USA: First Year Pilot Pay Goes Up To $41.00 Per Flight Hour At Compass Airlines

First year, First Officer pay at Compass Airlines will soon be the highest in the regional airline industry.

Compass is pleased to announce that effective October 1, 2017, its first year, First Officer pay will increase to $41.00 per flight hour.

Additionally, First Officers at all pay steps will receive an increase.

The nationwide pilot shortage has made it challenging for regional airlines to meet hiring targets, said Rick Leach, President and Chief Executive Officer of Compass Airlines. This increase ensures that Compass remains competitive in a very difficult hiring landscape.

Compass has so much to offer pilots, including crew bases on the West Coast, a new crew base in Phoenix, and the opportunity to fly the Embraer 175, added Bob Gleason, Chief Operating Officer at Compass. “This increase will really enhance our ability to recruit effectively.

Additionally, Compass pilots will soon have the opportunity to earn a referral bonus of up to $10,000 for each successful pilot they refer to the company.

Compass Airlines, LLC, is a regional airline headquartered in Delta Air Lines Building C at Minneapolis−Saint Paul International Airport in Fort Snelling, Hennepin County, Minnesota;prior to December 16, 2009, it was headquartered in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, east of the Chantilly CDP.

The airline launched inaugural service with a single Bombardier CRJ200LR aircraft under the Northwest Airlink now Delta Connection brand between Minneapolis/St. Paul and Washington, D.C. on May 2, 2007. On August 21, 2007, it began flying two Embraer 175 76-passenger aircraft, and expanded to 36 aircraft by December 2008.

In July 2010, the airline was purchased from Delta Air Lines and became a wholly owned subsidiary of Trans States Holdings.

Compass Airlines was formed as a result of a contract dispute between Northwest Airlines and its pilots' union, the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA).

The Northwest Airlines pilot group was asked to give relief on a section of their collective bargaining agreement governing scope, which protects pilot jobs by ensuring that an airline's customers are flown by the employees of that airline.

The pilots eventually agreed to a concession on the scope of their contract allowing a limited number of 76-seat aircraft to be flown by outsourced pilots working for a subcontractor regional airline.

In exchange for their concession the Northwest Airlines pilots demanded in return that the pilots of these new aircraft would eventually flow-up into mainline pilot jobs at Northwest Airlines, and that Northwest Airlines pilots would retain the ability to flow-down into the newly subcontracted pilot jobs in the event that Northwest Airlines were to furlough the mainline pilots.

In order to adapt to the agreement, and fulfill a need to serve the regional markets with smaller, more efficient aircraft and a dramatically reduced wage labor force, Northwest bought the operating certificate of bankrupt Independence Air on March 10, 2006 for $2 million.

During the concept phase, the subsidiary was known as NewCo. Compass' operations are limited to 76-seat aircraft or less, due to the language in the pilot contract at the mainline carrier.

On September 28, 2006, Compass Airlines officially received approval from the United States Department of Transportation to begin operations. On April 5, 2007, Compass Airlines received FAA certification to begin commercial passenger operations with a CRJ-200

On May 2, 2007, the airline had their first revenue flight from Washington Dulles International Airport to Minneapolis−Saint Paul International Airport,which maintained the operating certificate.

Compass implemented Embraer operations on August 21, 2007.

On July 1, 2010, Delta Air Lines announced that it sold Compass Airlines to Trans States Holdings for US$20.5 million.Despite the change in ownership, Compass still shares many things with their former parents, including the pre-merger Northwest online crew scheduling software RADAR, headquarters in a Delta-owned building, and a logo that is a modified version of the final Northwest Airlines logo.

On March 27, 2015, the airline began flying one of twenty brand new Embraer E-175, operating for American Airlines under the American Eagle airline brand, with the initial flight being from Los Angeles International Airport to Houston Intercontinental Airport.

Compass has its maintenance bases in Phoenix, San Jose, Los Angeles, Louisville Closing Dec. 2017, reverting to Trans States Airlines maintenance base, Minneapolis/St. Paul, San Francisco, and Seattle/Tacoma.

Both the pilot and flight attendant groups are unionized, with pilots being represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, and flight attendants represented by the Association of Flight Attendants.

The flight attendants negotiated and approved a five-year contract with the company on May 1, 2013, following a failed vote on a tentative agreement in late 2011.The new contract gave employees pay increases, a larger 401(k) match, a signing bonus, and other working condition improvements.

On August 25, 2010, Compass Airlines fired a flight attendant after she appeared on a local television program admitting publicly that she qualified for food stamps, even though she was a full-time employee of the airline.

On May 8, 2008, Compass Airlines Flight 2040 bound for Regina, Saskatchewan from Minneapolis with 74 passengers and 4 crew on board was forced to land in Fargo, North Dakota after a fire broke out in the restroom.

The plane landed at 11:00 pm; no injuries to passengers were reported. A week after the incident, a 19-year-old flight attendant was charged with starting the fire.

He pleaded not guilty, but before trial, he fled to Mexico. He was arrested in Mexico April 5, 2011, and was extradited to the US to stand trial.

He was sentenced to seven years in prison on December 16, 2011.

On November 15, 2010, Compass Airlines Flight 5887 bound for Missoula, Montana from Minneapolis with 76 passengers and 4 crew on board was forced to return to Minneapolis after the aircraft received substantial damage when it collided with a flock of birds.

The plane landed 22 minutes after departure; no injuries to passengers were reported.


Tourism Observer

CAYMAN ISLANDS: Cayman Airways "Those who fly us love us"

Cayman Airways is the flag carrier airline of the British Overseas Territory of the Cayman Islands. With its head office in Grand Cayman, it operates mainly as an international and domestic scheduled passenger carrier, with cargo services available on all routes. Its operations are based at Owen Roberts International Airport (GCM) in George Town, Grand Cayman. The airline also offers a limited charter service. Cayman Airways' slogan is "Those who fly us love us".

The airline was established and started operations on August 7, 1968. It was formed following the Cayman Islands Government's purchase of 51% of Cayman Brac Airways from LACSA, the Costa Rican flag carrier, and became wholly government owned in December 1977.

LACSA had been serving Grand Cayman since the mid 1950s as an intermediate stop on its route between San Jose, Costa Rica and Miami with some flights also making a stop in Havana, Cuba as well between Grand Cayman and Miami.

In 1965, Cayman Brac Airways (which was also known as CBA Airways Ltd.) was operating regional services from Owen Roberts International Airport in George Town, Grand Cayman to Gerrard Smith International Airport on Cayman Brac as well as to Little Cayman via a flag stop and Montego Bay, Jamaica.

According to this airline's May 1, 1965 system timetable, weekly service with a twin engine Beechcraft 18 aircraft was being operated on a routing of Grand Cayman – Little Cayman (flag stop only) – Cayman Brac – Montego Bay with an additional weekly service being flown between Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac with an intermediate stop on occasion at Little Cayman as a flag stop.

This same timetable also states that connections at Grand Cayman were available to LACSA flights operated with Douglas DC-6B prop aircraft for service to Miami and also to Pan Am flights at Montego Bay for connecting service to Miami and New York. By 1970, LACSA had introduced British Aircraft Corporation BAC One-Eleven twin jets on its San Jose, Costa Rica – Grand Cayman – Miami route.

Early on, Cayman Airways first aircraft was a single Douglas DC-3. A few months after it was formed, the airline flew its first international route to Kingston, Jamaica (KIN) using a BAC One-Eleven wet leased from LACSA.

International service to Miami (MIA) was initiated using a single leased Douglas DC-6 propliner. The July 1, 1972 Cayman Airways system timetable lists nonstop flights between Grand Cayman and Miami being operated eight times a week and nonstop flights between Grand Cayman and Kingston, Jamaica being operated five times a week with both destinations being served with BAC One-Eleven jet aircraft.

This same timetable also lists Douglas DC-3 nonstop service to both Cayman Brac and Little Cayman from Grand Cayman and also between Cayman Brac and Little Cayman with service being operated nine times a week in each direction on the three routes between the these island destinations.

By the winter of 1973, Cayman Airways was operating stretched BAC One-Eleven series 500 aircraft on both of its jet routes and was operating seventeen flights a week between Grand Cayman and Miami as well as five flights a week between Grand Cayman and Kingston.

The airline was also offering direct connecting jet service between Miami and Kingston via Grand Cayman at this time. In 1976, the airline had increased competition on the Grand Cayman-Miami route as Southern Airways was operating daily nonstop Douglas DC-9-10 jet service with LACSA continuing to serve the route as well with BAC One-Eleven series 500 flights operated four times a week.

By the late 1970s, Cayman Airways had commenced its second nonstop route to the United States with service five times a week between Grand Cayman and Houston, Intercontinental Airport (IAH) being flown with the BAC One-Eleven series 500.

In 1979, an additional BAC One-Eleven jet as well as a Hawker Siddeley 748 turboprop and a Britten-Norman Trislander STOL (short take off and landing) prop aircraft were purchased.

The airline then replaced their two BAC One-Eleven jets with Boeing 727-200 aircraft in 1982, strengthening the airline's regional and international capability, and also allowed for the introduction of first class service. Cayman Airways also operated a Douglas DC-8-52 jetliner and a leased Boeing 727-100 jet during the 1980s.

These jets were eventually replaced with Boeing 737-200 and then with Boeing 737-300 aircraft. Boeing 737-400 jetliners were operated as well. At one time or another during the 1980s, Cayman Airways offered scheduled or charter service to Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Minneapolis, Newark, New York City, Philadelphia and St. Louis as well as Kingston and Montego Bay in Jamaica.

The airline also flew nonstop at one point between Miami and Grand Turk Island and Providenciales in the Turks & Caicos Islands with Boeing 727-200 and Boeing 737-200 jetliners. These were the only routes flown by the carrier that did not directly serve the Cayman Islands.

Cayman Airlines has also operated jet service into Cayman Brac over the years with Boeing 727–200, Boeing 737-200 and Boeing 737-400 aircraft, including nonstop flights between Cayman Brac and Miami, and currently continues to do so with Boeing 737-300 jets.

Besides nonstop flights to several destinations in the U.S., the airline currently operates nonstop jet service between Grand Cayman and Havana, Cuba, Kingston, Jamaica, La Ceiba, Honduras and Montego Bay, Jamaica. Non-jet flights between Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman are currently operated with turboprop aircraft by Cayman Airways Express.

The airline struggled throughout the early 1990s; however, financial assistance from the Cayman Islands Government, financial re-structuring, newer, more modern aircraft and the addition of new destinations such as Chicago, Dallas/Ft. Worth (both served on a seasonal basis) and Havana, Cuba appear to have helped the airline.

The company's mascot is an embellishment of the original Sir Turtle designed by Suzy Soto. As first designed, Sir Turtle did not have the red flying scarf. That original design was used on baggage stickers by Cayman Islands Customs and also became the logo of the Department of Tourism which was then headed by Eric Bergstrom.

Mrs. Soto was married to Eric Bergstrom, with whom she built the Tortuga Club on the East End of Grand Cayman. The red flying scarf was later added to Sir Turtle in 1978 by Capt. Wilbur Thompson, the Chief Pilot of Cayman Airways at the time, and that modified Sir Turtle became the airline's new logo.

Cayman Airways largely serves major regional cities in the United States, Jamaica, Cuba and Honduras. All outbound jet flights originate at Owen Roberts International Airport on Grand Cayman Island and often remain on the ground at the destination city for a short time prior to returning inbound to Grand Cayman.

Because Owen Roberts International Airport does not have jet bridges, all passengers are routed to and from the terminal building onto the ramp for access to the aircraft using new state of the art boarding ramps, which allow passengers to walk on and off the aircraft without stairs.

These ramps also allow passengers with limited mobility, including those in wheel chairs to have much easier access to the aircraft. Upon arrival to most of the international destinations,the aircraft is able to utilize a jet bridge service for deplaning and boarding. All Cayman Airways jet flights permit economy class passengers to check up to two pieces of baggage (up to 55 pounds) without charge, and all flights feature complimentary Tortuga rum punch—a signature cocktail of the Cayman Islands.

According to the June 18, 1991 Cayman Airways system timetable, the airline was serving the following destinations with scheduled nonstop flights primarily to and from Grand Cayman (except where noted):

- Atlanta, Georgia – service operated via an intermediate stop in both directions in Tampa
- Cayman Brac, Cayman Islands
- Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands – airline headquarters and hub
- Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos Islands – service to and from Miami
- Houston, Texas – Intercontinental Airport (IAH)
- Kingston, Jamaica –
- Little Cayman, Cayman Islands
- Miami, Florida
- New York City, New York – John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK)
- Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands – service to and from Miami
- Tampa, Florida

According to the Official Airline Guide (OAG), by the fall of 1991 Cayman Airways was primarily operating Boeing 737-400 jetliners with some flights also being operated with Boeing 737-200 jets. Service to Cayman Brac and Little Cayman was being operated with commuter prop aircraft.

The airline also had substantial competition on their core Grand Cayman-Miami nonstop route at this same time: Cayman Airways was operating nineteen flights a week, all with Boeing 737-400s, while American Airlines was operating seven flights a week with Boeing 757-200 jetliners, Pan Am was operating five flights a week with Boeing 727-200 jets and Northwest Airlines was operating ten flights a week with McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 twin jets.

Thus, there were a total of 41 round trip flights a week being operated with mainline jet aircraft between Grand Cayman and Miami at this time.