Author Archives: Josh Kaneversky

Experience Pays: First Officer Balances Career and Family with SkyWest 121 Program

Lucy Czupryn, a SkyWest Airlines E175 first officer based in Chicago, started her career as a pilot flying for a different 121 operator. She spent five years gaining valuable flight experience and building her seniority. Then, she shifted her focus to starting a family and left aviation.

“When I started my family, I wasn’t sure that I’d be able to come back to aviation,” said Czupryn. “SkyWest made it possible for me to come back to what I love doing. We have several programs to foster and encourage women to return to the workforce.”

When Czupryn returned to the workforce, she decided to take advantage of the SkyWest Industry Experience Credit program. This program offers pilots a pay credit match for their years of FAR 121 experience, up to 10 years. The match also applies credit for 401(k) matching, profit sharing, and leave time accrual.“Prior to that program, there wasn’t anywhere to go to make a lateral move,” said Czupryn. “The 121 program made it an easy choice to pick SkyWest because with my experience prior to my leave, I was able to start at SkyWest with a higher hourly wage. This program made it affordable for me to return to the workforce.”

Czupryn also leaned on the SkyWest Family Support Committee as she balanced raising a family and returning to the skies. The committee, formed in conjunction with the SkyWest Airlines Pilot Association, is a group of SkyWest peers dedicated to supporting women and men through welcoming a new child into an aviation family. This committee provides support through the leave of absence processes, fitness for duty while pregnant and during postpartum, maternity uniform exchanges, pumping, or weaning in preparation to return to work, financial planning for parenthood and one-on-one mentoring.

Through this program, SkyWest provided Czupryn a stable and supportive place to resume her professional pilot career.

“With my flexible schedule, I get to fly and still spend quality time with my family helping at the school, watching their games and practices, or just cuddling and watching movies together.”

Czupryn lives in Northwest Indiana with her husband and four children and loves taking her family on adventures. She enjoys seeing new places and expects her career to one day take her to the stars.

“When I was little, I always wanted to be an astronaut,” said Czupryn, who is still striving for space. “I love flying. I love being above the clouds and looking out at the world.”

With her parents’ support, Czupryn grew up attending science camps and classes at local college campuses. She learned to assemble computers and studied successful women, including her own mom. Czupryn’s mother graduated from Purdue University in the first class of computer science majors and set an example for her daughter of being a woman in a male-dominated field.

In high school, Czupryn set her sights on becoming a professional pilot. She followed her mother’s footsteps to Purdue, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in professional flight and a master’s degree in aviation technology while flight instructing to gain flight hours.

“I love the technical challenge of operating aircraft. It’s exhilarating to take off and land such a large vessel and bring people safely from point A to point B,” said Czupryn. “Connecting people to important events in their lives brings me enjoyment as well.”

Czupryn is one of several SkyWest employees who attended the 2020 Women in Aviation International conference. She encourages prospective aviators to keep studying and work hard. “Don’t give up. Find other professionals in the field to talk to about their journey,” Czupryn advises. “And make sure to check out ‘SkyBest’!”

To learn more about the opportunities available at SkyWest and how you can receive industry experience credit, click here.

The Love Language of Flight!

A passion for the miracle of flight is one of the most common motivators for people joining the airline industry. And finding others who share that passion can lead to great relationships and, in some cases, even the love of their lives. This Valentine’s Day, we asked a few SkyWest couples to share how SkyWest helped them find each other.

Kelli Golden, air transportation supervisor, and Gage Wuthrich, dispatch supervisor, are preparing for their upcoming wedding next month. They initially met when they were assigned to the same shift and became friends. From there, the relationship quickly blossomed.

“Gage was my dispatch trainer,” said Kelli. “So it was very natural for me to come up and talk with him and ask questions.” After being friends for a while they decided to start dating and of course, the rest is history.

Still, they kept their work and personal life separate for a while.

“Some of our co-workers didn’t know we were dating until they got our wedding invitation,” Gage said.

Kelli added that it’s great to share the same schedule, so they can sleep by 8 p.m. on the weekend — since they’re at work before the sun comes up. Of course, while they enjoy the camaraderie, sometimes they have to give each other space since they work just a few feet away from each other. At the same time, the couple noted that their shared understanding and passion for aviation has brought them closer together.

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Dontay Riley, manager of flight attendant performance, met his fiancée Matt Frisbie when visiting Salt Lake City during a work trip. The two met during flight attendant training and the rest has been history.

“We met when I was in Salt Lake City training SkyWest flight attendants. We really hit it off,” says Dontay.

Because he was traveling from Chicago to Salt Lake City often, Dontay and Matt were able to see each other regularly and their relationship grew. After dating for six years, the couple was engaged last March when Dontay proposed in Puerto Vallarta. The couple is excited to marry in the same city in late October!

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CRJ Captain Timothy Grunden and Flight Attendant Phiola Grunden first met when they were assigned as crewmembers on the same flight. It was Phiola’s initial training day and Timothy was in the process of upgrading from first officer to captain. For dinner one night, Timothy told the rest of the crew he wanted to go out but no one else wanted to go. Timothy recalls, “Phiola must have felt sorry for me.”

They continued their separate journeys from there, but the two reconnected later after Phiola learned that Timothy had finished his upgrade via a mutual friend on Facebook. She reached out to congratulate him on the promotion, and a few Facebook messages later the couple was dating. Phiola and Timothy got married in July last year, after dating for two years and moving between domiciles to be closer together. They have since welcomed home a baby boy, whom the couple says is destined to work in the aviation industry.

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Dispatcher Bryan Button, and Vanessa Button, crew scheduler, originally met in San Diego, but said working in the same building at SkyWest has brought them closer. When Bryan moved to St. George, Utah, he planned on flying back to San Diego to visit Vanessa every few weeks. But the distance was no match for this couple. Vanessa surprised him and, despite being away from each other for five months, the couple only went one weekend without seeing each other! After Vanessa finished her degree in San Diego, she moved to St. George to be closer to Bryan and joined the SkyWest family as a crew scheduler in 2018. The couple was married in October last year and have enjoyed the unlikely aviation pairing of a dispatcher and crew scheduler.

Bryan and Vanessa say their relationship helps them understand and learn more about what the different teams do and how they work together to make the airline work.

“It’s fun because I am asked dispatch questions from my team, and dispatch will come over to my desk and ask me scheduling questions,” said Vanessa.

The couple also mentioned that understanding the very specific “airline speak” makes it easy for them to talk about what happened at work and the other being able to immediately understand what their spouse means.

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David Furlong and Randy Villanueva are both flight attendants in Chicago. They meet in 2005 in Sacramento, and after David told Randy about being a flight attendant, Randy quickly joined the SkyWest family. The couple was married in 2014 after being joined in a civil union since 2012. Randy said working with his partner is great because they know what each other needs.

“We had a medical emergency a few months ago and I just had to look at Randy and he knew exactly what I needed.” The couple said most of the time other crewmembers don’t know they are married, but love to work with them because they are such a great team.

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Each couple had insight and advice to share for dating and marrying in the airline industry.

Bryan and Vanessa said the airline attracts a certain type of person who makes great friends and partners.

“We have the same friends, so even when Bryan is not at work, we go out with the same people,” Vanessa said.

David and Randy both agreed having boundaries is important to their relationship since the couple often finds themselves working on the same flight. “It’s great to work a plane with two galleys because it gives us that extra space,” the couple said jokingly.

Timothy and Phiola said communication is key. Whenever Timothy is traveling, he makes sure he texts Phiola as soon as he can after he lands.

“Skype and Facetime are great because for four days we have a long-distance relationship,” Timothy said.

Dontay said that they started to be more mindful of taking trips together. “We both take work trips often, so when we have the opportunity and our schedule allows we like to join each other on work trips,” she said.

Kelli and Gage, noted the importance of respecting each other’s space and enjoy having someone the can “talk shop” with. But their number one piece of advice was to be friends before you start to date. “You don’t need to rush into it,” said Gage.

All five couples said working together and speaking each other’s work-language has helped each couple grow closer together. Each couple also mentioned how supportive their coworkers are to their relationships and how SkyWest really is part of their extended family.

To the more than 14,000 SkyWest employees and many more who share a love for all things aviation: Happy Valentine’s Day!

Farewell Captain Victor Mourao

SkyWest is home to some of the best aviators in the industry who are highly sought after thanks to high-quality training programs, experience and commitment to quality. Flying for four major airline partners into more than 250 airports across North America, SkyWest pilots have more exposure to opportunity than any other regional pilot.

One SkyWest pilot, Captain Victor Mourao, was recently recruited by his top choice mainline carrier. Before his final departure, Captain Mourao shared his thoughts about his SkyWest experience:

“I love this company, I love our people, and it has been a true home during my time here. I feel like I have not only grown as a pilot, but also as an individual,” said Captain Mourao.

This Minneapolis-based Captain had the opportunity to interact with hundreds of pilots regularly. He had nothing but compliments for his 5,000 pilot team members and credits SkyWest for his ability to secure his first-choice carrier.

“This growth has come from the associations that I have been able to foster, and the privilege to have worked side-by-side with such passionate, high-caliber professionals here at SkyWest. I am a product of the culture, the people, and the experiences I have had while working here, and I will be forever grateful for all that this ‘little’ airline, out of St. George, Utah, has allowed me to become.”

For Captain Mourao, despite the cold, Minneapolis quickly became a warm community he enjoys calling home, where he spent the last five years learning and growing as both a pilot and a person.

“I raised my little family here and had many wonderful growth experiences because I was awarded MSP out of training. The people, and their work ethic and warmth, make it a special place – and they make MSP a truly fantastic place to work.”

Captain Mourao noted the people he was able to work with every day made all the difference, noting their professionalism and the many lifelong friendships fostered.

“I’ll be leaving SkyWest a better man, professional, and pilot, with a treasure chest of friends whom I will cherish for the rest of my life. It’s been an amazing ride, and while I feel like I could have done more, I’m proud of the work that I’ve been given the chance to contribute.”

A common theme across the company is SkyWest’s people make the airline a great place to work. Whatever their skillset, from the flight deck to the hangar, from the gate to the cabin and everywhere behind the scenes, SkyWest people often provide a similar response,

“SkyWest Airlines is the envy of the industry, and that’s in great part due to their ability to lead such a highly capable team of professionals.”

We wish Captain Victor Mourao best of luck on his new adventure and thank all of our incredible people for making SkyWest such a great place to work.

Click here to join our team today.

Flight Attendants Spring Into Action

SkyWest’s more than 4,000 flight attendants provide exceptional service and help to tens of thousands of passengers every day. They’re also well trained to respond to a variety of emergency situations, including unexpected medical problems.

On Oct. 18, SkyWest flight 5596, operating as United Express, was flying from Chicago to Halifax, Nova Scotia when a passenger notified Rachel Bessey and Sandy Yeary that her child was acting strangely. She said the girl was having a hard time breathing and was lethargic. Rachel and Sandy sprang into action, requesting assistance from medical professionals onboard and providing support as the young passenger was attended to.

“I went straight into what we needed to do, we ended up using quite a bit of [medical] equipment on the plane,” recalled Rachel.

Both Rachel and Sandy said this was the worst medical issue they have ever had on board, but trusting the training and the medical staff, made the difference.

“By re-iterating the policies and procedures in your mind, when an emergency occurs (as the one we experienced), our actions were calm and second nature,” said Sandy.

Prior to landing, the crew requested medical personnel meet the aircraft in Halifax and the passenger was transported immediately to the hospital. Doctors at the hospital identified that the passenger was suffering from diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). Her mother disclosed that they were shocked to learn their 13-year-old daughter has Type 1 diabetes. We are grateful to learn that she has since improved and been released from the hospital.

“The medical professionals on the aircraft were just incredible. They saved the young girl’s life. It was quite an experience to witness,” Said Sandy.

“Everyone was great, all the passengers on the plane were so understandable,” said Rachel. “They all could tell we had it under control and coordinated.”

We applaud our crewmembers service, compassion and professionalism in responding to this medical emergency and continuing to take care of all the other passengers on the flight. It’s a great example of the great work that SkyWest teams are doing across North America every day.

To learn more about becoming a part of SkyWest’s flight attendant team, click here.

Celebrating SkyWest’s Third Year at Wings for Autism

SkyWest’s diverse team mobilizes the company’s values through the service we provide to our customers each day and by giving back in the communities where we live and work. This month SkyWest marked its third year participating in Wings for Autism in Fresno, culminating in our seventh Wings for Autism event of the year. Wings for Autism mirrors an actual flight experience to help those with autism and other sensory sensitivities navigate and understand air travel.

The company’s long-time partnership with The Arc and the Wings for Autism is just one of the many ways SkyWest provides support for those with disabilities. As an airline that serves millions of diverse passengers each month, SkyWest people expressed their appreciation for this opportunity to introduce the magic of aviation to those who may not have had a chance to fly before.

Get a glimpse of what it was like:

Pilots, flight attendants and other SkyWest team members who volunteer for these events say they love the opportunity to interact with all those who attend and to share their passion for aviation.

“It’s a great event because it gives the families a chance to get used to airplanes and the airport,” said Flight Operations Supervisor Andrew Johnson. Whether in the air on one of our more than 2,400 daily flights or on the ground for special events, our people do a great job of taking care of everyone.

“I was so lucky, it was just like a normal day driving in a car,” said one participant.

This year alone, SkyWest has helped provide these experiences at events in Boise, Idaho (BOI), Erie, Pennsylvania (ERI), Louisville, Kentucky (SDF), Norfolk, Virginia (ORF), Minot, North Dakota (MOT) and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Pennsylvania (AVP). At each event you’ll find a common theme: SkyWest employees giving back and providing an exceptional experience. When asked about her favorite part as a mom, Ida Smith noted that she loves knowing people are coming together to provide valuable opportunities for children across the autism spectrum. That’s why SkyWest is proud to be a supporter of Wings for Autism.

Click here to visit our Careers page where you can learn more about how you can become a part of the SkyWest team and be involved in these types of unforgettable events.