Originally Posted by
Arliss
Yea, it's a fine place to work generally. Excellent training, generally strong work rules, pay should increase substantially (it better) with the new TA, good support from chief pilots, very non-punitive culture.
All the following based on my own hearsay.
SkyWest is non-union and they've been going downhill fast. Expect to get abused with min days off. And you have no union protection, so enjoy that.
Envoy, I haven't heard good things at all. Terrible reserve rules, forced upgrade to LGA, hostile management, incompetent union. Be ready to be abused.
GoJet is still regarded as an alter-ego airline that was set up to get around Trans States.
Trans States, I've heard it's not great but maybe it's better now.
Republic is very good. Excellent pay, work rules, scheduling, and culture, but their ORD base has been shrinking. You can hold it fairly soon as a FO but I think reserve is a long time and it takes 5 years at least to hold CA (followed by endless reserve).
Thank you for the input and analysis. I like Republic for many of the reasons you listed, but again, upgrade time is an issue. SkyWest is still appealing on the basis of the ability to upgrade quickly quickly in Chicago and they, too, are supposed to be announcing new pay rates [and potentially work rules] in the near future. Having not worked in the 121 world yet, I can see the upside in having union, but maybe I'm not fully appreciating the protections it offers (as opposed to not having one at SkyWest).