rickair7777

Regional hiring is driven by various factors:

Overall airline business growth: This is forcast to continue at a moderate pace for the forseeable future. Growth in the US will be slower than overseas.

Transfer of major airline flying to the regional level: This has been occuring at a rapid pace since 2002, but should start to slow in the next 2-3 years. Also this may be good in the short term for a wannabe pilot, but it it is bad in the longer term for all pilots...regional pilots get paid only 20-50% what major pilots get paid.

Retirements: Not a large factor at most regionals...there are not many people who are that old at the regionals. However many major airline pilots will retire in the next 5-10 years, which will cause hiring at both majors and regionals (most major pilots are hired from regionals). The retirement age will change from 60-65 in a year or two, which will slow hiring for a few years (2-3 years is my guess).

Major Economic or Terrorism Problems: Either of these could put 20,000 airline pilots in the unemployment line.

You have to pay attention to all of these things to determine hiring. Baring major catastrophe, I would assume that regional hiring due to growth will slow, but major airline hiring will increase due to retirements, keeping regional hiring at a modest, if not high level. At some point the age 65 thing will slow all hiring for 2-3 years (my guess in around 2009-2011).

The answer depends on what you want:

-Rapid upgrade to Captain (more money and usually necessary to move on to a major airline).

OR

-Good Pay and quality of life.

These regionals have relatively quick upgrade, decent quality of life and pay:
SkyWest
Republic (includes Chattaqua and Shuttle America)
Expressjet

These regionals have good QOL and pay, but longer upgrades:
Horizon
American Eagle
Air Wisconsin

Avoid these companies at all costs:
GoJet
Mesa (includes freedom and air midwest)

Personally I would avoid Trans States and Pinnacle also, but that's a judgement call.

Note: Commuting to work is hard...you might prefer working for a marginal company that has a large base in or near your home town as opposed to a great company that requires a commute for you.


I wish I knew th answer to that...it would make my own planning much easier. The industry (in the US) should continue to grow moderately for the next 20-30 years. However, it is very fragile and any of these things could cause either short term or long-term problems:

Recession/Depression
War
Terrorism
Oil Shortage (this WILL happen eventually...it may have already started.
Environmentalism