wrxpilot

I was your age when I left corporate to work for the regionals. I’m now at a major airline where I’m going to make close to $250k a year in my 2nd year (as an FO), while working less than half the month with awesome benefits. I’ll also retire with a pension and 401k. You’ll do yourself a favor if you take the long view with your career.

GeeWizDriver

Who should you apply to?

EVERYBODY that even remotely interests you.

IF you get the interview and IF you get the job offer, you can always say NO.

Don’t place artifical limits on your job search.

Good luck.

Macjet

Lol. I love this stuff. I'd rather fly to Lawrence, KS on a midnight pop-up trip for pennines than make a $250K/year with 18 days off a month and a few million in my 401.

Someone has to shoot for the fat chicks at the bar. Glad it's you bro!

flyskisail

Awesome, we're so happy for you. Again, instead of putting people down and their choices, if you have something constructive or helpful to add, add it. If not, go check your bank balances. You've earned it and obviously really care about it.

flyskisail

100% Agreed.

OhSnapAF

So happiness is flying to random airports?

I’ll give you some advice. Once the allure of not knowing where you are going wears off, you will just look at your paycheck and days off like everyone else in this industry, and if you are at a place like NJA instead of an airline, you will become depressed. Take it from somebody who lived it. My whole career was 91/135 before I went to a major and I will never go back, ever. I’ll go practice as a sommelier if crap hits the fan economically. Right now from a financial standpoint I am saving/investing to retire at 60 and be financially set up. Whether that happens or not, I can tell you I won’t be one of the guys at 65 knocking on NetJets door begging for more cash to go fly to random airports.

This is a job now, you can very much enjoy an airline job. A regional is no more a career destination than a place like NetJets or XO. They are very similar in many ways except NetJets is more set up for people to spend long term there.

Sit down and do the math, numbers don’t lie. Historically on APC there have been several NetJets pilots they try and sell their own position (15+ year captain they extends several days a month) to make it seem like anyone can go there and expect a buttload of money right off the bat and it’s simoly not true. The math on career earnings even over a 20 year period, are actually laughable even compared to places like Spirit and Allegiant. If you can make it to a career airline, you are talking million of dollars more in total earnings than the top fractional. Forget XO and WU etc, even when you look at more cereer focused companies like NetJets, the money you leave on the table just so you can say you got to fly into Toothlessville Arkansas in a private jet is pretty stupid. This is a job for you, not a hobby correct? Go travel with all the time off you have once you work at an airline, and your mortgage company doesn’t take payment in the form of all the cool little airports you flew into...

Oh and I’ll add, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been career wise and it’s not just the money, it’s the lack of stress during work. NJA is an emotional and physical rollercoaster that cuts to your core after a while. The job beats you down to the point in which I don’t know how people plan on doing it for 40 years.

David Puddy

I have a few remaining friends at Netjets and most are exhausted during and after their tours - max flying and minimum rest. True that the quality of the equipment at Netjets has improved, but who cares what you fly (hopefully not the even tighter version of the Netjets Phenom with its cropped space up front) if you are on your 5th leg of the day? Pilots fatigue out every day. Regarding XOJet, starting pay seems a bit low but it sounds like you can earn more money through FBO points, etc. XOJet crews seem to be pretty positive when I have talked to them on the road.

Certainly apply to all of your choices if you are hell-bent on the fractionals/135. All of your choices are bleeding Pilots to the airlines. Two Netjets friends recently left for SWA.

That said, if I were you I would apply to a Legacy flow-through regional (Envoy, Endeavor and Commutair have big NYC footprints). LCCs like SWA, Spirit and JB are all hiring and offer good career options too. Friend of mine recently left a part 91 job to fly the E175 at Republic and he loves it. Money is decent (all regionals are paying more to fill open seats) and his QOL has improved.

Good luck!

DenVa

NYC? Fogettaboutit! That is a junior base for airlines that have one there.

My advice...go to a regional for the 121 time. Start networking and keep in touch with the captains that are leaving. Try to get hired by United, as their retirement wave starts later. You'll be Newark based within a year. Fly widebodies for close to 30 yrs.

No frac can come close to the amount of retirement and time off you would have.

You're a pilot, so you think flying to little airports is awesome. I get it. Take the money you make above the fractional pilots, buy an RV, and fly it during all the time off you have while they are working.

No disrespect to any fractional pilots, but they work harder, longer, for less pay on average. How do I know? I lived it!

su2099

The long days get so old at NJA especially when most duty days were 10-13hrs/day. This is one reason why I’m glad I left and went to the majors. Even if they get a pay raise down the road, the QOL still won’t compare to working for a major and living in base. My 2 cents

OhSnapAF

They will never make enough money to compare to a major.

The selling point is getting to live in BFE (I guess).