Originally Posted by
Slats
In all, I wouldn't expect new hires getting into the 175 for sometime.
I would.
It's clear that SkyWest wants to transition to flying the Embraer primarily, but we will remain a CRJ based airline for at least a few years. Flying the CRJ will continue to be advantageous for most because of the greater variety of domiciles and flexibility in general. It also remains to be seen if the first crop of United-dedicated E175 pilots will retain travel benefits with any other airline. You're not going to make any more money on the 175. And even if everything were a wash, why go through a training event for a lateral move? I can see bidding it to upgrade (lack of payscale notwithstanding) but the current lack of FO transition bids reflects the reality: what's the point?
Eventually, as the CRJs go away and the 175s become more prevalent, these factors will reverse and you will see many people, including senior FOs, making the transition. In the meantime, they're going to need somebody to sit in the right seat, and that will probably include some new hires. It might not happen immediately given that Brasilia FOs may take the transition, but I would not be surprised at all to see new hires in 175 classes next year.