Originally Posted by
flyou11
I have made the decision that it is time for me to restart at a new regional. That said I have done a lot of research on the companies and am currently torn between Eagle and ExpressJet (ASA). Below is a list that I have compiled so far. I am curious to see if anyone else has see's anything that should be added, removed. Or even just any constructive opinions about either place. I have yet to find something that tips the scales in either direction.
American Eagle
Positive
• Coming out of bankruptcy
• Historically a solid company
• Decent flight benefits
• Hiring now
• Wanting 600 pilots this year (quickly get the base I want and off reserve)
• $5000 signing bonus (nearly offset the cut of going back to first year pay)
• Best reserve rules in the regional industry
• Flow through for most of their pilots (fast movement up the seniority list)
Negative
• Uncertain future (regarding AMR and being divested or not)
• Losing American flying to other airlines
• Potential AA/USAir merger (not knowing how that will effect Eagle's flying and the flow throughs)
• Last time they wanted 600 pilots in a year they hired a few hundred then furloughed
• Overly hard training department
ExpressJet (ASA)
Positive
• Great Commuter Clause
• Long stay / short stay hotel rules
• Best flight benefits for a regional airline (on Delta, United, and maybe American)
• Owned by Skywest Inc.
• Historically a solid company with good management
• Flying the CRJ
• Duty rigs (min day, ect)
Negative
• Only hiring into a pool (Classes may start in April to this summer)
• Delta may be pushing them to do flying for cheaper
• May be taking concessions
• Has a lot of 50 seat planes for United and Delta
• Sloppy merger between ExpressJet and ASA
• Bad reserve rules
• Limited movement (right now)
I fly at Eagle and been here for two years, since I started flying at Eagle they hired 700, the did a political furlough of 50 to then recall and offer a 5k bonus. Some senior pilots flowed, with some flowing in 6 weeks. Upgrade time went down to five years and now is close to seven. 22 CRJs were received as growth aircraft and 33 ATRs returned with the rest and all the ERJ 135s being return by years end.
ASA, very limited hiring for a while and then saw the ERJ side hire a bunch just to stop it dead in it's tracks and offer LOA and starting a large amount of hiring on the CRJ just to have it stopped a few months later. Now non of the SKW regionals are hiring and it seems like United will soon have plans to re-fleet and we don't know how that will work out.
This is only the last two years at these two regionals, since I was hired much has changed and much will change in the next year. I don't think Eagle is going anywhere anytime soon and is currently hiring, ASA is not hiring and we don't know when the people in the pool will get the call yea there is what HR says and the pilots here say but we just don't know when ASA will hire or for that fact when Eagle will stop hiring. You will know when you made the right decisions on the day you walk away and reflect.