Originally Posted by
esa17
Which means "yes."
I don't know that I'm willing to take the paycut to hang out at a regional for a year or two. Nor do I think that would reflect positively on me as an applicant.
I know of a number of non-121 pilots who have been hired in the last few years, but "yes" is pretty much the conclusion I and others have come to as well. And going to a regional is no guarantee that you'll get called, either, but I wouldn't be worried about how it reflects on you as an applicant. There's nothing wrong with making a move in order to gain applicable experience.
At some point you have to look at where you are and where you're going and decide if that's good enough. In my case, it was not, so I've made the move to 121, albeit to an ACMI carrier rather than a regional. The long-term prospects are good, and 121 international heavy time may be worth something to somebody down the road. My Alaska application is still active, but I harbor no illusions about Alaska calling me any time soon just because I have some of that magic 121 time, and it won't be long before it simply doesn't make sense to make another move like that anyway.