It’s your parents fault, go and complain to them how they should’ve have you 3 years earlier.

I made $211k combined in 6 years in the regionals before I was able to land an interview here. I couldn’t upgrade, spirit didn’t even called me for an interview.

2022-2023 NH moved quickly, but now everything is slowed down. Those who stayed senior FOs are having a blast and making crap ton of money. Some of them don’t even work and are getting payed for PwA violations.

Your goal should be to get your feet on the door, not complain in a “anonymous forum”. Bet grateful for the career that you have currently…

You haven’t lost money, until you get the job. You’re not entitled to it and interview these days are way easier than before. Be glad you don’t have a 2 day interview, pay for uniforms, hotel and less than $100hr in yr one.

 

Anyone received a march class date yet?

 

no

filler

 

some pro level trolling from strawberry. he/she has hooked quite a few fish. previously did the same on the ual board.

 

Really not trying to be a condescending troll. I’m just trying to figure out what I want out of the rest of my life. It genuinely seems that for those of us not at legacies yet, especially those of us older than ~35, the ship has sailed, and we should be looking at opportunities elsewhere. Where that is, I don’t know. Certainly not F9. I’m not saying that it’s not worth going to a legacy, I’m actually desperate to be convinced it still is worth it. Because the idea of staying at F9, or going somewhere where I will never have a chance to upgrade to no fault of my own, is honestly depressing. It’s not what anyone dreams of. Yes I know people have had it worse. It’s not my fault I went straight to an a320, it’s the only choice I had.

Seems a lot of you just want to see those of us trying to claw our way up fail, when all we are wanting to know is if we will have good careers coming to XYZ legacy, or if we should aspire for something else due to the seniority situation.

peace

 

Dude. Be real. I can't believe we are even having this discussion. A 5ish year FO here can EASILY make close to 300k with a little effort. Please, go somewhere else outside of aviation and see what you have to do to make close to that. It is apparent that you tie your success into being an airline captain. That's your ego talking, not your rational brain. And the crazy thing is, if you're hired at 35, you'll still have 30 years of career left! Even if you upgrade at 15, that's still HALF your career as a captain, which, is kinda how it works when there are two pilots.

 

In the interest of magnanimity, and from someone who got here in his 40s, let me share with you a little gem I picked up from my time in the Balkans (which was plentiful): "The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now."

 

Sage advice.

 

I wanna know how telling you to manage your expectations is akin to wanting to see you fail. Dude, you skipped the regionals. You're so busy worried about someone else's good fortune that you can't see your own.

 

RStrawberry,
While I might not agree with delivery or maybe even tone, I do understand the underlying thought you are attempting to convey. As an older dude and part of the lost decade, speaking only for myself, it’s been an uphill grind to get here and even when I got here, things slowed way down, exacerbating my view of the grind. That said, I am still beyond blessed. I wouldn’t give up any experience I’ve had to now. I think it’s important to quantify what you consider a successful career. If it is strictly wearing four stripes, that expectation may need to be tempered. If it’s regarding money, I know plenty of FO’s who make more than captains by playing the game. Be brutally honest with yourself on what success is. Quantify it. Set realistic goals, quantify those, and build a roadmap on how you’ll get there. When I came to widget, I left six years of seniority behind at another carrier for what I thought was a fast upgrade. Instead of that, my path changed and I got into some project work that allowed me to still earn what I quantified and spend time at home with family being a dad (something way more important to me than any stripes). Just to clarify, I’m still an ALPA line pilot, just fly less right now. The more senior in seat you get, the more you realize that the stripes matter less and less. As for being treated anything less than a professional, I don’t know how it is at your current shop, but here, I have never felt anything less than an equal member of the team, but regardless, respect is given and it is earned. Did we have some lucky pilots who upgraded in a year, yes we do. I’m happy for them. Hopefully I can impart old man wisdom when beneficial and I’ve never had a bad trip with any pilot here, Junior CA or salty Senior. I can honestly say that while my road changed, I’m still on my right road and couldn’t be happier. I encourage you to map out your road. It will have twists and turns. Sometimes you might feel you’re doubling back, but I speak from my experience that at the end of your road, it will feel to you that it was well travelled. It’s when we are lost on the proverbial roads of others that we feel we can never make our own destination. If you want help in mapping your road, reach out. I might not be the brightest crayon in the box, but I’ll help mentor best I can. I wish you success in 2026 and onwards. Be bold, map your road, don’t settle for mediocre, there will be twists and turns, you might just end up on an adventure you never envisioned but whatever you do, don’t quit achieving your dreams or anything worth achieving for that matter.

Stay Frosty