Originally Posted by
DBono
OK, I'll bite. Like Moose, I applied here because I'd heard and read that XJT had good QOL, so I'm not happy to hear about the stuff going on. But it's not clear to me what the better choice would be. XJT new hires don't have the choice of going to a ULCC or they probably would. Same for most of the ACMIs and even the upper tier fractionals/charters. So it's probably XJT or other regionals.
Personally, I need to be based at DFW or IAH. That narrows it down a bit. Here are the choices I think I had:
1) SkyWest - long training delays, long reserve times for DFW or IAH. Less than stellar reserve rules? Still probably #2 choice.
2) Envoy - got the pay raise finally, but DFW is senior, crummy reserve rules. Reading their forum, they don't seem too happy over there, even after the raise, lots of QOL complaints.
3) Mesa - questionable long term future for the E175s at IAH. Same for the AA flying out of DFW. Reserve and overall QOL not as good as XJT. Lower pay, but maybe the ability to make up for it with extra flying. Currently overstaffed on FO's for E175s (all IAH). 30 of their 60 E175s are up for contract renewal and are not yet renewed by UA.
4) Republic - great airline, QOL, pay, but IAH is very senior and very small. Republic has a history of closing and opening bases frequently, so it's a little unclear if IAH even lasts.
So for someone looking for DFW or IAH, right at ATP mins, is there really a better choice?
DBono
If you ask for advice on choosing a regional you will almost always hear “choose the base.” You made the decision for the right reasons. Another reason I chose ExpressJet is because I want to be out of the regionals altogether ASAP. XJT offers short reserve with plenty of flying.
We have heard a lot about how bad it is that we have all this attrition. It’s a fantastic thing. I looked at the seniority list earlier today. There are only a couple hundred CA eligible pilots left on our seniority list, of which over half have already bypassed upgrades. For as many as there were here that had to wait years for upgrade, they have almost all been worked through and there are not many behind them. If we are losing 10 captains per week how long will it take to work through the few remaining eligible for upgrade?
QOL sucks at all regionals. I would love commuter hotels and trip/duty rigs. But those things are so far down the list for me it’s not even funny. I will be upgrading at 1000 hours, there will still be tons of flying and I will have gotten in and gotten out, at the base I wanted, faster than anyone else hired when I was at the base I wanted.
The guys on here with all the negativity about QOL cannot relate to what you and I are here for. They can only relate to the way things used to be, and then cherry pick other contracts and point out how much better others have it than us. There is such a huge disconnect between what these guys are preaching and what a new hire actually cares about.