Originally Posted by
xNavyTR
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1. If you had to sit reserve for a month or two, what was the schedule like? How much flying did you actually get?
2. What do the schedules look like for junior FO line holders in ATL? Typical number of days off? Can you fly your a$$ off if you want? Can you maximize time off if you want?
3. Currently all -200 flying I assume? Is ATL flying increasing, decreasing, or holding flat right now?
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Former Marine F/A-18 pilot here, been at SKW almost two years, so can hopefully help a little bit.
1. Reserve.... There are 102 FOs on the CRJ at ATL. About 80% of them are line holders. 20% are reserve. Your time on reserve as a new hire depends on how rapidly people ahead of you leave or the company expands or shrinks the domicile. Most factors are beyond your control. All things being equal, your seniority will rise most rapidly at a large base with a majority of pilots commuting.
2. Schedules... it depends on what you want and what the people ahead of you bid. You can work as much as you want within reason and 117 limits. A larger domicile generally helps getting the days on and days off that you want. Commuters generally bid three or four day trips and avoid locals. If you live locally at a commuter base, you could probably get the locals you want. I did this as a new FO and had good schedules and QOL very early on.
3. ATL growth... ATL is a new base, so it was expanding very rapidly from zero to over 100 last year. It might have reached its full staffing by now, but I do not know for sure. If the majority of the pilots at ATL are commuters, expect a huge turnover. See pt. 1.
Others have commented on the military vs. civilian hiring at the majors. Regionals are what you make of it. Overall I am very happy at SKW, because I choose to be happy. If I ever do get a phone call from a major, great. If not, I'm going to enjoy flying the CRJ and will try to make SKW the best place it can be within my abilities. Whatever you decide to do, best of luck, and have fun where you are at. Life is too short to wast it being miserable.