Pinnacle Airlines

Ty,
You have to go back and read earlier post...they are filled with good information and fun to read...you will get all of your answers from people who have gone through what you about to do.

That is what I have done and still do..just for fun. I will be in Atlanta..and I am a former Flight Attendant.

MikeMCO in Orlando, Florida said: Well I am planning on driving up to MSP from Orlando....doubt anyone wants to carpool with me. lol ;-)

Hey Mike-

Actually moving from mco back to msp (work for another airline) and saw you need a ride. There are 2 of us in 2 different cars. I can get you there, just not heading back this way. Let me know if your interested.

When are you going up?

Ty-

Do you have the address info in Atlanta of open house event & the start time? It is no longer posted on web site. Thanks! :)

Sure, the address is 5010 Old National Hwy, College Park, GA, 30349. But You may wanna contact Paola first before attending, just to make sure there is space still available. I just have a feeling that there may be some open seats due to the election.

TY in Jonesboro, Georgia said: Sure, the address is 5010 Old National Hwy, College Park, GA, 30349. But You may wanna contact Paola first before attending, just to make sure there is space still available. I just have a feeling that there may be some open seats due to the election.

Thanks again TY for your quick response! Great idea I am on the list for Memphis however, Atlanta would be so much better. She told me that this hiring session is for Nov 08 class and all other open house sessions are for Jan 09. Good Luck to you!

See ya there.

Abby--- which open house is for Nov08, ATL or MEM? I am going to the Memphis one but would not be able to start training in Nov.

SouthernBelle-

Just FYI the open house for Nov 4th in ATL is for class starting on or about Nov 26th. All other open houses held after that the new hires will start in Jan 09 classes. Hope the helps clarify things a little better.

can someone give me the address of the detroit oh? i am signed up but they pulled it off and i didn't get the time, address, or hotel!
thanks!!

bjm1 in Mogadore, Ohio said: can someone give me the address of the detroit oh? i am signed up but they pulled it off and i didn't get the time, address, or hotel!
thanks!!

Give Paola a call or shoot her a email she is really nice & helpful with all that info. Her contact info is on the Pinnacle website. Good Luck! :)

thanks - i just didn't want to look like an unorganized person before the interview!!!! i will contact her

Hi Everyone!

Is anyone here attending the Nov. 7th Open House in Memphis? I have already Confirmed attendance with Paola High, I was just wondering if any of the vets could explain how a commute from ATL to MEM would work.

My Aunt works for Pinnacle and she was explaining the "Crash Pads" is anyone else familiar with those and if so, do you know of any in ATL? How are those coordinated?

I know I am bubbling over with questions, but I am just soooo excited!!!

bjm1, Here's the info. Clarion Hotel 8600 Merriman Rd Romulus, Mi. 48174 Doors open at 9 and close at 10. Hope that helps.

There are a ton of crash pads here in Atlanta. There will be ad's posted in the break room during training and in the crew room. There are some where you can have a private room or a shared room. Some you need a car and some are located near the train where you do ot have to have a car. You can also go to crashpads.com. Thats how I found mine. Commuting is not a good idea while on reserve. Non-rev is next to impossible this time of year. So many of the flights are full with 12-20 standby's. You will have to have a crashpad in ATL while on RSV.

Hi Heartkin! How is everything? Please tell me all the drama:)

How long are you usually at the crash pads?

Trish in Mesa, Arizona said: Hi Heartkin! How is everything? Please tell me all the drama:)

Hey Trish, Sorry no drama here except Reserve stinks, just got in from BHM. Congrats to you. I am proud of you. Hang in there with the RSV. How long do you guess you might be on for???? I surely do wish you the best. I know you are happy.

Lauren in Memphis, Tennessee said: How long are you usually at the crash pads?

Lauren, It all depends how long your going to be on RSV.

So you have to actually live in ATL? I heard you could be on reserves for months. I have a family a 3yr old and a 7 month old. Will I be able to commute back and forth? Will this be the case if I am hired for a MEM position?

Lauren, If you are going to be based in ATL you will have to get a crashpad. You will only be off 10 days per month while on RSV. While you are on RSV you are on call from 6am till 23:00. Any day that can change from home RSV to Airport RSV. Example You will be scheduled home reserve for the month. Say your off Mon & Tue. Then your off. Come Wed your on at home reserve 6am till 7:59 and maybe airport RSV from 8pm till 11pm. At 10:55 you might get a flight and remain over night. Get back to ATL at noon the next day> Then they decide what your res time will be when you get back for that day. The days you are on you belong to scheduling.You will be on Res for the whole day, then if they call you for a trip you have 2hrs. In Atl we have a 45 minute report time to the gate before a flight. If it takes you one hour to get to the airport that leaves you 15 minuttes to get ready. You can go home on your days off, but no-revinng is very hard with full flights. You may get there but you also hve to get back.

It's to hard to determine how long you will be on RSV in ATL or MEM. Until our new planes get in and we get more routes RSV will be long. Right now there are people transferring into ATL from MSP and MEM, people that held a line then had to go back to RSV. So the RSV time is anybodys guess. Depends on what Delta sends our way. Best guess right now is 6-8 months. And if it's anything less you can consider yourself lucky.

Lauren, With 2 small chldren at home you need to think long and hard about this job. Probation is 6 months. Three occurrences and you are out. If your 1 minute late to report that is an occurrence, if you call in sick that is an occurrence, if your child gets sick and you have to stay home that is an occurrence. You have to be prepared to miss holidays and time away fom your children. You do not get paid for training. Your first cheeck will be 400. and two weeks later it will be about 500. You will get paid for 37.5 hours 2x's per month and any perdiem you make during the month will come on your check on the 16th of the month payday. This month my perdiem averaged 200.
Good luck in your decision

My mind is already made up. I have no problem as far as obligations, because my children are in daycare and my husband works 9-5pm. so he can resume the normal schedule of picking and dropping them off.

I just didn't know that I would actually have to live in ATL while on reserve.

Lauren listen to Heartkin 10 she speaks the truth. I see you are in Memphis. With your small children it is best for you to wait until you can be based here in Memphis. The job is hard enough on your kids when you live in base. There is an open house for Memphis on Nov 7th, check out the website.

One thing she didn't mention is that you are frozen for 6 months in the base and then you have to wait your turn to get into MEM. The FA's from MEM that have transferred to ATL may very well transfer back when there is more flying here. You would be behind them and it may be harder to get to MEM than you think.

Bottom line if you are under the impression that you will go to ATL until MEM opens up it could be considerably longer than you think.

Have you been accepted in any of the base's pool or are you going to some of the open houses?

Good Luck

Well I am attending the Nov. 7th Open House here in MEM. That is why I thought I would be working here in MEM, because I thought the training was out here at the airport.

heartkin10 in Atlanta, Georgia said: Lauren, If you are going to be based in ATL you will have to get a crashpad. You will only be off 10 days per month while on RSV. While you are on RSV you are on call from 6am till 23:00. Any day that can change from home RSV to Airport RSV. Example You will be scheduled home reserve for the month. Say your off Mon & Tue. Then your off. Come Wed your on at home reserve 6am till 7:59 and maybe airport RSV from 8pm till 11pm. At 10:55 you might get a flight and remain over night. Get back to ATL at noon the next day> Then they decide what your res time will be when you get back for that day. The days you are on you belong to scheduling.You will be on Res for the whole day, then if they call you for a trip you have 2hrs. In Atl we have a 45 minute report time to the gate before a flight. If it takes you one hour to get to the airport that leaves you 15 minuttes to get ready. You can go home on your days off, but no-revinng is very hard with full flights. You may get there but you also hve to get back.

It's to hard to determine how long you will be on RSV in ATL or MEM. Until our new planes get in and we get more routes RSV will be long. Right now there are people transferring into ATL from MSP and MEM, people that held a line then had to go back to RSV. So the RSV time is anybodys guess. Depends on what Delta sends our way. Best guess right now is 6-8 months. And if it's anything less you can consider yourself lucky.

Heatkin...I am afraid you are mistaken on the call out. 2 hours call out means you need to be checked in within 2 hours. Not 1 hr. and 15 mins. They can ASK you to volunteer to get there in 1 hour and 15 mins but you can ALWAYS say no because it is a contract issue. 2 hours from the phone call until the crew room.

Lauren in Memphis, Tennessee said: Hi Everyone!

Is anyone here attending the Nov. 7th Open House in Memphis? I have already Confirmed attendance with Paola High, I was just wondering if any of the vets could explain how a commute from ATL to MEM would work.

My Aunt works for Pinnacle and she was explaining the "Crash Pads" is anyone else familiar with those and if so, do you know of any in ATL? How are those coordinated?

I know I am bubbling over with questions, but I am just soooo excited!!!

Lauren-

I am attending the open house in Memphis on 7th.Paola sent me e-mail confirming hotel name change is now Ramada Plaza did you get that? I tried to get my open house spot changed from Mem to ATL however ATL is full to capacity.

Lesliee,
You are right about the 2hr call in and being in the contract. However, If you don't care about Pinnacle and your job, on time departures and not keeping the other crew members sitting an extra hour, Yes you can insist on the 2 hr call to check in time.
I don't know about MSP but down here in Atlanta there is a big push for on time departures with Delta. When you are on Reserve that means being ready to go when you get called. Thats whats keeping us flying with Delta. And you don't want to T off your CA.
If you get called at 4pm for a 6:15pm flight and you give scheduling the song and dance about NEEDING your 2 hrs, then you can pretty much bet your going to continue to sit and not fly. Now if you get JR manned on your day off that may be different, you are not expected to be ready to go. So you can interpert the 2 hr call in both ways. In Atlanta it means think on time departure.
There are 51 FA's sitting reserve here in Atlanta, they will find someone who will get there in time.

Yes, I did get her e-mail today.

exactly---with 51 reserves there is no reason to go in before your 2 hours. they have airport reserves ready to fly if they want to keep ontime departures. you CANNOT be punnished by crew scheduling nor should your captain ever be "t ed off".And if you have had one treat you badly or get mad for using your 2 hours you should notify inflight right away. although no pilot in msp or dtw i have ever met has questioned it in the least for a flight attendant to follow the rules of the contract. you'd be hard pressed to find a pilot who didn't use their full alloted time to get to the aiport.

anyway, i only pointed it out so that the person you were giving advice to knew that he/she had 2 hours from the phone call until they needed to check in at Ops, not 1 hr. and 15 mins. happy halloween!

heartkin10 in Atlanta, Georgia said: Lesliee,
You are right about the 2hr call in and being in the contract. However, If you don't care about Pinnacle and your job, on time departures and not keeping the other crew members sitting an extra hour, Yes you can insist on the 2 hr call to check in time.
I don't know about MSP but down here in Atlanta there is a big push for on time departures with Delta. When you are on Reserve that means being ready to go when you get called. Thats whats keeping us flying with Delta. And you don't want to T off your CA.
If you get called at 4pm for a 6:15pm flight and you give scheduling the song and dance about NEEDING your 2 hrs, then you can pretty much bet your going to continue to sit and not fly. Now if you get JR manned on your day off that may be different, you are not expected to be ready to go. So you can interpert the 2 hr call in both ways. In Atlanta it means think on time departure.
There are 51 FA's sitting reserve here in Atlanta, they will find someone who will get there in time.

ps...whatever you do in atlanta we do in msp, dtw, and mem as well. we all work for the same company.

Lesliee,

You are exactly right about not agreeing to come get there before your 2 hours, if we do say we will report earlier then when it comes time to re-negotiate the contract. We do not want the company to shorten our call out b/c no one takes that long. That being said I see Heartkin's position about being at the mercy of crew scheduling. The best compromise is to tell crew scheduling that you can not tell them exactly how long it will take you but it will be inside the 2 hour window. Even though you get 2 hours if you tell them an hour they will make that your check in time and although the union would fight it there is potential for a miss trip if you get hung up in traffic.

Lesliee you probably haven't been on reserve in a long time. Crew scheduling can and will punish you by scheduling you 12 hour airport reserve sits and holding you after you return from a turn (or trip). It is not unusual for a reserve FA to be scheduled for airport ready reserve 15-17 times a month with totally only 17 hours of flying time. The union has refused to make the company abide by the contract that clearly states that reserve duty is to be assigned in "an equitable manner in seniority order". I am looking at being on reserve at least 8 months and the last thing I want is to T off Crew Scheduling.

Although we work for the same company the ATL base does have different rules. Because of the size of the airport the ATL FA's are to be in ops 1 hour prior to departure. Their uniform and grooming requirements are different. The company hardly ever had ATL FA sit reserve in other bases as they do with DTW, MSP and MEM based FA.

Although we do work for the same company and under the same contract the company is keeping them separate which is unfortunate. I am 900 certified and would love to work some ATL or CVG trips, I just don't want to be based in ATL.

One more thing...With the union re-writing the by-laws this division needs to be addressed so we can feel like we all work for the same company. For the union to be successful we need solidarity with ALL of the flight attendants.

It blows me away when I go on airport reserve and when the call comes in for a flight the other FA says "Gee I don't want to work tonight I was going to go out!
My first thought is "Why the heck do you want to be a flight attendent?

People come on this forum and ask questions, then we try to give them a realistic view of the job.

Nope they have their mind made up , they want to be a flight attendant. They go to training, get out and the first words out of their mouth is "Nobody ever told me that! Well maybe you weren't listening.

The time constraints of this job are very demanding, WITH VERY LITTLE MONEY.
If you only want to spend 10 days a month, minus the travel time with your babies and husband, for 1,000./month, by all means do it. But be realistic about it. Anyway you look at it, it is going to affect your relationship with your husband and children. And it won't be all positive. Reserve is from 6am until 22:00 at night thats a long day to wait for a call.

Wereflyn in Memphis, Tennessee said: One more thing...With the union re-writing the by-laws this division needs to be addressed so we can feel like we all work for the same company. For the union to be successful we need solidarity with ALL of the flight attendants.

You're right I haven't been on rsv in awhile. But when I was I sat a few of those 12 hour airport rsv days in a row. I was 2nd from the top in seniority for girls on rsv. the next time crew scheduling called i asked how airport rsv was assigned seeing as 10 other girls were on reserve that day and i had sat a lot of 12 hour days. the crew scheduler told me it was random...and that if i ever felt like i was sitting a lot of 12 hour days I should say something. She thanked me for informing her and they layed off me for the rest of the week.

werefly-- I totally agree about being bridging the ATL base with the original bases. I've heard from some DTW girls that transferred to ATL that the flight attendants down there were very unfriendly to transfers because they didn't want senior flight attendants coming into "THEIR" base and taking the lines. its very sad I think. I'd love to transfer down there--18 days off and about 80 hours a month sounds very appealing to a lot of people in msp and dtw. I think a lot of FAs will be commuting or making the move if these schedules keep up.

heartkin10 in Atlanta, Georgia said: It blows me away when I go on airport reserve and when the call comes in for a flight the other FA says "Gee I don't want to work tonight I was going to go out!
My first thought is "Why the heck do you want to be a flight attendent?

People come on this forum and ask questions, then we try to give them a realistic view of the job.

Nope they have their mind made up , they want to be a flight attendant. They go to training, get out and the first words out of their mouth is "Nobody ever told me that! Well maybe you weren't listening.

The time constraints of this job are very demanding, WITH VERY LITTLE MONEY.
If you only want to spend 10 days a month, minus the travel time with your babies and husband, for 1,000./month, by all means do it. But be realistic about it. Anyway you look at it, it is going to affect your relationship with your husband and children. And it won't be all positive. Reserve is from 6am until 22:00 at night thats a long day to wait for a call.

Heartkin10-

Your info is most helpful however could you tell me if based in ATL how long does a trip last 2 or 3 day stretch, quick turns, 24hr layovers? Can you pick up extra trips while on reserve? What is reserve time while based in ATL?

Heartkin...reserve time in ORD is only about 1-2 months. I have already put in my new bid for DEN. found a nice room for 290.00 close to the airport. There is a pilot with AA that lives there and the lady that owns the townhouse. I have my own room too so thats a plus and it is only 2 blocks from the b line to the airport. Stay in touch with me please! How is the dog? :)

The ATL people were hired with the impression that they would hardly be on reserve at all and for the most part it has come true. They are MAD that the "stepchildren" (other FA'a) will be invading their base and taking their lines away. They are afraid they will be on reserve again.

In my opinion the base managers in ATL need to nip this attitude in the bud and have a zero tolerance for any negative attitudes to ANY flight attendant. The company has created this problem by having an invisable line separating the ATL base from the others. They will have to fix it and the union needs to find a way to work with the company to make it happen.

(no offense Heartkin you know I love you)

The presssure is on here in Atlanta. Just like I tried to say about the timing and making it to the flights for on time departure. The service on the 900 is quite different than the 200. There is a first class service and service to first class begins at boarding.
On the 900 there are two flight attendants that have to work together. Most are not used to it and don't like it. I don't believe that it's the people here that are not being welcoming, it's a big working change and people get set in their ways and don't like change. FYI some of the Atlanta FA's don't want to work the 200 because they don't like working alone. It goes both ways.

Commuting is very difficult no matter how senior you are. PNCL flys S3C (behind everyone) and the flights are full and we have NO COMMUTER clause in our contract. Last time I flew to MSP I got bumped 5 times and left a day early because of full flights coming back.

The pilots and flight attendants here in ATL have worked very hard to keep the stats up to keep Delta business. Now that NW and Delta have merged it is going to be a harder race. Our contract is not going to mean squat if we loose Delta and they stop giving us lines. Because we will not have jobs.

We all may work for the same company but our company has been working two different service contracts.

wow---stepchildren? thats sad. i had heard they were warned in training that the seniority number they held was company wide. not just per base. anyone who has ever worked at a airline before knows that seniority is everything and i have never heard of anybody apoligising for their seniority or being treated badly because of it. inflight really should be addressing this. i guess ATL based FAs will just have to get used to people transfering down there and hopefully get a better attitude about it.

I can't imagine what it will be like for NWA and Delta flight attendants now that the merger is offical.

heartkin--no offense but you sound like part of the problem with that invisable line. many companies have 2 different contracts...skywest flies both united express and delta connection for example. since delta is new for pinnacle the flight attendants haven't been intigrated as quickly as other companies, but we will be. you need to get your mindset that we are all working for the same company under the same contract. we have the same uniform and same uniform standards. the majority of us are trained on the 900 as well at the 200 (they are training us for the 900 in reccurent). Yes, our company contracts with 2 airlines--as do many regionals--but you need to stop with the US and THEM attitude.

I have to agree with Lesliee you are coming across very negative, it sounds like you are not very happy.I hear Delta will being hiring in Jan 09 maybe you should make a move? Remember in life attitude is everything!

Trish, You are so sweet asking about Lexi. She is doing awsome with her new owners. I have been to BNA a few times and I am afraid to go see her. I don't want to emotionally upset her. Or myself.

Wereflyn, That could be the case with some people. I don't hang in the crew room and discuss anything except making the gate on time and who is doing AFT or FWD.
I do know 10 line holders either quit or got fired and thats why they posted the 10 positions open. So in effect it should not matter. They filled lines already held or what ever their bid worked out to be. Anybody hired is sitting and waiting for new lines and new planes.

When you point out differences and remember people are human and try to paint a realistic view of this job, how is that a problem. And where's the negative attitude. I love what I do and I love it more when people leave the drama at home.

I was gonna go for compass but i came across this airline?? is there any open houses in Detroit ,mi

Hi everyone,

I will also be attending the open house for memphis on Nov 7th. I hope to see you all there as well. I don't have many questions, but what does pinnacle Flight Attendant uniforms look like? I have seen Delta's and NW but never seen pinnacle's. Do anyone have a image or can show a site where you can see them. I would like to see the males and females.

Thanks!

You will be able to see the uniforms at the open house--the people running it will be wearing them. I get asked if I work for Continental quite often so I guess they look like their uniforms.

MEM in Memphis, Tennessee said: Hi everyone,

I will also be attending the open house for memphis on Nov 7th. I hope to see you all there as well. I don't have many questions, but what does pinnacle Flight Attendant uniforms look like? I have seen Delta's and NW but never seen pinnacle's. Do anyone have a image or can show a site where you can see them. I would like to see the males and females.

Thanks!

LIKE LESLIE SAID, YOU WILL GET TO SEE THE DIFFERENT TYPE OF UNIFORMS AT THE OPEN HOUSE. I AM IN THE DTW POOL AWAITING TRAINING AND I CANT WAIT TO WEAR THAT UNIFORM, ITS PRETTY, I LOVE PNCL UNIFORM I SHOULD SAY.

Thanks lesliee and winsgal!
So lesliee how long have you been a FA for Pinnacle? Also, have you heard good things from the FA's in MEM about pinnacle? If I'm hired with pinnacle do you think I will on on reserve for awhile ex. 1yr. The reason why I asked that is because I'm sure MEM has a lot of FA's since pinnacles headquaters is in MEM. Also, how do you think the emerger to Delta will effect FA's for pinnacle due to NWA being about 80% of pinnacles routes. Also, are MEM and MSP able to get the caribbean routes or do they go through the hands of ATL's FA's first, "based on senority ofcourse". Do you think Mesaba Airlines will get majority of Delta connect routes since they are on such a high hiring move? Or do you think Pinnacle will be at large a major impact for Delta since we already are flying their CRJ 900's?

MEM in Memphis, Tennessee said: Thanks lesliee and winsgal!
So lesliee how long have you been a FA for Pinnacle? Also, have you heard good things from the FA's in MEM about pinnacle? If I'm hired with pinnacle do you think I will on on reserve for awhile ex. 1yr. The reason why I asked that is because I'm sure MEM has a lot of FA's since pinnacles headquaters is in MEM. Also, how do you think the emerger to Delta will effect FA's for pinnacle due to NWA being about 80% of pinnacles routes. Also, are MEM and MSP able to get the caribbean routes or do they go through the hands of ATL's FA's first, "based on senority ofcourse". Do you think Mesaba Airlines will get majority of Delta connect routes since they are on such a high hiring move? Or do you think Pinnacle will be at large a major impact for Delta since we already are flying their CRJ 900's?

Wow---um lets see I've been with Pinnacle about 1 1/2 years...I do not know anyone in MEM but werefly is based in MEM I think she might be able to answer some questions for you. I seriously doubt MSP will have caribbean routes because well MSP is a fair distance from the caribbean. "Based on seniority first"...not neccissarily since I haven't heard they have layovers there, and if they do I assume they are very short. I would plan on being in RSV a long time no matter what base or what airline you decide to go with since hiring is much slower than it was a couple years ago. I have no idea how the merger is going to effect things, time will tell. However, midwest cities will still need to be serviced so I don't see why we would lose flying. I can answer questions you have about the job I am currently doing, however the majority of the questions you are asking will only be answered with rumors and gossip because nobody knows how things are going to turn out.