Originally Posted by
Paid2fly
I fly quite a lot with the number 1 & 2 fo's in my domicile, they're in the top dozen or so f.o.'s at SkyWest. Neither have been here for a decade yet... The number one f.o. at LAX will be going to upgrade in March, didn't think there were any others past the decade mark?
We expanded at a rate that I doubt we'll see again. The SkyWest seniority list almost doubled in two years, which is why we had such a quick upgrade. Now, to make jet captain, junior folks and new hires would have to see upwards of 2000 pilots hired behind them, a feat that even in (consistent) good times would take at least four years. The reason Eagle has such a long upgrade is because of the size of their pilot group and substantial portion of lifers. I reckon we're in exactly the same boat now so I don't think a minimum 5+ year upgrade in the jet will be unusual. Not pessimistic, just looking at the numbers.