Southern Airways Express Claims Pilot Promised To Stay One Year, At $18/Hour, In Exchange For Training. Pilot Now Works For Delta. Makes More. Much More.
BY: LITIGATION DESK | BocaNewsNow.com
BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2023 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — Palm Beach County-based Southern Airways Express, a carrier that operates as part of the FAA’s essential air service, is suing a pilot who promised to stay one year in exchange for training. But that pilot — apparently unenthusiastic with a job that pays between $12 an hour and $18 an hour — left the airline before completing the mandatory one year of service. Southern is now suing the pilot in an effort to recoup $3,333.33 of the money Southern claims it spent on training.
According to the complaint filed in Palm Beach County Circuit Court, and which you can read in its entirety, below, Southern hired Benjamin Ryan of Quincy, Massachusetts, in 2021. As part of the deal, Ryan allegedly agreed to serve a year with Southern Air in exchange for $16,000 worth of training. In addition to the training, Southern would pay Ryan a salary that started at 12 an hour and cap at $18 per hour, with a minimum guarantee of 57 hours per month. That means Ryan’s monthly salary maxed out at $1,026, or an annual salary of $12,312. A LinkedIn profile matching Mr. Ryan suggests he now works for Delta connection carrier Endeavor Air which pays up to $110,000 a year.
Southern Airways Express flies routes that the federal government determines are needed as they are not serviced by mainline carriers. These destinations include Show Low, Arizona; Dubois, Pennsylvania; and Abilene, Texas.
It was not immediately clear why this lawsuit, valued at under $4,000, was filed in Palm Beach County Circuit Court — where the statutory minimum is traditionally $50,000. Read the complete lawsuit, here.
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