Originally Posted by
mtmurat
I've got good flight time, good leadership experience, but haven't finished my degree yet. Now that I've paid for 4 bachelors degrees (kids) and a Masters (wife), its my turn:-)
Seems like the non-major-majors start around the same as Mesa, but with no bonuses. Plus, for now, I don't want to commute.
Ultimate goal is SW or United. Perhaps in 2 years, I can have the degree done, and a few years of 121 on the resume as well, perhaps even 121 PIC time.
I'll check this airlines out though to cover my bases- thanks for the reply.
Commuting is a pain and expensive. Seems like you have a decent plan by sticking with Mesa, but if your long-term goal is SWA then it seems you might need to do a jump to get there. I know lots of pilots going to Spirit, Allegiant, but only one headed to SWA. SWA is definitely requiring a degree and 121 1,000 tpic of Mesa pilots. 1,000 tpic will take you a little over 3 years at Mesa on the Ejet. ExpressJet has serious problems and you will never become a CA there. And, SkyWest (it has a CRJ base here) has an 8 months wait to get to IAH and meanwhile you are in DTW, and you will never be domiciled here as a CA.
The downside for someone with a family is if they rely on you for health insurance. If they do, I would just keep on looking.
So, if you are trying to avoid commuting, want to make good money after upgrading (I know a CA that made low 6 digits in his first full year, but he flies 300% a lot), and can rely on your wife for health insurance, this is a good place. The Ejet is a dream to fly and the people are generally friendly (although you have an occassional as$hole).