SKYWEST

Hey Shadow,
I'm a MKE based FA for Skywest! Just sending out a hello to a company fellow friend :)

To all that have upcoming training YOU'LL LOVE SKYWEST!! I used to work for Shuttle America and I SOOOOO much prefer Skywest! I'm VERY VERY happy here. Those of you that get sent to MKE you'll be a line holder REAL fast :)

Enjoy training, study hard and don't be TOO relaxed on your days off! BEHAVE they are watching you...

If any of you have questions feel free to ask!

hi chgoflygirl,

if you're a line holder in MKE and you transfer to like say SLC, are you still consider a line holder in SLC, or do you have to start over as a reserve?

Yes, Skywest Flight attendants do get free travel on United and Delta.

Gerri in Redwood City, California said: Yes, Skywest Flight attendants do get free travel on United and Delta.

Are the travel benefits with United and Delta also for international?

Hey guys! I just wanted to let you know I just finished my first day of Flight Attendant Training here in Salt Lake City and I'm SO EXCITED to get going! We were all pretty nervous and anxious about the testing, but it really wasn't horrible and the trainers are super-nice. I just thought I'd throw that out there for all of you who are waiting to begin training. It sounds like this will be pretty intense, but they want you to succeed, so don't freak out. :) Just a side note - be prepared for the physical agility test. They ask you to be able to lift up to 45lbs which is fine, but they ask you to do it repeatedly and place the bag on a shelf of 48" high. I'm kinda short, so it was a bit of a struggle for me. It definitely wasn't impossible, but I'm sure I didn't look very cute doing it. :) GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

Thanks Mandy! It will be great to hear how things are going when you get the chance. I'm hoping to be in the next group to go through (maybe I won't be until the group after that - who knows? - My interview was the first week of February). Anyway, lots of luck. Study hard. And, enjoy! I'm sure we will look forward to hearing more from you again.

G. in Atlanta, Georgia said: Are the travel benefits with United and Delta also for international?

Yes, the benefits are also for international flights, but it's not totally free. You have to pay the taxes. It's usually not much at all. From what I've heard, it depends on the country and can be like $50 or something. Hope that helps.

samantha in Sacramento, California said: hi chgoflygirl,

if you're a line holder in MKE and you transfer to like say SLC, are you still consider a line holder in SLC, or do you have to start over as a reserve?

Depends on how senior you are and how many lines they have in SLC. If your brand new and you get MKE and immediatley transfer to SLC you'll most likely be back on RSV.

Mandy M in Salt Lake City, Utah said: Hey guys! I just wanted to let you know I just finished my first day of Flight Attendant Training here in Salt Lake City and I'm SO EXCITED to get going! We were all pretty nervous and anxious about the testing, but it really wasn't horrible and the trainers are super-nice. I just thought I'd throw that out there for all of you who are waiting to begin training. It sounds like this will be pretty intense, but they want you to succeed, so don't freak out. :) Just a side note - be prepared for the physical agility test. They ask you to be able to lift up to 45lbs which is fine, but they ask you to do it repeatedly and place the bag on a shelf of 48" high. I'm kinda short, so it was a bit of a struggle for me. It definitely wasn't impossible, but I'm sure I didn't look very cute doing it. :) GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

Mandy,
Please keep us posted on your progress in training. Hopefully, you won't have to wait too long for your IOE. Also, current Skywest flight attendants and trainees, please let me know when you hear any buzz about Skywest resuming hiring again. I know there's a backlog in the pool at the moment. Thanks!

Hey guys! Training is going well! But they were not kidding; it is super-intense and there are some looong days! (today was 11 hours, tomorrow is 10) I'm fortunate to be in a pretty tight class though and we all help each other out and encourage each other. We were informed today that we will not be waiting at all to start our IOE's after graduation and that the email sent out to us previously was precautionary. I haven't heard anything about them hiring again, but I have heard rumors that there are about 200 people in the pool to start training. I've also heard the next class starts on July 1st. Of course I am not an official rep or anything, so don't quote me! That's just what I heard. For those of you waiting to start training, make sure you study the packet they send you. And basically, once you get here, just do everything they tell you, exactly the way they tell you to do it and you'll be fine. Don't think you're coming to SLC to party or to have extra free time to sightsee, either. :) You do get to socialize and stuff, but be prepared for long days plus 2-3 hours of homework per night. It sounds like a lot, but don't be intimidated (not every day is a long day). It really is fun and exciting. We got to play on the jets today and it was so cool! Everyone in the class is going through this experience together so you bond and build friendships with the people you'll ultimately be working with. The instructors are awesome and it really is quite rewarding. The more I get in to it, the more convinced I am that I made the right choice to come. Oh, and in case you are curious, we found out early that our whole class is getting domiciled in Salt Lake City. That's good news for me since I'm from here! :) I'll try to keep you posted!

Mandy M in Salt Lake City, Utah said: For those of you waiting to start training, make sure you study the packet they send you. And basically, once you get here, just do everything they tell you, exactly the way they tell you to do it and you'll be fine.

Hi Mandy, your comment was very helpful. Concerning the training material, I was wondering how much detail to go into when studying the airplane diagrams. There are so many meticulous details with each one, but they are also very similar with slight differences. Is it more important to be able to identify the planes just be seeing a diagram, or would you recommend memorizing every detail of each one, and being able to fill in a blank diagram if i were just given the name of the plane?"

Lana L. in Baton Rouge, Louisiana said: Hi Mandy, your comment was very helpful. Concerning the training material, I was wondering how much detail to go into when studying the airplane diagrams. There are so many meticulous details with each one, but they are also very similar with slight differences. Is it more important to be able to identify the planes just be seeing a diagram, or would you recommend memorizing every detail of each one, and being able to fill in a blank diagram if i were just given the name of the plane?"

You will need to know where everything goes for each a/c!! STUDY IT NOW if you have the time. It will make your testing alot easier.

chgoflygirl said: You will need to know where everything goes for each a/c!! STUDY IT NOW if you have the time. It will make your testing alot easier.

Thanks So Much! My training begins July 1st. I will know those a/c's inside and out!

Lana L. in Baton Rouge, Louisiana said: Thanks So Much! My training begins July 1st. I will know those a/c's inside and out!

Good Luck! You'll love working for them. They are really good to us :) And the flying perks are AWESOME!!! Have fun

Lana, when did you learn that you were going to start training on July 1st? How were you notified? When did you interview? I interviewed in February in SLC. I was told that I would probably be starting training in May/June. I talked to the recruiter a month ago and she told me that I wasn't on the list to start training in May 13th's class but might be in the next session in June. I haven't heard anything since. I so badly want to do this but am starting to get disappointed that I haven't heard anything since April. Any info anyone else has out there would be helpful as well. Thanks!

unis in Tremonton, Utah said: Lana, when did you learn that you were going to start training on July 1st? How were you notified? When did you interview? I interviewed in February in SLC. I was told that I would probably be starting training in May/June. I talked to the recruiter a month ago and she told me that I wasn't on the list to start training in May 13th's class but might be in the next session in June. I haven't heard anything since. I so badly want to do this but am starting to get disappointed that I haven't heard anything since April. Any info anyone else has out there would be helpful as well. Thanks!

I was notified on Tuesday of this week (the 27th). Andrea Knight called me. I interviewed in January in Texas! I was initially suppossed to begin training in March, but as we all know, those classes were cancelled. I've been waiting since then, checking my email twice a day for any word. I was getting very discouraged as well, but I hung in there. Then I got the call. It's just a waiting game at this point, but your turn is coming up soon. Don't give up! It looks like they've finally got the ball rolling!

Thanks so much! I too check my e-mail several times a day and I also check this site as well. Searching for information and advice! I promise I will keep watching and waiting and won't give up! Keep us posted on your training as much as you can. I know you will be very busy! Have fun!

unis in Tremonton, Utah said: Lana, when did you learn that you were going to start training on July 1st? How were you notified? When did you interview? I interviewed in February in SLC. I was told that I would probably be starting training in May/June. I talked to the recruiter a month ago and she told me that I wasn't on the list to start training in May 13th's class but might be in the next session in June. I haven't heard anything since. I so badly want to do this but am starting to get disappointed that I haven't heard anything since April. Any info anyone else has out there would be helpful as well. Thanks!

Hey there, I'm just finishing up training here in SLC. I graduate next Thursday. Finally! The training is very intense! Be prepared! I just thought I'd let you know that I heard from one of the instructors the other day that they are planning on having 7 training classes for 2008. I don't know if that's set in stone or anything, but that is what I've heard. If you are waiting for a call, don't lose heart. Last time I checked, the waiting list was like 200 people long, so it will take a minute for Andrea to personally email or call those people to see if they still want to come to training. When I finally got notified, it was a phone call. Just try to be patient. I know it's rough. It will pay off in the end though!

~Mandy

Hi Mandy,

I am so happy to hear that you are graduating next week....CONGRATS to you. As you know I passed on the current training class because my son graduates from high school in a few weeks and I did not want to chance missing it due to training. So I will just wait until my number comes up again. Again Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!

Flora in Los Angeles, California said: Hi Mandy,

I am so happy to hear that you are graduating next week....CONGRATS to you. As you know I passed on the current training class because my son graduates from high school in a few weeks and I did not want to chance missing it due to training. So I will just wait until my number comes up again. Again Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks Flora! I'm glad I decided to risk it and just go. Turns out we won't have to wait for IOE's or anything. I'm pretty stoked. This time next week I'll be flying! Sweet!

Yes, Congratulations Mandy! We are all excited for you and are waiting for our number to come up. When you say 7 classes scheduled for 2008 is that for the remaining year? Or does that include the previous classes held already this year? Any word as to when the next class after July 1st is being held? Good Luck with your IOE.

Hey I was hired in february also. 5 months have passed and I haven't heard much from them I was wondering if you have? I'm beginning to question if it will ever happen.

I was hired in February as well, from the San Diego interviews. I fully understand how hard it is to be patient. I think we are midway in the group of 200 who were hired and are still waiting to train. However, I know that some of those "on that list" have accepted positions with other airlines (since they were able to start working quicker). Hang in there, I'm waiting too. You want to be ready, but you don't want to be afraid to make plans - I chalk it up to preparing to be more flexible than ever before - It comes with the job.

Janet Potter in Carlsbad, California said: I was hired in February as well, from the San Diego interviews. I fully understand how hard it is to be patient. I think we are midway in the group of 200 who were hired and are still waiting to train. However, I know that some of those "on that list" have accepted positions with other airlines (since they were able to start working quicker). Hang in there, I'm waiting too. You want to be ready, but you don't want to be afraid to make plans - I chalk it up to preparing to be more flexible than ever before - It comes with the job.

Yeah I'm trying not to loose focus I think it would be the best job ever I can't wait to start. I was reading that people that are going to start July 1st already got notified. Do you think that means that we are not going to be in that class or maybe Andrea just hasn't gotten to us yet?

Lana L. in Baton Rouge, Louisiana said: I was notified on Tuesday of this week (the 27th). Andrea Knight called me. I interviewed in January in Texas! I was initially suppossed to begin training in March, but as we all know, those classes were cancelled. I've been waiting since then, checking my email twice a day for any word. I was getting very discouraged as well, but I hung in there. Then I got the call. It's just a waiting game at this point, but your turn is coming up soon. Don't give up! It looks like they've finally got the ball rolling!

hey Lana,
Do you mind telling us when you got hired and if you know, your number on the list? I was told I'm 120 on the list I just wanted to figure out if I'm gonna make it to training in July... Thanks!

travelbug in Orem, Utah said: hey Lana,
Do you mind telling us when you got hired and if you know, your number on the list? I was told I'm 120 on the list I just wanted to figure out if I'm gonna make it to training in July... Thanks!

Hi travelbug,
I got hired in January. I was 70 on the waiting list, and I begin traning on July 1st. Each class has 40 people in it, i think. I hope that helps!

Lana L. in Baton Rouge, Louisiana said: Hi travelbug,
I got hired in January. I was 70 on the waiting list, and I begin traning on July 1st. Each class has 40 people in it, i think. I hope that helps!

Thanks Lana! That really helps. I'm just gonna chill and be patient. Good luck on your training!

I was told the first week of May there were about 100 on the list ahead of me (after the May class was enrolled) and there were about 200 total on the list. I figured that with a class of approximately 40, I'd likely not be in the next class they had, but pretty certain to be in any after that (if they had anymore). Since I know some that are on their list may actually already be hired somewhere else that could make things quicker for me. I was super bummed recently when I had heard there wasn't even going to be a July class, then after a day of pouting and sulking, I thought "well, I might as well just make the best of it -it is what it is and pouting doesn't make the time pass quicker". I am so anxious to get started though and fully thought I'd be flying / working long ago. Hang in there, your time will come soon enough, just keep yourself busy until then and it soon it'll be your turn! Maybe we will be in training together.

Hey "Travelbug", don't loose heart. I heard from Andrea today and I am now #65 on the list. The July 1st training is filled now. Naturally for obvious reasons, she can not be definitive on the upcoming training dates. She did say that it could be as early as the end of July or into September sometime - it could go either way.

My personal advice: start studying the aircraft info as was suggested earlier, go to the gym or start a workout plan (I understand the lifting requirement is a little taxing), take good care of yourself (training can be exhausting) but mostly, enjoy your summer - the time will fly.

And to those of you who are finishing up training right now and starting your IOE, I wish you all the best. Keep in touch and let us know how you are doing!

Hey you guys! i wanted to try and encourage you to keep pressing on and attempt to be patient. it will totally be worth it when your time has come to train. I just graduated last Thursday and it was an amazing feeling! such a good day! of course i went home and slept for 2 days after, but it was worth it! i'm not going to lie to ya - training is difficult. the days are long and you sit at a desk or table for a lot of that. there is some physical activity with lifting requirements on the first day and training on the emergency doors, but one of the more difficult things for me was sitting on my duff all day long for classroom instruction. it's not boring or anything, it's just hard not to move around at all for that length of time. i just thought i'd throw that out there for you guys so you can be prepared. i start my IOE on Wednesday, so i'm pretty excited about that. i wish you guys all the best of luck in training! don't give up! SkyWest is an awesome company! do your part for them, and they will do more than theirs for you!

Hey, Mandy CONGRATULATIONS! It is great to know that one of us has actually made it through graduation and is on their way to IOE. If you have any tips for us be sure to let us know. How many were in your training class? How many of those made it to graduation? Hopefully everyone made it. After your IOE how long before you will start flying solo do you know? I promise I will be patient and wait for my number to come up.

unis in Tremonton, Utah said: Hey, Mandy CONGRATULATIONS! It is great to know that one of us has actually made it through graduation and is on their way to IOE. If you have any tips for us be sure to let us know. How many were in your training class? How many of those made it to graduation? Hopefully everyone made it. After your IOE how long before you will start flying solo do you know? I promise I will be patient and wait for my number to come up.

Initially, I think there were 21 in our training class. However, only 15 made it to graduation. In fact, the last person left the morning of graduation. My advice about that is to take the training seriously. Don't go out and party or be lazy and not study. Don't treat the training like a vacation. You will not pass if you don't study and/or pay attention. There are tests every day, so don't slack off. I still had tons of fun, but it is intense. Remember that you aren't an official employee until you start your IOE, so just be responsible and remember that they are watching. After you finish your IOE, you are put on reserve right away. I think I might get a day or two off, but once you're qualified on the jets, it's my understanding that they send you out there to fly alone. My IOE is a two-overnight trip, so I'm not that worried about flying solo after. I'm kinda nervous, but they train you well and you will be prepared. I hope that answers some of your questions!

Is anyone else just dying to know when the next training is? I keep telling myself to just wait and keep busy but I sure wish I knew when we're having our next class.
Just keep it real guys! I'm sure everythig is gonna work out!!!

Hi Shadow - I was reading your reply to someone elses questions and was hoping I could ask one of my own. You seem to know a lot about scheduling. My wife works for Skywest, based in DEN, on reserve for 4 mos now, life is terrible as you know, she keeps saying it will get better when she gets a line. I keep saying even when she gets a line she'll be working what everyone else doesn't want (weekends, holidays, short trips...) and it will be just as bad as it now. Can you tell me the kind of schedules you get whe you first come off reserve? And do you bounce back and for from reserve to getting a line for a while when your just breaking out of reserve or do you magically cut over one day?

She's also thinking she can drop trips to make life easier if necesssary. I don't see how a low seniority person would be able to do this. Can you explain how this works?

Hi,

I there I was hired back in January and I have gone through the rescheduling of classes and the most recent training in May I rescheduled out of and I had a chat with Andrea today and she informed that I am now #150 and that the next class is scheduled for July and she was not sure when they would schedule another after that.

Hope this helps

Hi Flora,
Thanks for the reply. Do you know if she's talking about the July 1st class?

Steve in Brea, California said: Hi Shadow - I was reading your reply to someone elses questions and was hoping I could ask one of my own. You seem to know a lot about scheduling. My wife works for Skywest, based in DEN, on reserve for 4 mos now, life is terrible as you know, she keeps saying it will get better when she gets a line. I keep saying even when she gets a line she'll be working what everyone else doesn't want (weekends, holidays, short trips...) and it will be just as bad as it now. Can you tell me the kind of schedules you get whe you first come off reserve? And do you bounce back and for from reserve to getting a line for a while when your just breaking out of reserve or do you magically cut over one day?

Yeah, I can help you out a bit with what I know. For the month of July, it is anticipated that the top 298 flight attendants in DEN will hold a line, and about 55 reserves. It's true that when she does hold a line, she'll be at the bottom where she'll get all the trips leftover. It varies what they are, but anything is better than a reserve schedule. She can drop trips as long as there isn't "a red arrow" on the day she wants to drop something because it indicates that the day is low on reserves. What she'll have to do is then post the trip for other line holders to see and try to encourage them to pick it up from her. As long as she doesn't go under 62.5 hours a month, she'll still be a full-time employee. That's not hard at all, working 3 4-day trips that pay 21 hours each will help her achieve that. That's only working 12 days out of the month! So there's a ton of flexibility once we're line holders. But there's another factor, if flight attendants more senior to her transfers to DEN, she drops down and she be back on reserve again until they leave or more people below her moves in or she can transfer to somewhere else and see where her seniority lies. I'm tired of waiting but oh well. Best of luck to the both of us.

travelbug in Orem, Utah said: Hi Flora,
Thanks for the reply. Do you know if she's talking about the July 1st class?

My guess is that is what she is referring to. I can understand why she has to be vague about dates. Imagine how many things happen that are out of her (Andrea's) and even SkyWest's control. I heard that the July 1st class is full and the next class "could" be as soon as the end of July but it "could" be as late as September. Someone had told me the end of May that Andrea told them the July class was canceled and then a week later. . . what do you know? Now there is a July class! It is real hard to determine. And admittedly, one's emotions can really get you going if you are one of the ones (like me) waiting to be trained. Just keep hanging in there. Like I said before too, some of those waiting to be trained have already started with another airline cause they were able to get hired and trained with the other airline before they could with SkyWest.

Thanks Janet - that's very helpful. Good luck with your line.

Hey guys, what is a line holder? And IOE?

A line holder is an FA (flight attendant) that is no longer on reserve and is able to choose the flights that they fly. The more senior you are the better schedule you can get. On reserve you get to fly when you are needed and have to be ready to fly in just a few hours notice. IOE stand for initial operating experience which is the 2nd phase of training. You have the 1st phase which is the classroom training learning all of the FAA and safety requirements. If you graduate from phase one of the training then you have the 2nd phase
(IOE) where you actually get to receive training with another flight attendant aboard actual flights with actual customers. When you complete that week of training then you are put into the reserve ranks and ready to fly solo. Hope that helps.

unis in Tremonton, Utah said: A line holder is an FA (flight attendant) that is no longer on reserve and is able to choose the flights that they fly. The more senior you are the better schedule you can get. On reserve you get to fly when you are needed and have to be ready to fly in just a few hours notice. IOE stand for initial operating experience which is the 2nd phase of training. You have the 1st phase which is the classroom training learning all of the FAA and safety requirements. If you graduate from phase one of the training then you have the 2nd phase
(IOE) where you actually get to receive training with another flight attendant aboard actual flights with actual customers. When you complete that week of training then you are put into the reserve ranks and ready to fly solo. Hope that helps.

Thanks Unis, that was really helpful. Do you have previous experience?

flightybrat in Clinton Township, Michigan said: Hi Sherry,

I also interviewed with SkyWest, back on Jan 26th and I received the email that I was hired on Feb. 4th. I spoke to the person in their recruiting office and they are delaying the next training dates until May/June. Let me know if you have any other questions:)

Hey courtney,
have you heard anything from Skywest or you're still waiting? Because I interviewed and got hired on the same dates as you but I'm still in the dark. So, I was just wondering... my name is Sue by the way...

Sue, You are welcome. I'm glad I was able to help. No,I don't have any previous experience. Like you I am just waiting for my number to come up so that I can get started. If you still have your flight attendant career guide they passed out in the interviews it may answer other questions you might have about the flight attendant role. You can also read it on line at Skywest. From what I have heard the airlines have their own lingo for us to learn. So be prepaired to learn all of the terms they will use such as IOE, the different aircrafts and all of the airport codes as well. I think those of us that were hired in Jan. and Feb. are getting close to our turn. Several us are under #50 on the list so hopefully we will hear something soon as to when we will be able to finally start training.

Mandy, How was you IOE? Hope you had a super time! I have a question for you or for anyone else who might know. Do we get a discount to park at the airport when we fly? I just got back from a trip and it cost me almost $40 to park for two days. I got to thinking that if I had to pay for parking while I'm working it would take quite a bit of my paycheck.

unis in Tremonton, Utah said: Mandy, How was you IOE? Hope you had a super time! I have a question for you or for anyone else who might know. Do we get a discount to park at the airport when we fly? I just got back from a trip and it cost me almost $40 to park for two days. I got to thinking that if I had to pay for parking while I'm working it would take quite a bit of my paycheck.

My IOE was okay. Not as great as I wanted it to be, but that was largely due to the severe turbulence I had the second day. I'd never even experienced moderate turbulence before, so that was definitely a challenge for me. I passed though, and I'm on my own now. Just waiting for my schedule... As far as parking is concerned, SkyWest pays for your parking. They give you a parking pass kind of a thing to get you in to the employee parking lot; then you just take a shuttle to the terminals.

Mandy, Sorry to hear that your IOE wasn't as great as you had wanted. But, Hey you passed and that's what it's all about! So now that you have completed both phases of your training and are ready to fly solo, how does that work. Are you like call 24/7 and have to sit at the airport. Or do you have a schedule to know when you will be flying? Sorry for all the questions. I'm just trying to find out as much info as I can on this new career I have embarked upon. Thanks for all of your help.

Hi, everyone! Does anyone know how many people are currently on the SkyWest waiting list for training? I'm just trying to get an idea of when they might start interviewing again. It sounds like it may be awhile.

I just received an Email informing us that the July 1st class has been postponed.
Looks like the waiting game is back in session.