If you enjoy flying on someone else’s dime it’s totally acceptable, but it is a means to an end. Regionals are ‘iffy’. They come and go. History is full of once prominent regionals that disappeared. That’s why it’s a means to an end - a means of getting to a major that is too big to fail. And because seniority is everything and we are in the middle of a hiring wave, you want to do that as quickly as possible. So jump in, get max block hours possible, fill up those logbooks and start applying at the majors as soon as you have 500 hours of 121 time in, less if you are a female redhead.

Because once you get senior enough to start being in control of your schedule it’s actually a pretty good life. I have friends that make as much or more than a major airline pilot, but they are chained to their job. Yeah, I may be away from home more than them (although less so with every passing year) but when I’m off I’m really off, not on call, not available for emergencies, but off. And when I’m working? I’ve got a corner office with a clear view on the 3600th hundredth floor.