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Welcome to an aviation podcast that caters to all aviation enthusiasts, ranging from pilots to airplane spotters. Our show covers a wide range of topics, including private pilot training, airline operations, and the latest aviation news. Our knowledgeable host, an experienced airline pilot with eight years of flying under his belt, is thrilled to share his own experiences and offer valuable advice to help you pursue your aviation dreams. We are here to support you on your journey, constantly wishing you Tailwinds & Sunshine!
Hey, folks from the flight deck. This is your captain speaking. Welcome to the Tailwinds and Sunshine podcast where we talk everything aviation. I am your host, Manny Ramirez. It's always a pleasure to have you on board.
Manny:So please sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. And Sunshine Podcast. Thank you for spending some time with me today. I have a special treat for you today because I finally have the time to answer some emails. I've gotten a few emails over the past few weeks, and I haven't had the time to sit down and address them and answer your questions.
Manny:But now in between trips now, I have some time here, and, I apologize in advance for the quality of the audio because I'm in Colorado Springs right now. My my most of my recording equipment is in Las Vegas, but I do have my iPad, and I was able to record this, but the audio is a little kind of subparate, but whatever. But, anyway, sorry about that. But I I want to go and answer these questions from these emails I have. I'm gonna pick a couple of them.
Manny:And also when I read some reviews that you guys have left on Apple Podcasts, some some really sweet feedback and also some constructive criticism I want to address. And also, I'm really excited to share something with you. I was recently a guest on my friend Nick's podcast, the Ready for Pushback podcast. We recorded this episode last year, and after a couple of months, I figured that, you know, it didn't come out. I figured that they just canned the episode.
Manny:Maybe it wasn't, you know, up to snuff, and they just kind of let it go. But I recently got an email saying that, hey, the episode was live, and I went and listened to it, and I was really happy how that episode came out. I'm really happy. So I've linked that episode in the show notes. Also, the link to Nick's podcast.
Manny:I want to say, Nick, thank you so much for your support. I appreciate the shout out and really good work you guys are doing over there. So thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Manny:Also, I want to thank you guys for the growth of this podcast, right? It's really exceeded my exceeded my expectations. I started in the single digits back in January of 2023, and now we're in the 100 every single day. So it's because of you this podcast is growing. It's because of your emails and your suggestions that we're making this podcast, grow.
Manny:I have a lot of ideas of what to discuss on these episodes, but really, I want it to be about you. What is it that you want to hear me talk about or any questions you may have? That's what I want the I want this podcast to be about. I'm still trying to find my niche, right, because there's a lot of aviation podcasts out there, But at the time right now, I feel like the the difference or my niche is just the way that I deliver the content, right? Because there's multiple podcasters out there that are talking about the same subjects, but it just depends who you like more.
Manny:Right? So you could, another podcaster not going to be talking about the same subject, but you end up liking the other person better, so you go and listen to their podcast. So that's the reality of things right now. But as I get, you know, it's only been a year since I've had this podcast, and so I'm still working out the kinks. I'm still kind of like dialing in my niche, right?
Manny:Because that's really important to be able to have a successful podcast. And speaking of successful, this is a hobby for me, guys. I don't have any sponsors. I you know, it's, it's all out of pocket expenses for the software podcast. So it's, it's really just a hobby for me and to kind of give back to the community and just share my experiences and your experiences with the rest of with with the rest of us.
Manny:So I've been asked before if I thought about monetizing it, and, honestly, I don't think the growth is I don't feel like it's necessary. I don't feel like I feel like if I do monetize it, it's going to be when I'm you know, there's a little bit more growth, but it's I want it to be meaningful, right? It's something that I truly believe in. And right now I have, you know, the most control over my own content because once you start getting sponsors, then they have their own requirements as to what they want to hear from from the show. But what makes me really happy is the growth that you guys have helped me reach, and I cannot say it enough.
Manny:Thank you so much. Also, I'll take this opportunity that if to say that if you have not submitted a review, please go ahead and submit a review. It doesn't matter what kind of star rating you wanna give it as long as you give me constructive criticism. So that way, I can make this podcast a little bit better. Anyways, I'm going to start off with the first email that I got, and it's a really, really, really, really good question.
Manny:So let me see here. The first email that I have reads, hi, Manny. I just got hired as a flight attendant, and our company does not give us much information about how to use our standby benefits. What apps and or websites do you use to help you list for your flights? Thank you for your time, and I can't wait to hear about your tips on this subject.
Manny:Thank you so much for submitting that question. I really appreciate it. I think the benefits I have a kind of a new blueprint or there's a different I have 4 different categories that I came up that can help you maximize the use of your non ref benefits. Right? I'm not going to go too deep as to how to get them, how much it cost, and who can get them.
Manny:For that, you can go ahead and look at your travel manual. Your airline should have a travel manual that you can it'll kind of spell out everything you need to know as far as fees and who can you can who can and cannot be on it, etcetera. Right? We do have 2 websites that I wanna talk about really quick, and those are ID 90 and, I think it's Myzed or ZedFairs. And those two websites allow you to list yourself on other airlines, any airline, really, almost any airline around the world.
Manny:They also offer discounts on hotels. They are, rental cars, cruises, helicopter tours, you name it. Those are really good. The only restriction that I know of with that with those 2 websites is that it's only extended to your immediate family, not to your friends. Your individual benefits through your airline, those you can add friends, but it's at a cost.
Manny:And my suggestion is that if you're if you're going to add your friends, have them pay for the fee. You know, don't pay, you know, 100 of dollars for them to have benefits because you are saving them 100, if not 1,000 of dollars, depending on how much they use those benefits. Also, I believe some airlines have a cap of how many flights you can actually use per year. So keep keep that in mind. So if you have a friend in the airline industry, just reach out to them, and they should be able to give you that information.
Manny:But what I really want to talk about is those 4 categories I came up with, and it's a product of just trial and error over the past 2 years. So when I first became an airline pilot and I got these benefits, I was of the school of thought that, hey, I am never gonna pay for airfare ever again. Right? I'm just gonna non rev everywhere. But the reality is that that can be it's a huge hassle.
Manny:Non rev travel can be a huge hassle, especially if you're really trying to get somewhere right. If you're if you're if you're hard to sit on a destination, you're going to have a hard time getting there, especially if you're traveling during, you know, peak seasons. Right? So holidays, summer break, spring break, etcetera. So that's what I found out.
Manny:I mean, multiple times over the past couple of years, I've ended up in somewhere I was not intended to go, But it's still fun. I mean, in retrospect, it's fun, but the time is just so stressful. Right? Because you have to look at the loads for one flight, then you have to look at it at another one. If you're not if if you don't make it, you have to have a backup.
Manny:And sometimes I end up spending more money non revving somewhere because I end up having to pay the money to actually get a seat. And sometimes I have I've had to get a hotel because we spent an entire day at the airport trying to get somewhere and we couldn't get out. Or, for example, last September no, it was like 2 years ago in September, my friend and I were trying to go to Sydney, and we ended up in Guam. So we had different options. We were very flexible, but it was still a stressful experience.
Manny:It was fun in retrospect. You make some memories, but for me, vacation should be the the least amount of stress, right? That's what so I came up with this really cool blueprint on how to use your non ref benefits. So there's 4 categories that I came up with. Right?
Manny:And they're, you know, everyone has them. It's not like they're proprietary or anything like that. But anyways, I labeled them. I have some labels for them. So the first one is called rookie standby, and that's basically what I just explained to what happens, right?
Manny:So you think you can just not rev everywhere? You're going to be really stressed, right? You're going to be doing a lot of work. The second category is called airport standby. We also have positive space backup and book ahead travel.
Manny:So those are the 4 categories that that that I came up with. Now, rookie standby. Okay. We talked about it. Airport standby is, I think, is the best option to maximize your non ref benefits.
Manny:This is the one you want to use whenever you want to travel. This is you have all the flexibility in the world. All you have to do is have a couple of days off so you can go and travel. So this is how this one works. 1st, like I said, you have a couple of days off.
Manny:You pack a light bag, right, a backpack or a roller board, and you go to the airport. You list yourself on a flight, go through security, and then once you're past security, go take advantage of those lounges. Right? If you have access to them, go take advantage of them. You know, go have a cocktail, go relax, you know, kick your feet up for a little bit.
Manny:But the idea here is that you want to list yourself on a flight that you almost can know for a fact that you're going to get on, right? So you list yourself somewhere going to whatever destination you can get to. That's it. And it makes it so it's so relaxing to be able to do that and not having to worry about whether you're going to make it or or not. Right?
Manny:And this gets you out of the house, gets you out of your city. You might end up in a city that you've never been before, that you didn't think of going to because you're like, I don't feel like going there, but you end up going and you end up discovering something new. Right? So you make some memories in these new cities. Now, once you have a listed on the flight that you know you're going to get on, once you get on that flight, that's when you go and start making reservations for the hotel, the rental cars, etcetera.
Manny:Get some Internet on the flight by it, you know, it's between $8.12 or if you have t mobile with the right plan, you get free Wi Fi in pretty much every single, every single airline. I've had it on American, Delta, United. I don't know about Alaska. I haven't flown to Alaska recently, but you get pretty much Internet everywhere. So but if you don't have it, hey, just fork out the money, pay the $8 and get the Internet and go ahead and book your hotels at that time.
Manny:Now, if you have to get back to work, right, if you don't have the same flexibility to get back, then it kind of goes into this the third category, which is positive space backup. Right? So if you have to be somewhere or you have a timeline, this is where you go ahead and purchase a fully refundable fare ticket. So that way, you can guarantee you're going to get home even if there's no flights available, right? You already have a confirmed seat.
Manny:So in this case, you buy a fully refundable ticket, and ideally, you want to book this as soon as you know you're going to go somewhere. Right? So you book that ticket. And what a fully refundable fare ticket allows you to do is to cancel their reservation up until, like, 10 to 15 minutes before boarding. Right?
Manny:So make sure you look at the airline you're flying with and see their cancellation policies. But typically, it gives you more flexibility. So that way, if you find a better option on another flight or a different time, you can cancel that reservation without penalty, and you can go ahead and list yourself on another flight. So that allows you to make sure that you get home. Right?
Manny:Because keep in mind that these fully refundable fares are a little bit more expensive because they allow that flexibility to cancel so close to departure time. So be aware of that. Now the third option is really what everyone does, right? They usually book well in advance because they need to go to a wedding, family reunion, they got to get to a cruise, whatever. But this is where you want to have plenty of time, book it, and you get the best deals if you book in advance and, you know, you have your seats assigned immediately.
Manny:Now you could decide to pick the cheaper option with the most restricted fare, or you can just do the, fully refundable tickets and then see what happens. Right? And you can if you get there, you get to the airport and the flight's wide open, you can go ahead and cancel the reservation and list yourself on standby. But this guarantees that you're gonna get to your destination, making sure you catch that ship because that ship is gonna set sail without you on it. Right?
Manny:So those are the 4 categories and to use, and I think it's going to reduce your stress, especially if you have a family, you have multiple people that are going to be traveling. Obviously, it's going to get more expensive with more people, but this assures that you're going to get to where you want to go. If you want a stress free travel experience, definitely use airport standby because that way, you know, you're going to go somewhere and you might get lucky. You know, you might end up in Tokyo for absolutely pennies on the dollar. Right?
Manny:So, if you obviously, if you're going to an international destination, you want to have a little bit more days off. And speaking of international destinations, for my crew members, okay, KCM, it is forbidden to use KCM to go to international destinations. Right? Do not use it for international destinations. This is why they keep raising the randoms on us because people keep bringing prohibited items, and they keep using it improperly.
Manny:Now, also, for my crew members, you may have access to the jump seat either in cabin or in the flight deck. But really, I mean, just use those for commuting, right? Because can you imagine flying from Las Vegas to Honolulu in the jump seat? It'd be miserable. Right?
Manny:So don't do it. And I think let me see. I'm trying to think of anything else that I might have covered there. Oh, yes. Apps that I use.
Manny:So I have this wonderful app called Staff Traveler, and I've linked that app in the show notes as well. So staff traveler is a way for you to check loads on a flight almost instantaneously. This app is kind of like a community app. It's a it's a free app, but you can buy credits, which are really, really cheap, but also you can get credits by submitting loads for people that are asking for them. So let's say there's I'm asking for a load on Southwest.
Manny:I don't have access to their loads, but and a Southwest employee does, so they can submit the loads for that flight that I requested, and they get a credit. So I go sometimes there on my on some when I have some time, I go into the app, and I and I pull up my, because I have access to all of the airlines, American, Delta United, and Alaska. I have loads for them, so I can check it on my end, and I can submit those to the system, and I get credits. I have, like, 104. So this is a really good app, and this is actually a must have for all non rev travelers.
Manny:Also, the other app that I use is just Google Flights. That's what I use. That's really the 2 major apps that I cannot live without for non rev travel. I also love traveling on United because their app is like the best airline app ever, like it's second to none. And, United makes it really easy to non rev on them, so I really love those.
Manny:So, really, I have the, staff traveler, Google Flights, and, United app. Those are my 3 favorite apps that I have. So do that, get them, have them, and use them. So really good. Also, a disclaimer that some of these loads can be very deceiving as well, right, because you cannot look at loads for flights, you know, a few days from now or a week down the line because that can be very deceiving.
Manny:Right? You have to look at those loads once you're the day of travel or the day before the, previous flight canceled to that destination, and now they're gonna start booking those people on the flight that you listed, and now you might end up in the very bottom of the list. Right? Because those people that got transferred from that flight take priority. So you're gonna be at the bottom of the list, and you may not make it.
Manny:So keep keep keep that in mind. Alright. So that email, I appreciate that. That was a really good question. Let's see.
Manny:We have the other one that I wanna answer. It's from a fellow pilot, and he says, great job on the podcast, man. I'm 25, 1st generation pilot and a brand new UFO at a regional airline. My life dream is to work for Delta, but I've been seeing that the majors have slowed down hiring. What do you predict will be a good timeline to expect where I can perhaps end up there?
Manny:If I end up staying here for more than 5 years, I feel like I'm losing potential. I have nothing against regional airlines, but my goal is to end up at the majors, if not Delta United. Keep up the good work. Alright. Well, thank you so much for that question, and and that's a, man, that's a really hard question to answer because, yes, airlines are slowing down their hiring, and I think a lot of it has to do with the whole, 737 max debacle.
Manny:Right? Especially Southwest, they've been hit hard by that. I have friends that were supposed to go to Southwest. They actually had class states and Southwest rescinded those class states because they just had they they have reduced capacity based on those orders on the, the max tens, I believe it was, the max tens or just the max in general. United also has been, hit hard because they had a bunch of max ten orders, and now they don't know when they're gonna get them.
Manny:So they've been, switching those orders to max nines, and United has also been trying to find some Airbus planes to replace those orders. Spirit got hit by the engine problems, the Pratt and Whitney engine problems on their planes. Frontier had some issues as well, and so everyone kind of started to slow down their hiring. Delta said that they were gonna hire only about a 1,000 pilots in 2024, and I think they've hired most of them by now. And so I think there is a slowdown because, they've just hit their numbers.
Manny:They they've hit their hiring numbers. And I don't know when that's gonna end. I don't know if it's gonna be a ramp up of hiring again once the max, max problems go away. But I think another thing to consider is that, you know, for the past 2 years, we said, you know, we've been, you know, the news and the media has been saying that we are probably going to go into a recession. And that's a little scary because we know that when there's a recession, people start traveling less.
Manny:So demand for air travel goes down. And the airlines in, you know, in their infinite wisdom, they have a knee jerk reaction to all these slowdowns, and they start furloughing pilots. They start parking planes, and so I foresee this hiring kind of slow down happen for the next couple of years. That's just my that's just my guess. You know?
Manny:And this is just, you know, a guess from someone who's not getting paid to, you know, to, actually analyze this. Airlines spend 1,000,000 of dollars in research and development of creating new routes and and predicting what the economy is gonna do in the future. But I don't know. I I can't give you a definitive answer, and I don't think anyone will. But I can tell you this.
Manny:You had a regional airline. You're 25 years old. Congratulations, first of all, for for for making it to your airline. And you have the rest of your life ahead of you. Right?
Manny:So I think you should not be too concerned about that because, the airline industry is very cyclical. Right? So there's ups and downs. And right now, it feels like we reached the peak, and we might be heading towards a kind of a low. I don't know how deep that low is gonna go.
Manny:I'm crossing my fingers, and hopefully, you know, for my friends at the majors, I hope that that low is not bad enough to where they start getting furloughed. Because the pilots that are gonna get furloughed if if if, the economy takes a dump here, like seriously takes a dump over the next couple years, are gonna be the my friends that went to the airlines in the last couple of years. Right? Those are the pilots that are going to be furloughed. As a regional airline, they typically well, at least in the sky in the instance of SkyWest, we have, we have situations where we are pretty well poised at actually absorbing or being able to a little more recession proof.
Manny:And I can tell you why. When airlines start slowing down, right, demand is not as high, so they can't fill their bigger planes. So let's I'll give you an example. Now let's say there's a route between Chicago and Houston, and now demand has gone down. It's just an example.
Manny:So they can't fill out the 737, so they're going to end up losing money if they can't put, you know, they can't put butts on those seats. So they end up deferring the flying to the regionals because they have smaller planes. So instead of putting a 737, they're gonna put a 175. So they start deferring some of that flying to the regionals to a certain degree. Right?
Manny:Because we have scope clauses, and that's a whole different, discussion, but you have, scope clauses that the unions have set in place to prevent us from flying too much. Right? So they cannot furlough pilots, and just hand us all the flying. Right? They can't do that because the unions protect them against that.
Manny:But there is some flying that is being deferred, so the regionals are less impacted by that because we're gonna have to kind of pick up the slack or kind of fill in the gaps with those smaller airplanes. So I think you're, I think you're in a really good position where you're at now. In fact, anyone that's in at an airline right now, I think you're in a good position and just stick it out, kind of weather out the storm if it ever gets there. Right? We don't know, but I think you're in a really good position right now.
Manny:Stick it out. You have plenty of time, and I know you're gonna have a rich, fulfilling career at Delta, but, you know, just stick it out. Fulfilling career at Delta, but, you know, just stick it out. Now you mentioned you don't have anything against regionals, and a lot of people do, unfortunately. You know, they hate their lives.
Manny:They have this mentality that they're not gonna be happy until they move to a major airline because they feel like they're you know, it's less you know, it's not worthy of being a pilot at. Right? But if you really take a look at it, pay has gotten way better. Right? I was making that thing $45 an hour a couple of years ago, and now I'm, like, more than doubled.
Manny:Right? So the pay has gotten better. The quality of life has gotten better as well because there's so much movement. But I think that you just need to enjoy your journey. Right?
Manny:We have to also understand that the regionals are, for the most part, a means to an end and a career progression for all pilots. Right? You wanna go you build up your hours as a CFI, and you come to a regional and you move to a major. But right now, because of what's happening, you better start getting comfortable of where you're at. Right?
Manny:You got to change your perspective, and you got to change your attitude and be grateful for what you have. And in in just doing that, you're going to have a better time. But don't go out there and bad mouth your company and just start poisoning the well with your negativity about how you are better than a regional airline, so you need to be at United. Because with that attitude, you're gonna take that same toxic attitude of Delta, and you're just gonna make other people miserable. So just stifle your your expectations and just make the best of it, man.
Manny:But anyways, just to kind of finish off this conversation, I think you're in a good place. You're at the right age, and just weather it out, and you do great things. Right? But adjust your attitude, not that you have a bad one, but just make sure you stifle your expectations and just have fun. Right?
Manny:Go out and fly. You're making some pretty good money, and, yeah, enjoy it. Alright, guys. Well, that's it for the emails, that I, that I got. I have a few more, but I don't want to kind of read them all.
Manny:I want to save some for another episode, but I also want to go over a couple of reviews that I got on my podcast that I and I think this is one of Patrick's friends. HCF stands for Hawaii Controlled Facility, I believe, if I'm correct. Patrick, I'm sorry if I butchered it. But, this is one of the recent recent ones. So thank you so much for providing that feedback.
Manny:I really appreciate it. Helps the, helps the podcast grow. Then I have another one here. Let's see. What do we got?
Manny:Oh, apparently from a former student. It says, Manny was my instructor at SkyWest, one of the most professional and passionate individuals I have had the pleasure of working with. He is an asset to our airline, and I am proud of calling my coworker and friend. Keep up the good work, sir. Very good.
Manny:Thank you very much. Alright. So I have one right here. It's, the constructive criticism. Here we go.
Manny:The title says there, but not quite. First off, the interview was good. I do like podcasts, but I feel like there's something left to be desired in some. I was anticipating more travel tips. I kept listening anyway because your voice is quite nice to listen to.
Manny:I say stick to one thing. Maybe interviews are better for you, but do as you please. There are there are far too many podcasts like these, so find your niche to set yourself apart from the many other aviation podcasters. So I totally agree with this review because, it's been a it's been a process to get Find My Niche. Like I said, I probably haven't found it just yet.
Manny:I don't know what to stick with, so I'm kind of trying different things. But yes, this is the kind of feedback I'd like to listen to and, or to read so that way I can make the podcast better. But it's, you know, interviews are good, and that's actually what I've stuck with recently because I most of the time, I like to have a conversation with a guest because I feel I can get you know, we can bounce off ideas and kind of like just a regular conversation. Whereas when I record a solo episode like this one, I go back and listen to myself, and I go, oh my god. Like, I'm like, that sounded horrible, and I just decide just to kinda delete it or rerecord the entire episode, which can be a pain in the ass.
Manny:Right? But, thank you so much for that for for that review. I really do appreciate it. I have there's many there's others in here, positive, other negatives, but I really do appreciate when you leave those reviews. Anyways, guys, that's it for today.
Manny:Once again, thank you from the bottom of my heart, for helping me grow this podcast. If you wanna be part of the show and come and have a conversation with me, that link is in the show notes. I have some availability dates in there as well. So if you wanna come on and have a conversation, please go ahead and fill out the form. Also, leave your reviews.
Manny:As I always say, I'm I'm getting tired of singing, and you're probably getting tired yourself of of me telling you to do that. But anyways, guys, once again, thanks. Always wishing you tailwinds and sunshine. See you. The statements made on the show are my own opinion and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer.