The problem with minrest is that he's incapable of posting a candid non biased opinion. For example, NetJets is soul crushing? Trucker hotels? Like the Grand Hyatt we stay at in San Diego for example? I don't remember seeing any truckers there the last time I walked around seaport village.

There are pros and cons which have been beaten to death ad nauseam on here. The truth is that legacy 121 is the better option for some whereas the cons associated with the airlines make fractional a better choice for others. Both are good options all things considered and neither are "soul destroying" as per the APC forums drama queen with multiple aliases and alter ego's, AKA Minrest!

No multiple aliases, no alter egos. This is my only username. You just simply don't like somebody's reality not matching your blind fantasy. You are too attached to the company you work at to actually evaluate the job for what it is. I have also done both legacy 121 and fractional as well as other 91 and 135 outfits, you haven't. I prefaced several times by saying that my experience at NJA was MY experience. If you only get the Grand Hyatt and 30 hour layovers working for NJA, you either live in a fantasy land or you have wiggled your way into the A team.

I was both candid, and non biased in my response. It just hurts your ego to see somebody talk realistic about the company you eat, sleep, and breath for. Again, go find the the threads of legacy 121 pilots who are looking to switch to NJA that aren't 65 and retired, I'll wait...

Lots of people are happy at NJA and other fractionals, and I couldn't be happier for them. If you love the job and want to make it a career, NJA is great, as I am sure are other fractionals. But having done both, I gave my experiences and I am happy with the decision to go 121 legacy.

CFI here and invited to expo with NJA. No paid time outside of instruction. I will have a potential NJA CJO here soon and I also have CJOs from two other regionals (unfortunately not any AA WO). The type of flying NJs does is pretty attractive to me, as well as the initial pay and QOL going into a potential recession. Just wanted to get some insider info on transition to legacies if I didn't like it. Is it possible vs probable? Would it take longer than the regionals? Should I just suck it up and go to the regionals? I should note that at Regional #1 it will be a two-flight commute to work. Regional #2 would be a one flight commute but lowest pay among all regionals. I know it's a career destination and I'll treat it as such until I don't like it, if I don't like it.

Who knows, maybe I'll really like it. I don't mind being away from home and never knowing where you are going seems like an adventure.

Commuting sucks, but a 2 leg commute to a regional really sucks. You’ll likely get to your career 121 destination faster by going to a regional, but a 2 leg commute to reserve at a regional isn’t a hell I would wish on my worst enemy.

You will fly 400 to 600 hours per year at NJA. If you decide to move on, it will take longer to get the time than at the regionals. That said, a 2 leg commute will be horrific. I straight up moved to base at the regionals when there and always refused to commute, but I guess I could see dealing with a single leg commute. I'd imagine you could probably bolt for one of the high paying regionals relatively quickly after making reasonable money at NJA for a year or two, but it will take a while to get PIC time at NJA if you want to skip the regionals altogether. I wish the current options were there for me 25 years ago when I went to flight school. Good luck whatever you decide.

If regional #1/#2 are EDV or OO, then I'd go to NJA/Flex over either.

Best way to get hired at United or American is work for EDV though.

Seconded! DO NOT go to a regional that has a two leg commute. If you have a wife, you won’t for long. Second, it’ll crush your soul.

If your goal is to get to a legacy, get on with a regional pronto, but don’t two leg commute it.

Unless you have jumpseated to commute before, you might not realize how much stress and frustration will come with a 2 leg commute. You will most likely have 12 days or less off a month on reserve and many of those days off will end up being commuting days for a 2 legger. Any option, including waiting on a better airline while still instructing will be better for your personal life and mental state than a 2 legger to regional reserve.

Yeah, I'm afraid EDV would be a two-leg commute through MSP to NY. Everyone says you don't want MSP either, reserve is terrible.

Looking at NJ now and OO. OO is doable with MSP being pretty junior on the 175. We'll see. Just hate the pay cut. I'll commute anywhere I go, perks of living in the middle of nowhere.... not!

You just hit the nail on the head. If you live in a remote area and it's an approved NetJets base, you'll save yourself an enormous headache not having to worry about commuting. If 121 is your thing and you live in a hub then that's a different ballgame. There are trade offs. For me personally, commuting is just something that I'm not willing to put myself or my family through ever again. You could do alot worse than NetJets, Flexjet or even Wheels Up. If it's not for you the airlines will still be there. I think the old adage that you have to serve your time at a regional before a legacy will look at you is outdated. I know of multiple former colleagues who have left the 135 & 91k world to go to the big 3 and Southwest.