They are going to say anything they can to get you to train with them. Remember, they are running a business. The airlines are not what they used to be. I spent a year and a half at Comair before getting furloughed in November and still haven't found another job flying. The most junior captain at Comair has been on the property for around 10 years.. that is a long time to be an FO. First year FO pay is around $19,000/yr, second is $30,600/yr and it increases about $1/hr per year until you top out at $36,900/yr. Keep in mind this is at the minimum guarantee of 75 hrs/mo. There will be times where you will fly more than this, but when on reserve you probably wont exceed it unless you are a line holder and that'll give you about 85 hours/mo. In 10 years if you upgrade the base pay is $65,700 and it caps at 18 years seniority at $83,700... but it's a long road to get there and at this point, with everything sliding backwards, the upgrade time is indefinite.

There are about 300 of us on the street with no recall in sight. The sad reality is that Comair is considered one of the better paying regionals just behind ASA. Check out the airline profile pages to see the others.

There are many others out there like me who cannot find work. To say the job market is super competitive is an understatement. I really dont see how a company could tell you that you would have a job when you finish if there are no openings... maybe you will get lucky, maybe you wont. At this point, with the best interest of your family in mind, the $50K you are making now is way higher than I will see for many years and I'd stay put if I were in your shoes.