Originally Posted by Cujo665

Many regionals are hiring street Captains currently. I do not know any starting at $78k salary on the E145. Yes, a few have crazy first year bonus pay, but the second year is pitiful and still makes Via better.

CommutAir - $64 ph
Envoy - $66 ph
Piedmont - $58 ph
ExpressJet - $68 ph
PSA - $65 on a larger CRJ700 no less....

You're limited to 1000 hours a year, so those hourly rates times 1000 is the rough estimate. None of them are close to the $78k a Via street Captain gets without having to juggle schedules to fit in some overtime to bump it up.


The FO scales are similar. Via pays a higher salary with the exception of Republic and Endeavor. The others have a first year bonus that beats Via, but then second year pay becomes a sticker shocker. Hopefully by year three you have enough time at those places to upgrade to Captain.

If you go to another regional for the three years to collect 1,000 121 time, then upgrade you'd be on 4th year pay

Piedmont - $71 ph
ExpressJet - $74 ph
PSA - $73 ph
Envoy - $72 ph
CommutAir - $69 ph

All still below the starting CA pay of $78k salary. I add the salary because that's the guarantee. The guarantee at those other places is actually lower. They guarantee 75 hours of pay a month which is only 900 hours a year, not 1,000. Now, most folks do work OT and make more; but Via gets day off pay also. If you do the math, witht he higher starting salary, even with the OT, you're still ahead and worked less at the end of the year.

You also will not sit on reserve at Via waiting to fly. You'll be flying right out of the gate.


There are pro's a con's at all airlines. Having worked at a few, and been on the Board of Directors at ALPA National I've had a peek behind the curtain at the Quality of Life, treatment by management, internal opportunities at many different airlines. Via treats their pilots better than other regionals, that's fact.

If your goal is to move onto a legacy, Cargo Hauler, or super ACMI, or even a better LCC then Via can be a great stepping stone and here's why. Those places get thousands of applications for every available job. You need to stand out. Being a check airman, a ground instructor, a sim instructor, or even a LOSA guy are all great things that the big airlines and legacies look for in street hires. At Via, you have access to those jobs by just working hard and asking.