Originally Posted by
PontiusPilot
Training is about 2-3 months. Anyone starting now will be flying by the end of the Spring. EWR is an easy base to get as a new hire, and anyone hired now can expect to fly a lot on reserve.
At this moment, that most junior upgrade is accurate. However, keep in mind that over the past year, ExpressJet has been dealing with high attrition, low recruitment, and the reduction and elimination of the Delta and American flying. There weren’t many opportunities for upgrade as a result.
Now under United controlled ownership and in growth mode, the upgrade will be reduced significantly. The CRJs are still coming online in ORD, the E175 fleet coming this year, and the intent to fly nearly 30 more 145s (up to 126) will create a lot of movement. In addition, nearly 20 people per month have been leaving for United. There are not that many pilots on the seniority list from 2011-present, so when things start moving this year, it’ll happen quickly.
Another thing to mention... just a couple of days ago, ExpressJet paid the FAA to reserve 60 new “UX” tail numbers, so it looks like they expect to eventually receive far more than 25 E175’s.
^^^^^
What he said.
Only things to add, many of those who left were captains or very senior FO’s. And remember, upgrade times are not linear. One would have to look at a seniority list and break down the hire dates to have an idea of the jumps. Just as a hypothetical example, if say very few pilots were hired from 2011-2013 or very few of those pilots are still around you could see a very quick jump from a 2011 captain to 2014 captains.