Dan Roman

I was a victim of the above too. 17 years at XJT. Great company but got set back due to 9/11 and the economic downfall of 2008. The last setback was my getting the middle finger from the UA CPP by Bill Kennedy (they still have that schmuck FA running the show?).
So I sent out apps, never went to a job fair or joined any goofy pilot clubs, and got to UPS a few years ago. Never been happier.

Point is, don’t plan on the CPP. What I tell perspective new pilots to the industry is to look at the regionals and see who has; quickest upgrade, best signing bonus, a flow thru (like PSA to AA in case you don’t get called by anyone else), and finally the QOL (pay, bases, etc.) then make an informed decision.

Good luck. I loved XJT and still have many friends there. Some by choice and some ‘stuck’ as I was. Regardless, have fun and enjoy the ride. It sure was a blast!

afterburn81

This is not a matter of luck or want. It’s a simple matter of a system that has everything to gain by deceiving unsuspecting pilots. I’d say I was where you are at now but things were totally different then. Although the regional deception game was in its early stages, actual career progression existed and far fewer people were aware of how bad things would actually get at certain regional airlines.

Something tells me, I’m not the first person to point all of this out to you. Actually, I highly doubt you’ve ever interacted with a person that has had more than 6-7 years of flying experience with XJT/ASA and would tell you “it’s a great time to be there”.

FlyRight2876

“Point is, don’t plan on the CPP. What I tell perspective new pilots to the industry is to look at the regionals and see who has; quickest upgrade, best signing bonus, a flow thru (like PSA to AA in case you don’t get called by anyone else), and finally the QOL (pay, bases, etc.) then make an informed decision.“

Yes, Expressjet doesn’t really tick any of those boxes.

Our contract is far from great compared to others now. (Zero duty rigs, min day pay of 2 hrs, no commuter hotels, etc.)

Upgrade will not drop below 3.5 yrs for some time. All other carriers are 1.5 - 2 yrs.

EWR is the junior base with uncommutable lines so 11 days off on reserve becomes 8. Oh yeah, that reminds me. I think we’re the only regional that still does 11 off for reservists. All others get 12 at least.

For all you new hires that don’t understand the significance of 11 vs. 12 days off on reserve, you get to find out the hard way in a few months.

The carriers that seem to have it figured out are Skywest, Republic, PSA, Endeavor, and Envoy with the new contract.

None of United’s “exclusive” carriers come close.

Flaps Full

12 days off a month when the month has 31 days for reserves. Other bases are obtainable before you're out of training except TYS I believe so they might not be commuting to EWR.

DoSomePilotStuf

You keep saying the upgrade won’t come down. Let’s do a ban bet whoever loses self-band themselves from posting on here for life. You willing to stick with 3.5 years or greater?

SpringLanding

Upgrades will be bid by FOs senior to the ones who got the quickest upgrade on the last bid. There are a lot of FOs on the list who could hold captain but will not because it would mean commuting to years on reserve, given the current upgrade environment.

This means that upgrade times won't go down quite as quickly; metrics such as the number of FOs behind the juniormost captain and their dates of hire don't take into account hundreds of FOs (some hired in 2000) who can bid for upgrade. Right?

701EV

DSPS, just curious what your guess?

701EV

DoSomePilotStuf

3 yrs next bid, 2 by the end of the year

FlyRight2876

Bingo! Looking at DOH on an upgraded F/O doesn't mean much here. Other places with continuous upgrades and movement yes. Movement hasn't really come to this place yet. Maybe by Expressjet standards but not by the other 99% of the industry.

DoSomePilotStuf

Put your money where your mouth is. If next bid is below 3.5 yr upgrade you GTFO. If above I’ll do the same.