To piggyback off of the outstation base conversation, I'm very interested in Republic for their MCI base but am curious about how much flying I can expect my first year, estimated time to upgrade, and subsequent time to be spent on reserve after the upgrade.
My current alternative is Trans States where I can commute to DEN or ORD, hold a line almost immediately, and upgrade upon meeting minimums. I'm a military rotary guy so my FW time will be very low (~300 hours) when I make it to the line and I think it would be in my best interest to fly as much as possible, as quickly as possible. Is it worth commuting to a carrier with a questionable future in the hopes of reaching major hiring minimums a year or two faster?