Originally Posted by
N1234
I'd second that recommendation.
I do not believe in all this my regional is better than your regional rhetoric. Both seem to be good options.
Don't get sucked in by long-term promises. The entire industry is a giant pyramid scheme. Everyone is dreaming of becoming the super senior 787 capatin who only works 3 days a month but very few people will get there.
I'd pick whoever you are comfortable with now and you think you are comfortable with if you get "stuck" there for more than a couple of years. You'd be surprised how many lifers are at regionals - and almost none of them joined with the intention of becoming a lifer.
As for flows, I can easily see those backfire in a couple of years. If hiring at the majors really picks up as everyone expects it to there will be a real incentive for AA to reduce flow from the regionals. Why canabalize your regional pilot pool if you can hire of the street from "competitors"?
Flows serve one purpose only - lock-in. Once you put in 3, 4 or 5 years you will think twice to jump ship or rather hang on for that coveted flow. If pilots truly become a rare commodity it won't matter anyway.
This^^^
The industry is changing so fast that no one knows what is going to happen in the next year. Barring another economic or terrorist event, it should be a great next few years for pilots looking to move beyond the regional industry.
As for flows, they aren't a good reason in and of themselves to go to an airline. They do provide some continuous movement as guys off the top leave, generating upgrade opportunities for those less senior. But I wouldn't come to a regional based solely on that. The fact is that anyone coming to one of the AAG wholly-owneds is looking at 6-10 years to flow. And so much will change between now and then, who knows if the flows will even still exist.
And reserve everywhere is its own special kind of hell. Don't be fooled. I wouldn't say it's necessarily any better at regional A over regional B and personal experiences being on reserve can differ greatly. Guys in my class have had to sit hot reserve almost 30 or so days now. I've only had it twice in a year. And I was used a lot in reserve so for me, reserve wasn't that bad. Ask the guy who has had at least one hot reserve each reserve period and he would probably tell you different. Bottom line, reserve sucks. Go somewhere where you don't have to sit reserve for long.