Yea I mean it’s probably been talked about on this forum quite a bit. It’s frustrating sure that we’ve never had a consistent presence west of the Mississippi, especially since Skywest is truly coast to coast now. But I think young pilots come here knowing that. If they want base options they go to OO. If they want a solid contract they go to YX. As far as the year wait, I think that’s manufactured. The cadets, college students, whatever are factored in to that. So yea of course the college students with a CFI job are going to wait a year. They don’t have the time and Republic is guaranteeing them a spot when they do. As far as the guys that are ATP eligible I’d say it’s a wash. Skywest, Envoy, Endeavor have all had long waits and have stopped hiring at some point.

It’s the regionals. Nothing’s perfect and the majority of us don’t plan on staying here long term. If an outstation is for you, go to Republic. If wide base options are for you go to Skywest. If a guaranteed spot is for you go to Envoy. Everyone makes decisions for different reasons, just be happy YX is one of the strongest, if not the strongest, regional in the US.