Originally Posted by WMUFlyboy1

Hey guys,

Long time lurker, first time poster. I'm nearing the point of transitioning towards a regional. I am currently a flight instructor and live in the Detroit region.

I know that QOL is one of the top points for deciding which regional to go to. Being in Detroit, surprisingly the options are limited for non-commuting though.

From what I understand, with Compass closing their DTW domicile the choice is now Endeavor or ExpressJet...

My hope is to end up at a place I will be happy as I put in my time towards a regional, but I don't want to be stuck at a regional for 10+ years...

The pros and cons of going to Endeavor have been argued ad-nauseam with the retention bonus vs. upgrade time. My gut tells me the upgrade time is too much for me to accomplish my career goals. But, being Detroit based means I can save several thousand a year for the first few years by living at home.

Everything I have heard about ExpressJet tells me to avoid it like the plague.

So, is it really worth going to one of these carriers to avoid commuting, or would commuting be a better option?

Currently I have interviews scheduled with Piedmont, CommutAir, and Envoy. Compass, Endeavor, Skywest and PSA have shown interest in having me interview as well.

Sorry for what seems like another "Where should I go?" post. I just figured somebody might have some insight into my situation about not commuting with a crappy regional vs commuting with a better one.