Originally Posted by
de727ups
"I could have stayed at Horizon Air and been stuck living what to me was a nightmare"
See Sky, there is your problem, planting your personal view of the biz onto all our laps. You bash the industry unceasingly and yet don't understand that being a Capt at one of the best regionals in the country isn't considered by all as unworthy. Maybe unworthy to you. If you get into this biz and won't be happy making maxed out pay at a top regional, then maybe you SHOULD think twice. Don't come on here years later saying the career sucks and woe is me.
"At the time I went to National Airlines it was the envy of the industry."
Now that's laughable. National was a bottom feeder start up out of LAS trying to compete directly with what was a major hub for America West and Southwest. Their pay was close to Horizon numbers for flying a 757. Saying National was the envy of the industry? By what standard? They were six months from start up to chapter 11. Skybus did better. Were they the envy of the industry, too?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Airlines_(N7)
You never flew for the regionals so I can understand why you do not realize how flying for a regional can be so different. The life and expectations of a regional pilot are vastly different from that of a legacy pilot.
When I started out the term "regional" in regards to the airlines did not exist. There were "commuters" but no one
wanted to work there. Like everyone else my goal was to fly for a "major" airline. Never for a commuter if I could help it. Life for a major airline pilot is vastly different from that of a regional pilot. Pay is more than double what a regional pilot earns. They work less and have much better benefits. Besides that legacy pilots have easier lives and a better work experience.
After a restful (not) night at a trashy truck stop grade hotel in a podunk town a regional pilot commonly starts the day at 3:30AM for a 4:30 show time and a 5:00AM departure. After 14 hours of scheduled duty time, three airplane swaps, two airport fast food meals the regional pilot is finally able to stand in the rain awaiting the van ride to the next crummy hotel where the bed is hard and truckers yell obscenities at prostitutes in the parking lot all night. Regional turboprop pilots are stuck in the weather all day between two pounding propellers. Major airline pilots do not fly 9 leg days, climb to FL 350, and rarely had to show before 7:00AM
As a major (now known as legacy) airline pilot you
were building towards a better life. They stay in nicer hotels, have enough per diem to buy better meals and are even fed in flight. They fly much fewer legs and often only have to pre-flight a plane once a day. Legacy plots go home to nice neighborhoods and park in the driveway of a home that they own. Their spouses can afford to stay at home if they wish. Legacy pilots can fly more credit hours in a day since the leg lengths are longer and have better opportunity for more time off.
Regional pilots wear the same uniforms as legacy guys and have a similar job but their lives are very much not the same. A regional pilot lives in trailer parks and wish they were mailmen. I always wanted something better and was not willing to cut my future short merely because I was able to fly a plane everyday.
In reply to your second statement:
National and Jetblue started at the same time. We had a lot of pilots who were senior and left JetBlue to come to National Airlines. Hindsight is 20/20 but at the time no one knows how things are going to play out. I left a dead end $19,500 a year FO job for twice the money and a promise of a one year upgrade in a 757. It was a risk. Staying at Horizon is a much bigger one in my estimation.
Skyhigh