The Choice: Colgan, ExpressJet, Commutair
 

Ok guys, I realize there is a lot of "my regional is better than yours" that goes on in these forums, but this is a serious question. I'm looking at three choices for where to fly. Colgan, ExpressJet, and Commutair. The quickest upgrade is probably Commutair, but their pay and work rules are pretty bad. Colgan would probably be the next quickest, but their pay isn't much better and I've heard countless stories of abuse. ExpressJet seems to have pretty good pay and work rules, but the upgrade would be forever. I understand location plays a big part, but I am willing to move anywhere. It seems as though pay and QOL would be better at XJT, but would it be stupid to go there since they have so many 50 seaters?

Isn't it a real possibility that Colgan will eventually replace most of the 50 seat flying with the larger props? I would imagine Colgan probably has the best chance for the most growth, but who really knows. The bottom line is I want to go to the place with the best pay/work rules out of the three (XJT) but I don't want to go to place that may start shedding 50 seaters and with movement heading in the wrong direction. I also don't want to get stuck somewhere with crappy QOL. Thoughts?

You can no longer think of Colgan as being Colgan, since what was once Colgan is going to go away very quickly. Colgan is now a part of Pinnacle Corporation, and will be folded into the Mesaba operating certificate with a single seniority list of all 3 airlines combined. This new contract is a HUGE leap forward from previous practices, so war stories from months or years ago at Colgan are pretty much irrelevant. So is talk about growth or movement at just Colgan. You have to look at the new Pinnacle as a whole, because that is the company where you will be working, not Colgan.

Pretty soon (if not already), you will not be able to apply to Colgan. You will apply to Pinnacle and with one joint seniority list you will go where your new seniority allows, be it at (formerly) Pinnacle, Mesaba, or Colgan position.

I'm not saying that this is the place to go, but just that you need to do better research on the situation here at the new Pinnacle in order to make the best choice for you.

Our payrates are much higher than commute air and rival that of express jet. Before you make a decision do some in depth research because as stated earlier its no longer the Colgan you're thinking of.

Commutair combined list - 150 pilots. roughly 75 from upgrade
ExpressJet combined list - 4200 pilots (not incl SKW) - roughly 2100 from upgrade
Colgan combined list - 3200 pilots. roughly 1600 from upgrade

Should be easy to pick an airline depending on if you're looking for TPIC or looking for a career regional. Which are you after?

If he's willing to settle for Commutair then he might as well look at Great Lakes and Gulfstream too.

Is it the one I'm thinking of, that hasn't paid anyone on time today?

That's some bad math my friend.

Who really knows. You answered your own question.

Upgrade times can change in the blink of an eye. Oil prices, air piracy, acts of war, and crashes have all radically changed carrier expectations.

Where will you be happier if you are stuck there as an FO for 10 years?
Which company do you think will be around in 10 years?
Which company has a base you could reasonably expect to get quickly that you are willing to live in or offers very easy commuting?

The Pinnacle team deserves some kudos for making big improvements to their contract during tough times.

Long-term if you are looking for upward mobility and job security I would guess that props are going to be more stable than 50-seat jets when oil prices head for low earth orbit again.

Not bad math, just simplified math.

If you are number 4200 at XJet, a lot of guys need to retire or get hired by Delta/United/JetBlue before you're getting any TPIC.

Then again, maybe Xjet is getting a couple hundred planes in the next two years. That would make number 4200 a little easier to swallow.