Originally Posted by
V1Rotate
I’ll obviously not dignify some of these responses with a response but there were some nuggets of wisdom in here (buried in piles of manure, which I did expect when I posted this).
Yes, I’ve been around long enough to have met and flown with people from Comair, so I’m aware of risks, course no airline is a sure bet). My regional is I think best positioned to move into the future but who knows?
I have a LOT of seniority at my regional, and the transition is going to turn my life upside down for some time, commuting, reserve and so on.
No flow, but I probably will have a GPI invite at United within 6 months, so that’s on my mind. Sure, going to JetBlue might make me more competitive for United, but I’m not sure I’m up for the whiplash if starting at one carrier and then going to another.
Someone said something to the effect of “you can hustle and make 200k as a 2nd year FO. Well sure, but if I want to pick up stuff for 200% I can do that here as well. Honestly, one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make, nearing a conclusion.
And I’d like ti thank the people who offered constructive advice and I’ll ignore the garbage which was not unexpected.
The biggest X factor is how long until you retire? Under 5 years it might be worth staying at a regional if it’s Skywest or Republic. Over 10 or at a small regional? Definitely worth going somewhere else. The Covid aftermath saw 20+ pilots from Expressjet on the street and starting over at the bottom other regionals lists. 3 regionals shut down, and at least one more was almost shut down (Piedmont). If you’ve got a pathway to United in six months it may be worth executing on that, but if you left for JetBlue and updated your United application the effect would likely be the same. If you don’t get to United, where are you better off in 5+ years? JetBlue can be a and has been a career destination for many.