Originally Posted by IWalkJun12

You guys need to reread the contract.

JA is for pay purposes. 200%

When scheduling calls, they OFFER JA. You either say yes or you say no. Period. There's no excuses of why you can't. Sorry, can't help today or Naah I'm not interested.

It's nothing like junior assign anywhere else. Been like that for 9 years that I've been here, hasn't changed yet. Only way it changes is if you vote for it to change.

Originally Posted by F9 Driver

You don't have a choice to make until you get a job offer(s).

Do your homework on both, try to get at least one and, if you're fortunate enough to be hired by both, make a "pros v cons" chart or flip a coin. With low pay QOL is everything.

Once you get to one of these ULCCs don't get comfortable. Learn as much as you can and have some fun, but if total career earnings and international widebody flying are what you're looking for - keep the applications with the Legacies current, and work your contacts.

The Air Wisconsin pilots were once very happy flying BAE-146s out of Denver for jobs that topped at just north of 100K. They were home almost every night, and had a nice niche carved out for themselves. Some of the Major airline pilots gave them grief, but $100K was enough to live on and they were happy. Nobody's business but theirs. Then UAL filed.

All of a sudden the 146 went away, and commuting to PHL on our red-eye to start work a couple of hours after landing, in a CRJ for $100K (or less), took the polish right off that apple. The #1 pilot from their list jumped to F9 almost immediately.

The moral is: Figure out what's important to you, and go for it. But try and make every stop along the way someplace you'd hang your hat for the rest of your career - in case you have to or decide to.

I've got no answer to your question. It's a matter of personal choice. I came to F9 with plenty of total & jet PIC time, but no 121 time. I figured I'd get that box checked, and go to DAL or Alaska (the only two that appealed to me for my own reasons). I got here just before we announced the Airbus order (then 9/11 & Legacy bankruptcies happened), and was off to the races with a two year upgrade, a bunch of out-of-contract pay raises / bonuses, a PS ride to/from work in my car and a fun group of people to work with. I'm not leaving now - but that's just me.

Good luck & study hard!

Originally Posted by minimwage4

As far as I've been told, the general concesus is that the last CA has already been hired at both places. Not good with a relatively young pilot group.

Guys getting on now at best will be junior CA or senior FOs unless more orders are announced. That's why mins have been dropped I guess at least for Spirit.

Some said Spirit wants to be at 300 though.

Originally Posted by Missed Appch

Between the two, I'd look at schedules as well. Doesn't Spirit have four days guaranteed between trips? The schedules at Frontier are bad and getting worse.

Originally Posted by Missed Appch

Between the two, I'd look at schedules as well. Doesn't Spirit have four days guaranteed between trips? The schedules at Frontier are bad and getting worse.

Originally Posted by Window_Seat

Yeah, thats what I think. I'd rather see the growth in the high paying jobs at the legacies than LCC's and ULCC's putting cost pressures on the jobs that are actually desirable. I did the regional thing. It sucks but I think its short sighted to run off to an LCC for ****ty wages. When contact time comes around only willing to negotiate a rate that compares with other LCC's.

Originally Posted by Left Handed

So we can be involuntarily JRMed, but only if we pick up our phone when they call. This has actually happened to me (long story). I tried the naah, I can't, and they said too bad you're going. I think with the amount of people begging for them, scheduling doesn't have a problem filling them, so they don't often have to resort to involuntarily JRM. Plus all the ways previously mentioned to avoid them if you don't want one, makes this company's JRM policy seem optional.