Originally Posted by
ChrisInWI
Forgive the 'new guy' to the discussion. I'm in a similar boat; been out of the cockpit for going on 6 months now and will get my check-of-the-month from Big Blue around Christmas. Outside of getting a type rating/ATP a couple of years ago I haven't been in any sort of upgrade training in a long time. Couple that with 18 months non-flying by the time I retire and I believe I just became 'the choir' for this discussion.
Is there a threat of a flow thru company like Endeavor being a bad call as Delta needs their regional feeder fully staffed? In other words if they have you in their ranks could it be more difficult to get DAL to look at you since you're serving their overall need already?
Again, forgive my ignorance but curious about all the 'sign-up' and retainer bonuses in the regionals having an implied purpose which might go against the pilot's desire to get some good experience on his or her way up to heavier iron. I'm guessing it still comes down to the individual pilot's choice to chase their own plan, but I've seen the bonus game derail plans before.
I probably don't grasp how a signing bonus works in the regionals, and frankly my perspective is that of a carrier military pilot with very little understanding of how the commercial aviation world works.
This is a great thread and I appreciate the wisdom being passed by Albie as it is resonating with me based on current circumstances, so any additional professional point outs are greatly appreciated!
Just to clarify, Endeavor doesn't have a flow. They are wholly owned by DAL, but with no flow. Envoy, piedmont, and PSA are wholly owned by AA and all have flow agreements with AA. I've heard there is an unwritten rule that legacies don't want to cannibalize their own regional feed. Not sure if it's true, but I've heard at some or all of the AA wholly owneds you can't apply or get hired by AA outside of the flows. I'm sure someone will be along to clarify that and I'm sure it's in the threads for those airlines. But, as a fighter dude, I wouldn't worry about it too much. You'll have your pick of legacy most likely in short order.
FWIW, anecdotally, I've heard of many people being stuck at regionals for a long time (flying delta connection, united express, and American eagle branded flights), never getting a call from a legacy, then going to Spirit/frontier/JetBlue, and then shortly thereafter they get a call. Was it because the legacies didn't want to poach their own feed or because the airbus type rating/bigger-than-regional experience popped up? Or a coincidence (many times over)? Hiring from competitors costs the competitor money (they have to hire and train someone new). Hiring from a regional flying their feed costs them the acquisition and training event (at the regional level).
The bonuses (signing and retention) vary from carrier to carrier and seem to change monthly as the shortage grows. Some pay when you start, some pay when you finish training, some pay at the year mark, some pay at each year mark, some pay a combination of those (or I'm sure some other ways that I didn't mention). For you I'd say it doesn't really matter much though. With a fighter background, you're most likely going to spend less than 12 months at a regional. You have a retirement and medical. If I were you I would focus on working wherever you won't have to commute from. You'll get hired by every regional you apply to in this environment, and likely by most big airlines, especially with a little recency.
BL: I wouldn't worry about hurting your chances with a legacy based on what regional you choose (if you even have to go there). F-teen pilots get snatched up quickly.