Originally Posted by
CFI 1981
Guys,
A few questions, would appreciate your opinions.
I am a CFI close to ATP mins thinking of applying to the regionals. When a new hire finally gets a line, could you change around trips to maybe have 6 or 7 days ON in a row in order to get four or five days OFF in a row during the month?
Since hiring picked up, how long are new hires on reserve these days before they get a line? Looking especially at Compass, Commutair, Skywest and PSA.
Have there been many CFIs getting on with Compass, even though their preferred minimums ask for Part 121 and FMS time?
Have there been many regional F/Os (t-prop or jet) that have moved on and been hired by the nationals and majors, or do they still hire regional captains only?
As for CommutAir, you do have an option to work up to 6 days in a row, which many guys do, then have 3-4 days off in a row. Just remember, most regionals like CommutAir only have 11 days off per month while on reserve. That bumps up to 12 days off minimum for a line holder. Just remember while on reserve, if you happen to get a good stretch of days off, you'll have to pay the piper somewhere else in the month. CommutAir reserve is about 6 months right now before holding a line. Upgrades are running less than 2.5 years, and hopefully dropping due to all the captains we've been losing.
We have had a couple f/o's get hired on by other companies but it's all been charter. One guy got hired by Frontier but he had other experience before coming to CommutAir. As for captains, we've recently had them leave for United, Delta, US Airways, Spirit, Virgin America, and Frontier. TPIC is definitely a big deal.