Originally Posted by
skypilot35
Just out of curiosity, what was the typical amount of time a pilot would spend at a commuter before being hired on at a major?
Late 90's till 2001, average life expectancy of a regional pilot that upgraded and got the "magical 1000TPIC" varied from 2-4 years, depending what company, and what equipment. Many back then operated both props and jets, with a jet FO usually having a seat lock.
Originally Posted by
kfahmi
For sure. Good buddy of mine flew Metroliners for Eagle in the late '80s. I believe his salary was the same as regional FOs make today...except that this was in the late 80s, and in real terms, that means wages today are 50% lower (yes, half) what they were in the late 80s.
It could really depend on where one worked back then. Some "commuters" paid $8-10-12/hr, AFTER paying $5k for training, with NO workrules, all for the privilege to grunt out 6-8-10 legs a day in a Metro/1900/J32, etc. AWAC paid their prop FO's upwards of $20/hr BACK THEN.