Originally Posted by
badtransam97
How's the CA upgrade looking for a zero time 121 person? I know the DEC's are eternal reserve. Wondering about the other guys. I know Piedmont supposedly has the better deal, but some of their bases can't be reached from this part of the country haha!
There is so much movement in the regional industry that no one can do better than guess what will happen in the next 2-3 years. Things can change overnight. The "guaranteed" flow can turn to crap in a heartbeat, and the loser airline can be the next golden child.
Pick a place that has domiciles that work for you, offer a decent quality of life, and one that is not on the verge of bankruptcy. Other than that, everything is a guess. We only know half of what is going on. The management holds the cards, and they don't even know exactly what is going to happen.
Republic could tank, and there is no telling what could happen next. Air Wisconsin may not get a new contract extension. MESA could vote down their TA and lose AA flying. PSA could implode due to terrible management. (Envoy will likely be a great place...just ask Cujo).
No one knows what is going to happen, most of all, pilots.
Here is something to think about...
If PSA is in fact hiring street captains, and you are not on property yet, then you will obviously be junior to them. These street captains will likely never benefit from the SSP (20 years?), but are likely guys with years in the regionals and now getting their PIC time. Will these guys stay at PSA long, or will they bail at the first chance (SouthWest, Jet Blue, Virgin, Cargo)? I would guess that they will be some of the first people to leave the company. Sure, there will be some attrition from the top, but in the "new regional" model, the attrition will likely be more spread out.
The important question:
If you were a former Comair/Endeavor/Pinnacle guy, had 8-10 years in the regionals before PSA, and now getting your 121 PIC time, how long would you want to stay on reserve? If you were going to be on reserve for 3-4 years because you were hired as a street captain, would you bail at the first chance that you got?
Conversely, if you were a 10-12 year guy at PSA, were a line holding captain with Christmas and Thanksgiving off every year, and got the schedule that you wanted every month, would you be as hungry to make a jump to another airline? Would you give that up, along with your flow in a few years, to go and work at a LCC? Most likely you would not.
Typically, street captains at regionals should be looked at as temporary employees. They come in, get some time, and are the first to leave. Historically, this is true.