Originally Posted by
Skyler02
Please recognize flow as the MANAGEMENT marketing tool that it is. Flow gives management the power to get you into the right seat of THEIR RJ (they are competing desperately for qualified pilots), and keep you there as long as they can. THAT is their goal, to keep pilots flying in the cheap seats, for as long as possible. They know this regional game is coming to an end so they are throwing the flow carrots out there in a desperate attempt to recruit.
Please realize that for the most part, flow will only slow your career down. Management will decide the order and the speed of you flowing to the mainline. In most cases, that will take years.
Don’t give management control over your career. They will keep you in the cheap seats as long as they can. In the near future, you will be able to prep for the interview and get to a major on your own much more quickly than any flow is going to get you there. Do not give anything up for flow. It will no longer be needed.
If the regional of your choice happens to offer a flow, that’s great. It’s a good back-up plan if all else fails. But don’t let that be a deciding factor.
Some will say – But the majors have 10,000 applications on file. Yep. That’s true. But most of those 10,000 applications are on file at American, Delta, United, Southwest, FedEx, UPS . . . The SAME 10,000 apps are in everywhere. Once the flood gates open, it won’t take long for them to get through those applications. Just my opinion. But, hey, what do I know.
All true. Seniority is the name of the game. It's clear that many of those "10,000 apps" will get passed over or their owners will be unsuccessful in their interview processes for any number of reasons, many of which aren't their fault. It may take multiple attempts at carrier X or faliure at X before success at carrier Y. That being the case, do you want to place your bets on flow X working or getting your most important competitive bird in the hand, that being PIC time ?
Envoy is slated to shrink and that's a fact. Perhaps by as much as half. That does NOT support getting that bird in the hand. Envoy is essentially a poisoned well at this point, it's just management hopes they can pour enough sugar in to make those thirsty think it's not only safe to drink, but desirable.......even tasty. Sadly, many already foundering around in that barrel know they need more to join them to maximize their own escape options. It's kind of like a "misery loves company" scenario, but in this case they need company. Should Envoy managements hopes not materialize which is the more likely of the two scenarios, MAJOR moves with Envoy are likely and that will likely slow advancement there Ben further as that's when a merger (or possible divestiture) hits the front burner.
In the event Envoy is merged with another regional, that will only lengthen the flow prospects for all concerned, especially those who came in at the back end (even worse, jumping from one to the other and ending up more junior then you were). The fact is, AAG has committed to over a hundred new E-175's and somebody has to fly them. If the well is drying up, why would they only exacerbate that by increasing uncompensated attrition ?
They'd only be assisting in the strangling of their own feed network.