Originally Posted by
AvTr330
Contrary to you, I was very skeptical about ExpressJet at first and didn't even think of applying. And after having spoken to several people there, I really wanted to apply. Things are changing. You said they are a dumpster fire, but then said they are a good regional. You said "great training, great pay, great work rules, great people". And THAT is what matters most. If you care about upgrade times, then yes that's a reason to back-off from applying, which is understandable. But if you plan on being at a regional for no more than 2 years, then it doesn't really matter in the end. Get your time, enjoy the time while you're there, and move on. You brought up good points, but an "aging" fleet, and longer than normal upgrade times(which are going down) shouldn't
be the reason to immediately dismiss a company.
Well I meant what I said about the company.
The dumpster fire remark relates to their fleet and shrinking pilot staff. XJT had over 1800 pilots last year and that has dwindled to less than 1400, even with heavy recruitment and hiring. Y’all can’t sustain that. And it looks like they are addressing it and getting people into classes. Like I said, they can’t get upgrade times down until they get new pilots, and they can’t get new pilots with the long upgrade times. Catch-22.
Again, I’m not bashing XJT, I seriously considered going there. I chose Mesa (despite their reputation) because I was able to choose the base I wanted and can upgrade when I’m ready and still be based there, instead of EWR, LGA or some other craphole on the east coast. (No offense to you NJ or NY people. Just not my cup of tea.
) XJT couldn’t offer me any of that.