I second this. As much as I would like people below me I have to pay it forward and say go to commutair. Don't commute but go to commutair.

 

This is solid advice. Just be cautious of how long that will last. With AWAC comijng in hard to ual I wouldn't be surprised to see a huge shuffle. Does AWAC still ground handle IAD for uax?

If the choice was commute to EWR for commutair or LGA for envoy is say hands down envoy, However the best advice is don't commute no question.

.

 

I don't know too much about Commutair so I'll just speak to some of the pros and cons to Envoy.

The pros: Pay is great, it's about time to earn a livable wage as a first year FO. Upgrade time is dropping like a rock. The current vacancy bid closes in a week and that should drop the upgrade time to somewhere between 3 years and 3 years and change. There will still be 200+ CA vacancies over the rest of the year. By the end of the year we should be seeing upgrade time of around 2 years. Flow is a great backup plan to have in your back pocket if you can't get to a legacy before then. Envoy is 100% owned by AAG which adds an extra layer of protection and stability over the next few years when the majors start retiring crazy numbers and the regional market starts to get very interesting.

Cons: Biggest issue without a doubt are the schedules. Envoy's schedules are not good at all right now. I can't speak to the commutability, but overall they are low credit and low days off. QOL compared to some of the other regionals out there is lacking. I don't know how Envoy QOL compares to Commutair, but it's definitely inferior to Skywest and some other places. And I'll keep this in the con column, there is going to be growth on the horizon. Lots of talk of more bases opening up. Now, growth may seem like a good thing. And it is good when you're talking about certain things. But when it comes to staffing, more growth equals more strain on staffing. More strain on staffing equals more hits on schedules. More hits on schedules equal hits on QOL.

Like others have said, you can't beat driving to work. It makes the job 100% different compared to having to throw in a commute. Without knowing many specifics about Commutair, my initial thought would be to go there if it means driving to work. Commuting sucks. And lakehouse makes a valid point. There's about to be a lot of shuffling in the UAL regional feed. IAD could be there for the long haul for Commutair or it could not. I assume your goal is to get to a Legacy ASAP. If you have anything sketchy that may prevent you from getting to a legacy on your own, i.e. no 4 year degree, have a degree but low GPA, etc. then Envoy's flow may be your best bet.

 

No, nothing at all to hold me back in the long run.

I thank all who offered advice. I just did a side by side comparison of the two and the only major thing Commutair lacks is a yearly retention bonus but I suspect that may change if they want to recruit and retain pilots.

I certainly see the light on driving vs commuting to work.

Again, thanks to all for the advice!

 

How much better are schedules with SKW? Are they better enough to commute to a SKW base from DFW? Or Envoy with a home base of DFW is a better option?

 

I started Nov 21st. and at that time all aspects of the process moved quickly. I interviewed in mid Nov and had a class date in less than a week. I have friend in class now on the 175 and HIS schedule has stretched out big time. 3 week break after indoctrination, 3 week break after specials (3 days of class on hazmat, security, etc). Every time I talk with him he's at home. All paid of course. If you've interviewed and received a contingent offer, hang in there. You may want to reach out to your recruiter for an update.

 

For those starting on the 13th of March, have you received an email with class information yet?

 

Absolutely not

 

Stay home if it is with Envoy, not ExpressJet or Mesa. As you will see repeatedly, it is hard to beat driving to work for a decent regional.

Right now, SKW is sending their CRJ junior pilots to DTW and ERJ junior pilots to ORD. CRJ pilots are holding a line nearly immediately and are captains in just under 2 years. You also get to chose between CRJ or ERJ.

Things do change quickly. Bases open and close with many regionals.

 

Not to mention the commute from DFW to ORD would be a major pain. I deadheaded from ORD to DFW on IOE and there were at least a dozen or so revenue standbys on the list ahead of at least another dozen or so D2s.