Southern Airways Express
Southern Airways Express Employee Reviews
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Loved the work
I really enjoyed my passengers and pilots. Pay was awful but I loved the people I met. I hated making calls to passengers to remind them to make their flight. Nobody takes responsibility for their own laziness. Hard not to tell them off when they got there late. Would still be there except I have to have surgery that would not allow me to live 50 pounds.
Unprofessional Manager
Unprofessional, Racist and flat out inappropriate comments would be coming out of this manager’s mouth almost every day. Other than that it’s a good place to work for.
Pros
Fun, peaceful and engaging place to work
Cons
Inappropriate conduct in Manager
Fantastic Place to work, opens many doors.
Seriously, though! I often think I've got the best job in the world. And if for whatever reason I have to move on, the skills I've learned here, both from the company's training and from my manager sharing his experience, pretty much guarantee me a job at any airline. And the travel benefits are AWESOME!
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It was a great place to work for me.
I would recommend them for part-time employee and benefits. I don't have anything else anywhere someone works they like what they like so for me to tell my story doesn't matter I feel like everybody needs to experience things for themselves.
The Company has come a long way
Honestly, when I first started, my review probably would have been very critical. But being here for 2 years I have seen how much the company has grown. Management now makes fewer stupid decisions and lines of communication have really opened up. Pay is good as a captain, maintenance does a good job considering the age of the planes, you build hours quickly and your coworkers are great. Scheduling is very flexible and if you help out the scheduler by picking up shifts he will help you out down the road as well. There is no real incentive to stay here however, although I wish there were ( no bonuses or raises)
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Good place to start
It is a good place to start a career in the aviation industry. In Passenger Service, you learn tasks that in airlines like American Airlines you perform in other departments. Let's say you do things performed in operations, ramp and reservations in one role here. Communication is, however, the management weakness. You hear about company news more in sidewalk talks than in meetings.
Pros
Hours, excellent teamwork with the pilots and ramp
Cons
Low salary, no benefits but free flights
Face paced time building First Officer experience
I was hired by Southern Airways Express in September 2016. I received a phone call from their chief pilot at the time, asking if I would be interested in passenger flying 135 experience. I was fresh out of flight school with barely 250 hours total. I was afraid he would give me the "thanks but no thanks" once he found out about my hours, however, that didn't happen.
After our very casual phone conversation, I was hired with a start date the following week. It was an extremely fast process that ended about a month later. Unfortunately, it was so fast, all of us new hires were placed on a wait list to attend our simulator training and due to the large size of our class, it took a few months to complete all of the required training.
By January 2017, I was flying the line, based in Morgantown, WV. My first few months I was lucky to fly more than our guarantee of 75 hours per month. The staffing was just not there and several flights a day were canceling due to the shortage of pilots.
Fortunately, by March, our staffing levels were building and I was maxing out on my hours every month, more than 115 flight hours every month! It was unbelievable just how fast I was building time. This was not just flying laps in the pattern, or teaching someone about steep turns... this was passenger service in all times of IFR flying into some of the busiest airports in the country.
This position was fundamental in preparing me for the regional airlines and eventually, the majors. Everything I now do at my regional position was exactly as I did at Southern, the only difference is - more...
After our very casual phone conversation, I was hired with a start date the following week. It was an extremely fast process that ended about a month later. Unfortunately, it was so fast, all of us new hires were placed on a wait list to attend our simulator training and due to the large size of our class, it took a few months to complete all of the required training.
By January 2017, I was flying the line, based in Morgantown, WV. My first few months I was lucky to fly more than our guarantee of 75 hours per month. The staffing was just not there and several flights a day were canceling due to the shortage of pilots.
Fortunately, by March, our staffing levels were building and I was maxing out on my hours every month, more than 115 flight hours every month! It was unbelievable just how fast I was building time. This was not just flying laps in the pattern, or teaching someone about steep turns... this was passenger service in all times of IFR flying into some of the busiest airports in the country.
This position was fundamental in preparing me for the regional airlines and eventually, the majors. Everything I now do at my regional position was exactly as I did at Southern, the only difference is - more...
Pros
Fast time building, great IFR expereince, improve your hand flying skills
Cons
Hard to do anything else outside of flying, first six months of pay is a challenge
Best opportunity for starting aviation career!
Southern Airways Express is, without a doubt, the best place for a new pilot to get started in their career. The opportunities to learn and grow as an aviator are endless, and the challenging yet positive environment makes this easily one of the best aviation companies for which you can work.
I started with about 300 hours as a first officer. I flew with some excellent captains who taught me "the ropes" and how we do things in the airline world. Flying in different kinds of weather, with different kinds of people, and flying passengers into large, international airports are all experiences that I know will stay with me the rest of my career. I'm now a captain with Southern Airways and feel that I was very well prepared to be a PIC.
Management is excellent. Schedules are fair and consistent. The chief pilot, COO, and even the president of the company are available and quick to respond. They are very helpful in guiding you through the different questions that might arise and help you learn/understand the regulations.
I have to tip my hat to maintenance as well; they work very hard to keep our aircraft well maintained in excellent working order. I cannot imagine how challenging that must be, and yet they do a stellar job. They are very responsive to the needs of the pilots and do everything they can to accommodate our needs.
If you're considering working here, definitely join up! It is, by far, one of the best kept secrets for low-time pilots. I couldn't be more happy with my experience, and I'll always recommend someone works here.
I started with about 300 hours as a first officer. I flew with some excellent captains who taught me "the ropes" and how we do things in the airline world. Flying in different kinds of weather, with different kinds of people, and flying passengers into large, international airports are all experiences that I know will stay with me the rest of my career. I'm now a captain with Southern Airways and feel that I was very well prepared to be a PIC.
Management is excellent. Schedules are fair and consistent. The chief pilot, COO, and even the president of the company are available and quick to respond. They are very helpful in guiding you through the different questions that might arise and help you learn/understand the regulations.
I have to tip my hat to maintenance as well; they work very hard to keep our aircraft well maintained in excellent working order. I cannot imagine how challenging that must be, and yet they do a stellar job. They are very responsive to the needs of the pilots and do everything they can to accommodate our needs.
If you're considering working here, definitely join up! It is, by far, one of the best kept secrets for low-time pilots. I couldn't be more happy with my experience, and I'll always recommend someone works here.
Pros
Excellent management, great pilots, great maintenance, great schedules and time requests
Don't waste your time!
This place isn't even worth a negative review. They don't live upto their promises and will throw you under the bus. Very poor training and low standards. It's better building time on your own than taking a risk of getting violated by the FAA working for this company. They're a crash waiting to happen. Extremely unsafe pilots.
Pros
None
Cons
Everything
Most enjoyable job I ever had.
Wonderful company to work for. I left for personal reasons, nothing to do with the job. If you are a people-person like I am, this is the place for you! Management and co-workers were the best. I miss them all.
Pros
The management and co-workers. Planes well maintained with plenty of weather avoidance gizmos.
Cons
Skirting thunderstorms is never fun.
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