Originally Posted by flapoverspeed

Never believe predictions of the future from a recruiter. Until there is a public announcement, they are just repeating self serving rumors. You are correct that the recruiter knows a lot more about the 121 world than you do. Unfortunately they use that knowledge for there benefit, not yours.

In the past, Mesa had quick upgrades. They will proudly announce the most junior captain upgraded in two years. That is true. Then they will tell you that you will upgrade in two years. That is NOT true. The quick upgrades are gone. In the recent past, we were growing and new aircraft were being delivered every month. Now we are shrinking and there are no more new aircraft.

Our current contract is one of the worst in the industry. There might be a slightly better contract in the future, but no one knows. Don't believe anyone who tries to predict what a future contract will contain.

Take a hard look at the hiring bonuses being offered by Mesa. They are structured so the company probably won't have to pay out the entire amount. Also, the tax on a bonus is different than the tax on regular income.

However, there are some advantages to coming to Mesa. You probably won't have to sit reserve for very long, if at all. If you have had training failures or other skeletons in your closet, then Mesa is more likely to overlook those than other airlines.