Ok folks, sayonara. I'm signing off. I'm flowing in the next few months and, in an effort to preserve my anonymity, am going to sign off here now to avoid pinning myself to a specific class date. I'm not going to stick around like some of these other guys and moan about a place I no longer have a stake in. I just don't have the time to peruse these forums anymore, lousy schedules and commuting consume my time and I don't need any extra negativity in my life.
That said, here are some final thoughts about Eagle (I'm not parting under that other name):
How long did it take?
~16 years.
Was it worth it?
The people I worked with have been awesome. I have favorite captains I'll never see again, Fo's I hope to see flow up behind me. The company itself? Maybe Eagle lived a sheltered life, but watching the decline of the airline, especially the last several years, had been brutal and painful. I used to have a great schedule and just didn't know it until I got to see what a lousy schedule was. We never suffered unilateral changes to our contract. Reserve wasn't as brutal. You could have a life.
That's changed. I don't feel like that's the case at this time (as a commuter). If I left under the same relative terms I spent my first decade here under I would say it was 100% ok, would do again. These last several years have sucked. My time is gone. My pay is lower. My commute stinks. If I had a choice at a different regional that offered better schedules, same advancement, and to live in base I'd be hard pressed to make a decision. The only thing that would attract me to ENY is the flow. Tough choice, everyone. I can't make that choice for you.
That said:
The flow worked. I'm outta here in a few months. Done. Gone. Last job I'll ever have. Best thing ever, I'm incredibly excited that it's finally working out.
I cannot wait to get out of here, and I mean that I every way possible.
If you've got questions, I'll answer them for a while, then I'm deleting my account.
Good luck to all. See you on the other side.