OUR CULTURE
MOCHA HAGoTDI!
We get asked all the time, "What in the world is MOCHA HAGoTDI?" The phrase is even included in the Urban Dictionary as a term used often by pilots and air traffic controllers. Simply put, MOCHA is the philosophy for which all facets of Cape Air operate.
Make Our Customers Happy And Have A Good Time Doing It defines the Cape Air culture. Employees are empowered, supported, and are welcomed to an environment focused on respect and kindness - not only for our customers but for the friends and colleagues who work alongside each other. We’re in business to take care of customers and to make them a priority. But we like to have fun at our jobs and the HAGoTDI part is really getting along with co-workers and enjoying each others’ company working together as a team
Above and Beyond: Our Safety Culture
We operate at the highest level of safety. That means it goes beyond just meeting the minimum requirements. The culture has always been ingrained in our employees, not just pilots, and flight ops, but all of our people have been trained that safety is the number one priority over everything else. For example, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) sets minimum requirements for pilot training. Cape Air’s flight training programs far exceed those requirements. To be a pilot for Cape Air means you have flown more hours and graduated a more rigorous program than what the law requires. In recent years, the FAA has implemented strict pilot “rest” requirements, meaning a pilot can only fly so many hours during any given time period. When Cape Air builds its flight schedules, they build in even more rest time, exceeding those minimums to ensure pilots are refreshed and ready to meet their shifts. In addition, the airline has programs that are not mandated by the FAA, for example, a safety reporting system that had been in place for years before this type of program became standard fare for the industry.
Airline of the People: Owning It Through ESOP
Employee ownership is born from the simple notion that people who create value in an organization should also share in the value they create. This has always been CEO Dan Wolf’s philosophy and one that is wholly supported by the Cape Air management. At Cape Air, the belief is that shared ownership leads to a shared sense of responsibility, and a higher level of care, engagement, and upkeep on the part of
employees. Check out our BENEFITS for more info on the unique opportunity afforded through our ESOP program.
WHAT PEOPLE SAY
Communication, building relationships, professionalism, all of those are going to contribute to you being a better captain, a better leader, a better professional, a better partner in a marriage, a better daughter, sister, brother, a better person in general. At Cape Air you are given an opportunity, at a young age, to operate a very expensive piece of equipment, by yourself, in a difficult environment. The company is an important place, where one can really grow as a pilot, but also as a professional and as a person. It is tough to find an experience like that anywhere else.
Cape Air provides a super supportive environment, and I loved that. It has to do with the smaller company culture, and it has to do with the safety culture. You knew who the chief pilots were. You knew who the check airmen were. You knew who the training captains were. You could sit in the crew room with the really senior captains, who have been around the block a time or two, and you could ask them those tough questions and get answers that come from their experiences.