghetto FAs....

Hey Blue, what problems do you have with your life? and what ghetto do you live in? Sounds like problems for another forum to me! - BCD

 

[Richard]

Let's stay on the original subject here folks, and not make anything personal.