Is ExpressJet that bad?
 

Hello. First post. I'm not sure If I'm just witnessing a ****ing match, but is Expressjet THAT bad as it seems in some threads? TBH I can't tell what complaints are genuine vs grass is greener stuff.

Well the way United operates any United feed is not a good place to be. The contract and work rules are still good, medical benefits are good... Pay is way behind now compared to the others, no career progression, little upgrading, the CPP is not legit.... Only way i see someone goin to Xjt is if you live in the base and need quick 121 experience and able to move on if able to. Its simple supply and demand and when there is little supply, people go to the best paying best career progression airline... Xjt like any other is 1 big announcement and new contract away from being the "the place to be" again This is a crazy industry and you just never know anymore

Man, it’s a phenomenal pilot group. It was a great place to work until SKYWEST came into the picture. The ****ing match between us and ASA isnt as bad as what people think it is. We have our bad apples, they have theirs, but the majority of us just want to come to work and make th best of it.

Our contract is still great, yes, the pay has fallen behind, but if United wants XJT to survive, something will have to be done, soon, and they know it. It could work in the pilots’ favor, or it couldn’t. Who knows.

You hear a lot of bad here, but it’s mostly the 1% of the angriest that post. I’ve heard “XYZ Airlines is buying us, next month, on the 15th” for about 10 years, but I’ve also heard “we’re going out of business” for the last 10 years.

I feel like good things are coming, but in the end, you gotta make what decision is best for you.

XJT is great! Seriously. Both the L-ASA and L-XJT groups are full of class acts that are great to be around. Our contract is too old though. The L-XJT contract has been through two extensions and one concession. That being said it isn’t awful. Just needs updating. Also our working relationship with management is great. Out of all the regionals (from just what I hear) our chiefs look to back you up more than discipline.

But what overshadows any of the good is the the future not only is unclear but appears to be almost hopelessly short. Which drives morale down to the dumps.

We are shutting down. We are now about 1300 strong from around 4000 we use to have.

i LOVE it here, but:
1- I live in base. I wake up 2 hours prior departure time
2. I have established business providing for me and family.
3. Not planning on retiring in this industry.
4. Stroooopwafffels are awesome!!!

It all depends on who you ask. Senior pilots (15 plus year captains) will most likely say we have a good contract with 4 weeks vacation a year, rather small percentage match on 401k (not bad for regional industry though) and undoubtedly great insurance. In addition the forcible indoctrination exerted on pilots during many years, and supported by the Union to create the general idea that XJT pilots are well remunerated thanks to our outdated contract. Then yes, XJT is a great company. If you ask new guys, well, they will say that XJT sucks.

Its not that xjt is a bad place to be, they have just haven't really kept up with the others.

They have several huge drawbacks: Super long (about 7 years) upgrade time, pay lagging behind most of the industry right now, the cpp they have with united is quite the enigma as to when you will actually move to united. I know guys that have interviewed and passed and still have 2 years+ to wait. It was near the top at one point of places to go, but now endeavor and all 3 AA regionals offer better pay and/or career progression than xjt can. Arguably, so does Airwis, republic, skywest now too.

If you're just starting out in this business I think you have nothing to lose by coming here except six months seniority somewhere else. XJT is like one of those stocks that's been beaten down. If you get in on the bottom and things turn around you look like a genius. If things do fold you've lost little.
Personally, I don't see things folding. The CRJ side lost the DAL flying last summer and the transition to Endeavor picking it up hasn't been as great as all the suits thought it would be. This isn't 2012 when Comair pilots had nowhere else to go. Pilots immediately started leaving for SkyWest and UAL's competition and it's gotten so bad that the CEO of Inc has had several meetings with the ERJ/CRJ MEC chairmen on how to stem the hemorrhaging pilot numbers. We were supposed to keep flying until the end of 2018, but that slipped to October 2018 due to a lack of pilots. Now there are rumors that we will shut down the DAL flying this summer. DAL asked us to hold off delivery of the final -900's as Endeavor couldn't staff them, but we told them the schedule is set and they can pay the leases on airplanes that sit, not us.
So that leaves us with UAL flying. UAL tried to transfer the ERJ's to CommuteAir, but they had issues taking as many as they said they could. I hear the transfer is picking up again, but both sides are pretty much taking ERJ's out of the desert as soon as they can man them. The idea of someone suddenly being able to find pilots to staff 100+ ERJ's in this environment is ludicrous. But then again, it is United. Who knows what they will try to do.
As for the rumors that UAL is/has purchased us... well, look around at this forum. The same rumor is floating around every UAL feeder in some shape or form.

Not sure where you're hearing that, each aircraft has been online in the required time, and 9E is overstaffed for the additional flying right now, they planned for this well out. Biggest issue has been the multitude of bugs to be worked out in each tail coming over.