Westjetters back Regional Airline 91% say yes

[KAG]

As long as this thing goes off better then our Saber (cough) launch, we should do ok

[Bede]

Doh

[KAG]

Doh

You mean "Durph" done in my best Homer Simpson impression.

[LTD]

Hi Loopa,
We understand that to be a big question.
So I'll put it to you...to keep moral high, would it not be better to draw more talent (for the 737 expansion) from the regional for two things - moral and career progression? Of course it would!

We can and take up to 100 percent from the regional. It will cost more for training, but the trade off is moral and motivation. That helps keep everyone pulling on the same rope and adding to the growth and the basic strength of the company.This little venture will start out lean and will likely be profitable. Pay, benefits and ESP will all be scaleable too. Who knows, maybe down the road it will assist in us obtaining bigger A/C if we decide to go that route.

Dave.

That is awesome.........WOW!

WOW indeed!
I gotta agree it's pretty incredible to see people like DaveP with the perspective of how some things like internal upgrades might cost an airline a few more dollars in training, but pay off ten fold in many other ways i.e. moral and motivation, both of which are priceless for ANY company. I also believe moral and motivation are the foundation for WJs success, and management has been very successful in cultivating it by treating their pilots like teamates, and not 'just' employees. Westjet is a beautiful story still being written... can't wait to witness it's futur.

ltd

[Rotten Apple #1]

How many reserve lines are they planning for WJ Lite?

[Raybanman]

How many reserve lines are they planning for WJ Lite?

No scheduling policy has been decided on that I'm aware of, but if it is to parallel our current scheduling system, (which my understand is that it will be), there will be no reserve. Our current system works on a voluntary basis. If you have a day where you are bored, or you need some extra money for fancy new shoes, you list available for the day or days, and get paid OT at 1.5 times straight pay. It works out cheaper for the company than hiring extra crew, and puts more money in your pocket if you choose to partake. You are not required to do overtime, but it helps a lot. I did a little over $17k in overtime last year at year two pay, which made things pretty nice for the year.

Cheers,
PP

[sanjet]

How many reserve lines are they planning for WJ Lite?

No scheduling policy has been decided on that I'm aware of, but if it is to parallel our current scheduling system, (which my understand is that it will be), there will be no reserve. Our current system works on a voluntary basis. If you have a day where you are bored, or you need some extra money for fancy new shoes, you list available for the day or days, and get paid OT at 1.5 times straight pay. It works out cheaper for the company than hiring extra crew, and puts more money in your pocket if you choose to partake. You are not required to do overtime, but it helps a lot. I did a little over $17k in overtime last year at year two pay, which made things pretty nice for the year.

Cheers,
PP

That is a revolutionary concept! Has there ever been times where they went short staff and had to cancel flights or there's simply a lot of volunteers? Seems like a good strategy for both employer and employee.

[Tiny Tyke]

An overtime coverage based system only works if you get enough days off to begin with. With 10-12 days off per month, I find getting people to do overtime is hit and miss. Hopefully the Westprop operation will have more like 14+ like their mainline counterparts. Could be tricky to get enough credit on a prop to accommodate that number of days off though.

[The Hammer]

Don't forget it's much easier to get people to do O/T when 1.5 x wage is at your 737 rates. A Dash FO that HAS to work O/T to makes ends meet becomes an unhappy employee much quicker, particular if there is no significant pay raise in sight like there is for a 737 FO (year 3 pay).

Having a wage scale like you have now (737) where a YEAR 3 FO makes more than 90% of the working population and a Captain scale that puts many pilots in the evil 1% (168k in Canada). Money can make a lot of the "negatives" and the poor performers go away.

THe HR department can't/hasn't weeded out all the complainers (they were at their past employers) but money has helped keep them subdued.

I wish you good luck and may you win your battles with the bean counters.

[Rotten Apple #1]

I was just tossing ideas around in my head. The significant other would like to return to the workforce, and YYZ would be the best bet for her, but would require a move. We could handle a drop in my wages for a couple of years in order to get her a job there, then hopefully siwtch back to the 37. If I was awarded the switch from the mainline to the regional arm, moving expenses would also be tax deductible.

I was thinking RES was a given for the new operation, given the 2 separate bases. I could be wrong, I suppose. I guess we'll know more in the next several months. I thing being a RES pilot might be a great way to go for a while, keeping me around home etc.

[twinpratts]

Hey KAG, check your PMs.

[crj-erj]

The regional plan for westjet sounds convincing, 91% of employees say yes! Never know how things will turn out though.

[bcflyer]

The regional plan for westjet sounds convincing, 91% of employees say yes! Never know how things will turn out though.

Was that 91% of all employees or 91% of those who voted? Was the vote anonymous?