A Tale of 2 Airlines

[drifterreno]

Good Morning all. This should be interesting to those of you in res. America West is hiring in res!! Yes, they only have 2 res centers and yes, they have only 2 hubs, but listen to what they''re offering. $7.65 to start. No pay scale, you get raises on merit. Ane the computer system they use is so much friendlier to the agents that I''m in awe over it. Okay, here are the benefits--read it and weep. Medical--$14.35 for a family per pay period. Within that medical you get FREE vision insurance with a copay of $10.00 and $10.00 for medicine--the copay also includes the vision. Dental--same as US. FREE short term disability--kicks in on 6th day. FREE long term disability. FREE life insurance for self and spouse. Also the 401k and holiday stuff. Tuition reimbursement--and check out these flight benefits. If you haven''t been sick in a quarter you get 10 flexi passes. Yep, they can be used for friends and family to fly as well as first class upgrades--which are $20 each way--not by segment--as well as priority boarding upgrade, and all kinds of stuff. That gives you a chance to earn 40 a year. Heck you can take the whole neighborhood. Also older children fly as non-dependent children as well as step non dependent children--kinda like they still get ID90''s but the flexi passes don''t have to be used for them. The really big thing, though is the computer system. I just can''t believe it is so agent friendly. And you won''t believe the incentives the company offers the agents. For instance if they do good on on time arrivals and consumer reports every agent will get $50. It''s like being in a different world. Kinda reminds me of Piedmont way back when and also US when it was AL. Oh, and yes, they have redone their fares!!!Lots and lots of really good fares ow and rt.
Just thought ya''ll would like to know that not only is medical not as expensive as we''re paying and there is someone out there that believes in it''s agents.
Am I being disloyal to US--no just looking to continue with an airline who believes in it''s agents.

 

[tay]

Hey Reno:

I don''t knowmuch about Res, but it sounds like you think that it is a good deal. I say go for it. Our best days are long behind us and if you have the opportunity GO FOR IT!!!!!!
Best of Luck!!!!

 

[Seatacus]

Good luck
Sounds like in todays world you get one or the other. Either you get good pay and no bennies, or good bennies and little pay. Too bad we can''t have both. Oh well, maybe someday.

 

[USAirUnited]

The grass is not always greener on the other side..

 

[drifterreno]

Hey Guys--not looking for greener grass, just a steady pay check. Seems HP is the only airline hiring these days. And I have gone for it and going crazy with classes these days. Thanks to US it isn''t as hard the second time around. Only had to learn 42 extra city codes. AND I found out just how much I missed res. It is truly interesting to see things from another airline''s prospective. Feels like I''m back working for Piedmont again. AND guess what--they''re making money too because of their fare structure. And Customer Service is First!!! I will always be a US person, but now I can go to Hawaii too!!!

 

[PLANES333]

I dont meen to sound rude or anything, but how can someone live of of $7.65 per hour, I work for Delta in a mangement job and I am just barely comfortable and another thing, those benefits arent that great. Do you most airlines make their employees pay for flight privledges like AWA, and you dont get first class for free? Working for the airlines is great, but I would have to say you might want to get into a different field if thats all AWA is offereing. The part about the pay scale also is funny. Here at Delta agents start out low about $9.12 (res is a little bit less about $8.65) but atleast in 3 years you know you will be making a decent salary anf after 5 years you will be making well over $17 per hour.

 

[cltflyguy]

Going to any airline is a gamble these days. When i first started
with US alot of things looked good. Now look where we are. Just because
it looks good one day doesn''t mean it will always be. However i do
wish you the best and hope the positive traits youve found will last.

 

[dfw79]

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On 5/15/2003 10:05:15 AM PLANES333 wrote:

I dont meen to sound rude or anything, but how can someone live of of $7.65 per hour, I work for Delta in a mangement job and I am just barely comfortable and another thing, those benefits arent that great. Do you most airlines make their employees pay for flight privledges like AWA, and you dont get first class for free? Working for the airlines is great, but I would have to say you might want to get into a different field if thats all AWA is offereing. The part about the pay scale also is funny. Here at Delta agents start out low about $9.12 (res is a little bit less about $8.65) but atleast in 3 years you know you will be making a decent salary anf after 5 years you will be making well over $17 per hour.

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A few problems and reasons why I like HP''s way of doing business. First off...live off of $7.65 per hour...sure you can, if you are smart with money. However, the beauty of the performance/merit based pay scale - the better you are at your job, the better and sooner you''ll be rewarded. If you go in and just do an average level of work, you''ll progress much slower than the person going in with a passion to do better.

In the example about it was stated "but atleast in 3 years you know you will be making a decent salary." So what is there to drive people to do better when they know they''ll get a raise regardless of performance. When you hold that carrot out there, people work harded and are much more productive. Why should the company pay more money to the person whom has been there longer but doesn''t perform as well as someone who has been there half as long and exceeds in every measurable area.

You want to get paid more - show me why you deserve it and i''ll give it to you.

 

[Furloughedagain]

It isnt any better for pilots.

Try being a regional airline first officer at newhire pay.

$21.00 per hour, BUT you are restricted by the FAA from working more than 100 hours per month.

Since you''re in your first year you go on reserve and get a 75 hour guarantee. Do the math.

$21.00/hr X 75hrs = $1575/month.

Since most people in "real" jobs work 160 hour months (40 hrs/wk) that same $1575 equates to $9.80 per hour. Per hour of actual FLIGHT time (block out to block in) ... not including the hours you spend in uniform, at the airport, or on layovers away from home.

That is the pay that many of the US Airways pilot furloughees are now making as they try to re-start their careers at regional airlines throughout the country.

After all, some of them have been furloughed for nearly 2 years -- cant wait around forever for Dave''s "soft landing".

 

[4merresrat]

Furloughed again, I might be missing something here, but you say you get 100 hrs max a month and just guaranteed 75 hrs a month correct? Well to me it just seems logical that if you can''t live on that amount why not take on another part time job, surely with those amount of hrs. that would be possible.

 

[4merresrat]

Hey Reno, not that Im interested but just wondering.. where are the res centers for HP anyway, did you have to move to their city or is it one of the former U res center cities? And goodluck to you, it sounds great, sometimes the benefits and atmosphere is more important than the pay rate, especially if it''s incentive based.

 

[oldiebutgoody]

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On 5/15/2003 1:32:07 PM 4merresrat wrote:

Furloughed again, I might be missing something here, but you say you get 100 hrs max a month and just guaranteed 75 hrs a month correct? Well to me it just seems logical that if you can''t live on that amount why not take on another part time job, surely with those amount of hrs. that would be possible.

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You ARE missing something. To get 20 hours of flight pay, you frequently have to be at work MORE than 100 hours, being away from home for at least 4 days. Pilots don''t get paid for sitting around airports, doing preflights, etc. It involves being away from home, and schedules change from month to month. That pretty much puts an end to any other outside income, unless it is very flexible (some guard/reserve units will work around airline schedules, but many don''t make it easy). Many airlines nowadays only guarantee pilots 10 or 11 days off, and that''s all they get to spend at home with family. I think that anybody looking at this industry for a career needs to get their head examined, and that goes for ANY job in it, pilot, mech, res or anything else!

 

[a320av8r]

It takes a Pilot or Flight Attendant an average of 3 1/2 hours on the job to get 1 hour of pay. It's hard to explain on this board but that is how it works. So if a crewmember "works" 85 hours per month he/she is actually on the job for about 300 hours. Thats compaired to a "regular person" working about 160 hours per month for 160 hours pay.

 

[WO/drone]

My wife is a flight attendent for a regional carrier, and that is really what it works out to, 3 to 3 1/2 hours for 1 hour pay. 25 dollars an hour is not much when you divide out hours on the job, about 11 or less per hour. After 20 plus years in aviation I am not encouraging my children to go into aviation. The real things in an airline job do not make up for the drawbacks anymore. Things are changing, the great era of the fifties and sixties will never return. I wish anyone in aviation only the best, it is everyone working together that makes an airline work safely and efficiently.

 

[drifterreno]

To Planes333. First of all HP does not pay for their flight privilidges. The agents and spouses and dependent children fly free. First class upgrades are $20 per TRIP including connecting flights. Parents pay $15 each way and non dependent children pay a guest fee. At US the ACTIVE agents are free but the retired agents are still paying $75 for self and spouse. The first class upgrades are $15 for short flights and $35 for cross country PER SEGMENT. Or maybe it''s $30 but it comes out about 25 dollars more for first. Second--free short term and long term disability--I paid thousands of dollars for this at US--never used it--and you could only get long term--so that''s a big plus.
AS for the wages--I started out at PI for $6.00 per hour in 1985 and raised 2 children on that--worked extra hours when offered and did swaps with others to get in at least 40 hour week--PI only hired at part time!!!
I''m a good agent--heck a great agent--and I will be rewarded for that. I don''t plan to stay "just a res agent" this time around and will be looking for pay increases. Their QM--help desk people make more money and get merit raises also. I didn''t want to do anything extra at US because there was no incentive. Now I have something to work for. AND the atmosphere is much more relaxed. That will keep me out of the sick house. Plus the incentives for perfect attendance--10 flexi passes a quarter--well, I''ll show up half dead for that!!!