Was difficult for sure. One thing that kicked in for me that helped was EIC to the tune of about 4K. But I have two young kids and my wife stays home with them, so I met the income standards. Also because of this, we claimed 8 on our W4 and had zero federal tax withheld because we literally wouldn't owe any. If you are in a similar situation as me, with kids, and no income from a spouse, you and your family will undoubtedly also qualify for Medicare. So you can get a break on having to pay health insurance for your first year. (at least in Colorado you will.)

So for my situation on reserve I was netting ~2900 to ~3000 per month depending on how much per-diem I received. If I would have stayed in Phoenix and commuted this would have been doable, but paying rent in Denver more than doubled my housing costs, so we ate into savings every month. Second year pay has come in the nick of time, LOL.

One big disclaimer for myself. I was earning very close to the same amount for roughly the 2 years prior as a downgraded regional FO. So I was accustomed and budgeted for 3K /mo take home. However I was about to re-upgrade when I left so it wasn't a simple decision.

I was born and raised in Denver, so coming home and getting the kids near their grandparents was a huge draw for me. As was the culture and reputation of the Frontier pilots. Also, being a bit older, 44, the prospect of growth with an upgrade half the time of a Legacy attracted me. In addition the idea of stability with the likes of Indigo behind us made sense at the time. (just being honest.) I also felt the pay would rise with a new contract sooner than later.

These were just my rationalizations at the time. I make no claim whatsoever as to their validity going forward.

I'm looking forward to riding this puppy out - and I think listening to you guys talk candidly about projected hardships with regard to compensation is a great indicator that we may approaching a climate wherein the market will dictate better pay in order to draw quality individuals to join our growing ranks.

Again, the only other option will be to scrape dredges from the bottom of the barrel. And I don't mean those with poor skills. I mean those with poor personal skills. Please no! All of F9 reminds me of the tight-nit little group of cool dudes we had on the Dash8 at Mesa, as compared to the swath of older DB's on the CRJ - what a nightmare these guys could be to work with! We must preserve the integrity of this pilot group, it makes this place distinctly exceptional in my opinion, all other factors notwithstanding!

TMI-Sulk