Originally Posted by Thedude86

I agree. NJA vs. regional 121 is a better comparison. I think the OP is still living in yesteryear. Legacy 121 and NJA aren’t even in the same ball park. 1st year is close but you’re still coming out ahead at a Legacy 121 carrier. Then 2nd year youre making similar if not more than a NJA captain all while having more days off even if you’re flying narrow body domestic.

I’m at PSA. While the NJA group is making more than I am....it’s not by much. And I would argue even if PSA was my final stepping stone and I had to start over... I would still go to PSA or a few other regionals before NJA since the pay gap has closed quite a bit and you have a lot more schedule flexibility at the airlines. I haven’t even been here 5 years yet and I should be pretty close to 125k this year while getting 15-18 days off (of my choosing) every month. Or as some people on here like to say... I only had to work 4-5 months this year after vacation. This includes a 20% pay raise in April. So next year I should be close to 140k. Also, some of the other regionals have better work rules. My buddies at endeavor are making over 150k with similar days off. FOs at PSA are making 60k-70k. Endeavor and Republic FOs are making 70k-90k. This DOES NOT include bonuses. Yes that’s lower than NJA but with the schedule flexibility it’s almost a wash. I’ve read of some NJA pilots making significantly more but it sounds like those guys are working their butt off almost living out of a suitcase. Not for me.