Originally Posted by
Excargodog
Considering the opportunities out there I think only the very senior guys are really going to be screwed if Compass actually goes under.
The junior guys, even if they have no more than their ATP, a type rating, and consolidation time have a very modest time investment in Compass and have made themselves far more valuable to any of the other regionals because they are a proven 121 training success. Skywest will be happy to have them, quite likely flying the same routes they have been flying. Or they can go to Horizon and sit on reserve collecting decent pay for NOT flying if that’s their preference.
Any FO with over 900 hours might only have 18 months investment and can now go to any of a number of DEC programs with decent bonuses and a pay raise to offset the fact that they’ll be low man on the seniority for awhile but can at least start acquiring the TPIC promptly.
Junior captains with less than 1000 TPIC can go the DEC route too without any huge loss of pay, albeit with all the problems that reduced seniority and being a DEC brings.
Junior captains with >1000 TPIC but not yet competitive at their ultimate employer of choice can do the same, or try to embellish their credentials with a new type rating at an ACMI or LCC.
It’s the relatively few really senior Captains we have that are going to take the hit, guys that are at the top of the seniority and pay scale that really don’t want to be junior again and that’s going to be more QOL than monetary. Especially some that hung in there after the MSP base was closed. I imagine SUNNY is going to have a few takers.
I am going to have to disagree with you on this one. The senior folks at compass are not sticking around at compass because they plan on retiring at Compass and are "happy" with their schedule, qol, and paycheck. Nor are they just going to go to Sun Country. Chances are they trying to get hired at their dream carriers. Most of the CA line holders will continue to be line holders.
The people that will suffer the most are those that are based in SEA and PHX and people that are on reserve (system wide) because if you are currently on reserve or a build up there is no end in sight. That being said, if you are a junior captain on reserve or are looking to upgrade soon its not all bad news because we have an absurd amount of captains leaving over the next few months. (see: PRIA administrator quit)