Originally Posted by
proskuneho
That's good news. Thanks.
I forgot to mention - with the way that things are shaping up for the airlines, I'm wondering if it might be necessary to just wait and start at one of those regionals where it would be reasonable to stay for a career. By the time anyone is hiring again, I'll be 34 or maybe even 35. By the time I would be "eligible" for a mainline job, it might not be worth the additional sacrifice in pay and QOL. I'd probably be better off high on the seniority list of a good regional. At least then I have a slightly better chance of avoiding furlough
.
Don't agree with you there. Being at the top of any regional isn't necessarily a must stay anymore. I know a several guys that made the jump from regional to major after 40. Thats still 25 years left. You might not be able to be CA on a 777 in the base you want but you can still have a good career. Also, being junior at a major is alot different then at a regional. I think the main reason people stay is because of the pay cut to first year majors. But in most cases in year 2 your making more than a senior captain at a regional. So if you plan for the first year pay cut it's definitely doable. I just talked with a friend of mine at Delta who worked over 9 years at a regional. He's 42 now and been at Delta almost 2 years. He's flying international on the 76 and couldn't be happier. He said it was a hard thing to leave a stable job at the top of a regional and as a line check airman, but said it was the best decision he's ever made.
As far as regionals go...Maybe Chatauqua(shuttle america) or ASA. they both have bases in ATL. I would stay away from the northeast commute. It can be tough and crashpads are more expensive. Or Compass if you can get on there. They have a flow up to Delta now. Good luck man. I can understand wanting to stay in AVL area. It's great up there.