Originally Posted by ChickenFlight

A lot of people on this forum are very quick with the sophomoric "Eagle has really comfy right seats" comments and the standard "first year pay sucks at regionals" quip. Sure they are true, but the comments are not constructive and at this point if you have been on this forum for any amount of time John Madden himself could accuse you of pointing out the obvious.

The rest of those stories are slightly...slightly more rosy. Eagle has a very senior pilot group for a lot of reasons mostly because folks here bypassed the major transition a few years ago because they thought they would flow up to AA, which didn't happen (it might soon for 244). Some senior pilots here never intended to go up to a major and were content with good equipment, high seniority and reasonable work rules. Everyone in the pilot group has a long-term vested interest in keeping this airline alive, and making it a good place to work and it shows. Chief pilots respect their employees and are typically very helpful and honest when you need their assistance. I called in fatigued once and through a voluntary review system, had it removed from my record, and pay restored. I call in sick and am never questioned about it.

Regional pay and benefits are all pretty much the same and we would all like to see them improved. Show me a working American who doesn't feel the same way and I'll show you a liar. Its the little things that make a few regionals just a little bit more tolerable than the rest and as those airlines go, Eagle is certainly among the top few. Its not the best airline in the world but it is very far from the worst.

People on an anonymous forum are quick to rip on others but if we were all having a face to face discussion I doubt the tone of this thread would be the same. I am very content with my job and would encourage any other unemployed or underemployed pilot in this country who is competent and doesn't have a sense that this industry "owes" them something to apply for these position.

It sounds like the whole "friends and family" system will be the first filter for the thousands of applications CC is about to receive so if you know someone at Eagle, give them a call. If you have any specific questions about QOL issues, the interview/training process or anything else, send me a PM.