Originally Posted by
Flymeaway
I've been following the posts on the regional forum here for about 4 months now, and read back another 4 months or so worth of posts for local (to DEN) regionals. For once, instead of having to take whatever we could get probably at minimum wage or less, guys like me (with a pulse and an ATP) more or less have our pick of which regional to go to. I'm trying to make the most informed decision that I can.
It seems to be, if not a consensus, then at least a heavily favored view that living in base is extremely important, particularly if you have a family (and I do). I'll be living just north of CO Springs, within an hour to 1:15 or so of the parking lot at DEN, so I've decided to limit myself to regionals with domiciles in DEN.
I keep flopping back and forth between TSA and SKW. On paper, TSA looks like they have much better pay for the first 2 years at least. TSA has $30k in signing/retention bonuses and 36/39/41 hourly pay, while SKW has $7.5k in bonuses (I have a type) and 37/38/41 hourly. It's also unlikely that SKW will bump up their pay at all.
I certainly weigh QOL over pay, but at the same time, I don't want to unnecessarily throw away $22.5k either. That's not an insignificant amount of money for me.
Additionally, as it stands now, TSA would put me in my domicile right out of training, while I'd have to wait some while (looks like around 6 months after training?) at SKW to get DEN or COS and so I'd be commuting or worse, commuting to reserve for awhile. Additionally, while it's hard to tell the future, it seems more likely right now that a CA vacancy in DEN would come around at TSA well before SKW, since DEN is pretty senior at SKW.
All that said, on many threads, a lot of people have recommended SKW even with the reduced pay. Their reasoning is generally, "better QOL, work rules, etc." However, in all of the posts I've read, no one really defines exactly why they feel that way. What does SKW do differently than other airlines that makes QOL better? What specific work rules are different? It doesn't appear to be schedules helping you out. A number of folks have said that SKW skeds automatically tells you, "no," no matter what you ask for.
I really don't want to chase a check and give up QOL, but I'm really having trouble figuring out why people think SKW's QOL is better than anyone else's.
Thank you to anyone who could shed some light on it for me...particularly if you previously worked at another regional and have experience at both places.
I'll be straight forward. SkyWest is not the best financial choice right now for first year FOs with other regionals promising 60K (before tax.) If 60K makes it worth it to commute to NYC to fly a E145 or a -200, go for it. That is some HARD flying out there. Commuting sucks and at the end of the day, it's called a retention bonus for a reason. We have bases everywhere, as I'm sure you are aware of and you pretty much will get your top pick after 6 months.
People bring up that they would rather be stuck at SkyWest rather than anywhere else because the bottom line, it's too big to fail. Contracts with 4 majors and growth still occurring speaks volume. This hiring boom will not last forever. The Dow Jones is above 20,000 and it's been +8 years since the last recession. This industry is cyclical and so is the global economy. Oil is already on the rise again.
Upgrades are below 2 years and falling. 175s are still being delivers and CRJ contracts are being renewed. MX is excellent as well, even with older 200s. I've flown a total of 3 planes that had an MEL this last year.
It's a darn good product. There is a reason why we have contracts with 4 majors. They also like to hire are pilots. We have people move on to every major, cargo or LCC airline you can name.
We do have some pretty good benefits as well. 401(k) matching is 3% your first year and you will eventually get quarterly performance bonuses as well as performance rewards. We have stock purchase options that give you 5% off share price. Depending on base and aircraft, you could have flight benefits of AA, DL and UA. AS benefits are not so common but at minimum, you can go on SkyWest operated flight, no matter what the side of the plane says.
The training is great and the people you work with are fantastic as well. By no means am I saying we are the best regional, I just can't name one that I would rather be at.