howardhughes8

His statement is just plain dumb. I too have done all 3, you can compare NJ to a big 6, but definitely not a Regional. A 121 job is not the same across the board. Having been in those exact shoes, NJ as a CAPTAIN is an attractive alternative to a big 6, no doubt. As a junior FO, not so much. When you look at a job, multiple factors come into play, obviously money plays a big part. If you are all about money and don’t care much about much else, NJ might be better short to medium term as the CC schedules combined with FDP provide a good chunk of change, again, for Captains. If you care about flexible schedule, being home more, robust retirement plans, AND money, then big 6 provide better options, IMO, although with 4 weeks vacation on 7/7 and some PTO’s to use NJ is still attractive, no doubt. But for the people who want to make money AND be home more, plan around events, schedule sensitive, the big 6 wins out easily IMO. For some people moving is not an option, completely understandable, but living in base with a big 6 is hands down the ABSOLUTE BEST job in the world!! I I am averaging 20+ nights at home, with many days doing out and backs, that means I see my family almost every day. No job is perfect, no doubt, but some jobs are better than others for different reasons. For example, the guy who lives in Boise, or Jackson or Middle of nowhere, NJ is a real nice option. Different flavors for different people.

Money wise, we have to compare Apples to Apples. Let’s say I was willing to work CC72 (18 days a month), base is $204k. Add about 20 hours of FDP per month (realistically), that’s $2,300 extra, $1,500 in straight pay, rest to 401k. That’s $17k + $1.5, so $18k/month. I currently work about 10 days in a 28 day bid period. If I worked the equivalent, say 16 days (in 28), I would break 100 hours credit by day 14-15, at $186/hr, you see where I am going with this. Plus my days are almost always 2 legs, almost never more than 10 hours duty. And this is only at 2nd year pay as an FO 😱. Upgrade running about 6-7 years, you throw in $320/hr and then it becomes stupid comparison.

So for the Johns out there, yes, you can definitely make money at NJ, but you most definitely have to work it and earn it.