Originally Posted by mesasurvivor

Don't worry about your next interview, wherever you end up going.

Funny....I did three years at Mesa & then skipped right over to Southwest. I interviewed with 11 other people....all regional guys. Two others were Mesa, one Skywest, 2 Comair, 1 ExpressJet, 1 Eagle, 1 Air Whiskey, 1 ASA & 1 Mesaba. Myself and one other Mesa guy were hired along with the pilot from Skywest.

My new-hire class at Southwest had 3 other ex-Mesa guys and two Skywest guys in addition to the military guys. Every time I report for duty in my pilot base, I run into a group of ex-Mesa guys. The place is crawling with them! The Captain that I am currently flying with is an ex Florida Gulf (Mesa) Beech 1900 driver. Don't seem to ever fly with any guys who used to work for the "premier" regionals....LUV just doesn't seem to hire many of them. The People Department seems to be pretty good at "weeding out" the primadonas (sp.). Southwest hires for "attitude"....period.

The statement that "don't expect a warm welcome at your next airline interview" sounds like it came from someone who doesn't really know what they are talking about or is bitter because they flamed out at an interview with the majors.

One possible explanation of why Mesa, Great Lakes, etc. pilots get hired in higher percentages is probably because they have had a tough time getting their time with the company they work for and are extremely motivated to move on. Most had a fair amount of time hand flying Beech 1900s or Dash 8's before they moved on to the jet, rather than just starting out pushing buttons on the jet right away. Most don't bat an eye at spending 8 grand getting their type ratings and doing whatever it takes to make it to the majors. I know that the guys who interviewed me knew how difficult it was to come from Mesa and were very encouraging and helpful & wanted to help me out. The welcome that I received was extremely warm and friendly & I was in class a few months later.

Make the best decision based upon the information that you have. Best of luck wherever you end up.