As a west coast guy myself, Skywest and Compass were two very viable options. I chose Compass because going with Skywest would have meant that I would have been based out of ORD for the first few months, meaning I would have had to commute to Chicago, do the crashpad ordeal and then spend a ton of time waiting to get the LAX base, and God knows how much longer I'd have to continue to be on reserve, since LAX seems to be a more senior base. The thought of losing a day commuting in and another day getting back home was a big no no.

That was most likely the #1 reason I chose Compass over Skywest. Being able to drive to work from Day 1 (LAX) and sitting reserve for just a few weeks living 30 minutes away was important.

Furthermore, Skywest has a ton of 50 seaters that have an uncertain future.

I also like that Compass is a much smaller airline in terms of pilots, Skywest has thousands and a ton of lifers - therefore, you accrue relative seniority at Compass much much quicker, meaning your ability to bid for the schedule you want comes much much faster at Compass.

Compass just got 20 new airframes for AA flying and they appear to be growing more and more by the day, so this is a perfect moment to get on with CPZ because of the growth.

Flying the ERJ vs CRJ is a big plus although not a huge deciding factor. I rather do the longer legs every day, than the 30-45 minutes trips 6 times a day on a CRJ200 with a lav all the way in the back.

Skywest is not part of any union, and a lot of people don't like that.

Either way, like most people say, choose the one which will keep you at home without having to commute. Get in, get out and get on with a major asap.