Originally Posted by
flyingmau5
With the hiring picking up both in majors and regionals, I would like to know if there are senior pilots are who are happy to be at a regional level. If so, what are the pros and cons of that specific company? What made you want to stay for so long? This thread is different than the "Which regional(s) are the best"? So please don't close this thread. It's meant to help pilots who may be interested in just staying at a regional as a lifer.
I am personally at crossroads, where I'm at the ripe age of 30. Not young, not too old but I am starting my way into 121. I eventually want to work for a major but who knows what will happen within the airline industry. What is more important, to be CA as fast as possible at a smaller regional (GLA, G7, TSA, PSA, PDT) or build more experience via a longer seniority route with a larger regional with the likes of SKW, XJT, AE, RAH, Mesa? Do larger regionals command a more reputable credential for future interviews with the legacy airlines?
Get your time in at a regional and get out. It's never a guarantee as the major may go under, but statistically it's far more likely to have a higher earning and more prosperous career at a major. The QOL and lifestyle at a major as a junior pilot is on par with a senior captain at a regional, and the monetary return continues far above an RJ captain. I'm a 7 year FO at a major and am making double what I was as an RJ captain...