Originally Posted by
DegeReguard
So those Q400 driver captains are going to go over to the E-jets, making the EJET upgrade longer and the Q400 upgrade shorter, I would want the GSO base E-Jet at least untill I upgraded and I really don't want the Q400 at all except for the bonus then move up and out and that doesn't sound like its possible.
Where I am currently, I make more money than a year 3 FO at RAH and as long as we have attrition or growth, will upgrade in a little over a year.
We're an E145 united only carrier, and E145's are not growing, but as long as we survive the united 50 seat cut backs by being cheaper then Express Jet and manage to keep our contract, I think i'm better off here right now.
I am gambling by making a lateral move, and gambling by not making a lateral move, but which is the greater reward and the greater risk?
Home basing, stability and EJETS are RAH's attraction for me, but it sounds like at least the home basing is suspect and the contract is **** and the upgrade is still at least 4 years away maybe cause all 12, 13, and half of 14 will upgrade ahead of me and that's 3-4 years of people by itself unless growth happens or attrition sees some sort of epic increase.
Am I missing something?
Tough decision! Home basing is awesome, but it cuts both ways. I live in base and love my schedule, but it hold me back in career development since I don't want to ruin my schedule. If I were a commuter, I would never have thought twice about taking a CA position in another base. But since I live in base and my only alternative is commuting, I have been hesitant. I think you'd be thinking the same thing as an FO in GSO. Plus GSO is EXTREMELY senior in the left seat. It is pretty safe to say that you will NEVER hold left seat in GSO either due to the base closing (it is rumored) or because nobody in the left seat is leaving. It is a career risk to "hang out" as an FO for too long IMHO.
As for lateral moves, when I got hired in '07, everyone was moving laterally from other carriers for the 18-24 month upgrade at RAH. All those pilots would have reached upgrade by now at their original carriers. Unless your carrier is going out of business, lateral moves are a poor choice from my experience.
And along those lines, you have some risk associated with the 50-seat UAX flying. They are actively "culling the herd" and it's not over yet!