Originally Posted by
xjtguy
Agree, once you meet the mins, apply anywhere and everywhere.
However, that "hoping it will work out" carries a little further than just the regional carrier. Ask the people that went from regional FO to legacy pre 9/11 that got furloughed. On the street, NO TPIC. And most of the better jobs that hired after 9/11 required TPIC. IE; SW, FX, UPS, JetBlue, Airtran, etc. Granted, there were places hiring that didn't have a TPIC requirment. But good luck getting on somewhere if the market suddenly gets flooded with highly qualified pilots and one has NO TPIC.
I'd still rather be at a legacy with no TPIC in my 20s than with TPIC at legacy in my 30s. All those guys you mentioned, including Zap, would be like kings had they accepted their recall. My point is if a major calls and you have no TPIC time, it's still worth taking the plunge.