Originally Posted by
No Land 3
Theres a difference between having apps out, and a desire to go anywhere else. You had a response from Omni?, and you made a decision that it wasn't going to be a higher QOL for your situation. Fair enough.
I will suggest however that it is very hard at the regional level to actually know what's better. Regional pilots know a certain lifestyle that they grow comfortable with. When I was at Mesa, I swore I'd never do long haul. Now that I am doing it, I swear I'll never go back to domestic short haul. In fact, the thought of domestic overnights puts a bad taste in my mouth. I had to try it to have formed this opinion. I wanted Spirit, Frontier, Jet Blue, South West when I worked at Mesa. Now, that type of flying seems too close to regional flying, just something I want nothing to do with.
The good news is that any move will provide more for you than anything JO will ever offer.
For me, long haul wouldn't work unless it would be 7 on and then days off. I can't and don't want to be gone from family for two weeks, and some times four weeks at a time. QOL is more important to me than money. Don't get me wrong. I'd love to have the best of both and I'll gladly fight for it. The question I ask myself is how much is two years of seniority worth? I really don't want to start over at the bottom of another seniority list at another regional. Don't mind it with a vertical or even a diagonal move. No matter how you cut it, a regional is a regional. Some are just worse than others.
I'm guessing by your comment that not just having your app out but going to job fairs also. I agree with you if that's what you're getting at. I plan on doing that. I talked to one of our FOs the other day who has been to 5 job fairs trying to get to Spirit. He has yet to receive a call. He is senior to me.
I think we (MESA) are at a real turning point with this TA. If it passes JO will have to bid flying inline with other regionals. His days of a never ending supply of cheap pilots is over. He (JO) just needs to face that fact. By his emails to us and the payscales for FOs in this new TA says he hasn't faced that fact yet. If we don't pass it either he will come back to the table and try to get an expedited vote on improvements or we will stand his ground and possibly lose the additional planes for United. We will never get an industry leading TA. This is a man who prides himself on the title "Worst CEO in America."
WE SHALL SEE!