Originally Posted by mixture lean

Greetings fellow Wisconsinites and APCers. Back again for another Air Wisconsin versus question and looking to get some more opinions on top of the ones I've already received from other pilots I personally know. Earlier this year, I asked about "Air Wisconsin vs GoJet 2021" and at the time I had a freshly minted R-ATP with an ERJ-145 rating (only 9 hours in type) from XJT and 1000 hours of total flight time. I ultimately went with Air Wisconsin, finished my training in late June without a hiccup, and flew my tail off over the summer. I'm now sitting at just under 1200 hours total time and somehow I've been able to land an interview with Sun Country Airlines. For some, this is a total no-brainer, but the more opinions I get, the more I can make an informed decision on whether to stay here at ZW and upgrade, or move on to a major now while the gettin's good. I've applied to AVIATE and just completed the personality and cognitive assessments the other day but so far that's it. I haven't received an invitation to interview yet from United, so there's really no bridge to burn assuming I went to Sun Country now. Here's my thinking: ZW's future beyond 2023 is uncertain. The United contract is supposed to be up and mainline is already scoped out on 76-seaters from what I gather. The company has added the 700, 900, and 200F to the cert but with no flying secured for any of the types because they were late to the party while other regionals gutted their 200's and added larger, more customer-friendly airframes years ago. So far, I've garnered opinions from a SWA captain, Spirit captain, former classmates from XJT, and of course my captains that I've flown with here at ZW. They've all told me to make the jump. The only folks who told me to stay put were two UAL pilots that gave me a jumpseat ride to work. They argued that it would take much longer to get on with United if I left because I would somehow be "frozen" in the right seat at Sun Country for eight years. Meanwhile, there are regional FO's out there with no TPIC time getting hired at places like Delta (not the norm but it does happen). They also argued that the Amazon contract can be pulled at anytime, which I must admit is true, but so far so good. I agree that upgrading is important and Sun Country's upgrade isn't even that long. From their most recent APC update in November 2020, their most junior captain had about two and a half years on property. On top of that, I have a feeling they're going to grow a lot over the next few years and they're due for a new contract so it's best to get on with them now before it all happens and ride the wave. Also, FWIW, I wouldn't mind moving to MSP in order to avoid commuting. My gut says to make the jump. Am I missing something? What are your thoughts?

Originally Posted by mixture lean

Greetings fellow Wisconsinites and APCers. Back again for another Air Wisconsin versus question and looking to get some more opinions on top of the ones I've already received from other pilots I personally know. Earlier this year, I asked about "Air Wisconsin vs GoJet 2021" and at the time I had a freshly minted R-ATP with an ERJ-145 rating (only 9 hours in type) from XJT and 1000 hours of total flight time. I ultimately went with Air Wisconsin, finished my training in late June without a hiccup, and flew my tail off over the summer. I'm now sitting at just under 1200 hours total time and somehow I've been able to land an interview with Sun Country Airlines. For some, this is a total no-brainer, but the more opinions I get, the more I can make an informed decision on whether to stay here at ZW and upgrade, or move on to a major now while the gettin's good. I've applied to AVIATE and just completed the personality and cognitive assessments the other day but so far that's it. I haven't received an invitation to interview yet from United, so there's really no bridge to burn assuming I went to Sun Country now. Here's my thinking: ZW's future beyond 2023 is uncertain. The United contract is supposed to be up and mainline is already scoped out on 76-seaters from what I gather. The company has added the 700, 900, and 200F to the cert but with no flying secured for any of the types because they were late to the party while other regionals gutted their 200's and added larger, more customer-friendly airframes years ago. So far, I've garnered opinions from a SWA captain, Spirit captain, former classmates from XJT, and of course my captains that I've flown with here at ZW. They've all told me to make the jump. The only folks who told me to stay put were two UAL pilots that gave me a jumpseat ride to work. They argued that it would take much longer to get on with United if I left because I would somehow be "frozen" in the right seat at Sun Country for eight years. Meanwhile, there are regional FO's out there with no TPIC time getting hired at places like Delta (not the norm but it does happen). They also argued that the Amazon contract can be pulled at anytime, which I must admit is true, but so far so good. I agree that upgrading is important and Sun Country's upgrade isn't even that long. From their most recent APC update in November 2020, their most junior captain had about two and a half years on property. On top of that, I have a feeling they're going to grow a lot over the next few years and they're due for a new contract so it's best to get on with them now before it all happens and ride the wave. Also, FWIW, I wouldn't mind moving to MSP in order to avoid commuting. My gut says to make the jump. Am I missing something? What are your thoughts?