Originally Posted by
PilotsLife YoHo
You're right. I didnt give enough info.
Married with kids. Cant move because in laws are older and not doing too well. Live in ABQ. Total time 2900. 700 Prior 121. No military time.
Cujo made some great points too. I've done a fair amount of research but I'm having a hard time.
Envoy said to expect an upgrade within 6 months. I'm worried about a bunch of FO's who are senior to me upgrading after I do and then I'm perpetually stuck at the the bottom of the reserve list. I do want to enjoy some quality of life.
Compass doesn't have this problem. I'll upgrade in seniority order, from what I understand. Will they be around in 2 years though? That's anyone's guess. People seem much happier there.
I feel like I'm choosing quality of life over possible longevity.
I’ll admit my bias - I’m at Compass. I THINK we will be around for at least another couple of years but there are no guarantees at the regional level, as I’m sure you know since this isn’t your first rodeo. We are currently looking at slightly under 18 month upgrades but that’s deceptive because a few more senior FOs have been held back by company minimums because of low ME or RATP TT when they were hired. And yeah, we do (with a few exceptions) seem to be a particularly happy pilot group. But we do have the Delta contract expiring in a little over a year and the AA expiring in 2022. Will they be renewed? I think probably they will, but no guarantees.
Having said that, the Envoy NEAR DEC program might be better for someone with 700 hours already.
https://jobs.envoyair.com/part121/
You’d get a significant bonus and have 300 hours as an FO to get back in the saddle. And then, yeah, you ARE going to be the low man on the totem pole for awhile, not as bad as an actual DEC, but not great. But it probably would give YOU with 700 hours a faster route to the 1000 TPIC that is the nominal passport to a major and - because of that 700 hours - still get you to a major faster than you would at Compass.
From ABQ, I’d imagine the commute to DFW or to PHX would be pretty much a push. And while Compass pilots are a pretty happy bunch, I haven’t found Envoy pilots particularly antisocial or anything. I’d do my best not to stick around for flow though. Better to be at the beginning of the major retirement/hiring wave than the backside.