Two of my flight school buddies are. I guess I should say, they were. One already put in his notice and the other is about to. They looked at Endeavor, Republic, Piedmont, Skywest and Compass. One decided on Skywest and one is going to Compass.

They said the same thing. Their paychecks were unbelievable. And the insurance was pathetic. They knew it was going to be bad, but not that bad. They were on reserve in IAD. They said people live in the crew room because there is no other option. Pilots and flight attendants go for days without a shower. It's disgusting. They take sponge baths in the airport bathroom because they can't afford a hotel room. And they certainly can't afford an apartment.

One applied for subsidized housing, and get this - didn't make the MINIMUM required to qualify for Assisted Affordable Housing. I couldn't believe it. If I can get the form they sent him showing the MINIMUM salary required to qualify, I will post it here. I know that the guaranteed hours multiplied by the pay rate didn't make the minimum qualification. If he flew enough to show enough per diem, it might have gotten him over the hump. But as a reserve, he wasn't flying enough. It's pretty bad when your salary as a commercial jet pilot doesn't pay enough to get subsidized housing for an efficiency apartment.

Regardless, both are leaving. Nobody should have to live that way. Especially after investing over $100k and several years in getting educated and qualified for a professional job.

There are better options out there. Don't sell yourself short.