Regarding the questions about retention, etc., Lynden lost three FOs and two Captains last year to other companies. Neither of the Captains leaving went to 121 operators, but went to corporate/business operators that they felt better suited their lifestyle desires. They were the first Captains to leave in the last five or so years. All of the FO departures happened in the first part of the year, and all went to various other 121 supplemental operators. I'm guessing they went for the money.
Our junior Captain on the line was hired in the fall of 2015. Reserve Captain in upgrade training this week was hired in early 2017 and had previous Herc time. Management will tell you in the interview to expect 6 to 8 years, but with the fleet expansion, retirements, and people leaving, that has been greatly reduced for the folks on the line right now. YMMV.
Lynden came through with a decent pay bump at the beginning of the year, which was a nice surprise, and a newly-hired FO should probably expect to bring home between $75-80,000 in their first year here, not counting per diem. Lynden, Inc., the parent company of LAC has a profit sharing scheme which has historically added 10-15% above the normal pay annually. It's not guaranteed, but they have been pretty reliable for the time I have worked here.
The 121 supplemental life is certainly not for everybody, but for those who want to fly for a living, but not be an airline pilot, and go where no other US carrier gets to go (not all locations are great, but some are
, all 7 continents), and fly a classic aircraft which the Company has spent the money to modernize and maintain (Primus Epic retrofit, WAAS LPV, ADS-B Out compliant 2 years ago), it can be a very good fit.
Just started an initial class and expect another in April. I would expect the application window to open up again sometime this week, if they do it as they have in the past. Check the LAC website if you're interested.