Experienced FO
 

Does an experienced fo hire get pushed to upgrade sooner or will still sit reserve forever?

If you take an "experienced fo" bonus at hire or take pay longevity credit, you are required to bid any and all open captain vacancies each month. If you don't yet have 1000 PIC qualifying hours, they will just skip over you.

Depending on base, you need around 3(ANC)-6(SEA) years seniority to hold a line as a captain at Horizon.

How has reserve been treating you all?

Could be way worse. Im a Jan 23 hire and I did just under 500 hrs in my first year, all on reserve. Got my first line in Seattle this month. It’s not going to be handed to you but if make your rounds and pay your own hotel a few times, it’ll work out.

Sorry, but does this mean newly-upgraded captains spend 3-6 *years* on reserve? I thought there was a captain shortage.

So you can choose between the bonus or longevity pay?

The 50K bonus then will be paid day 1? And you just get max FO pay if you meet 121 Capt mins?

DM me if someone wants the referral bonus, planning on applying this week, wife got a Job in ANC.

Join us with prior qualifying time and receive up to $50,000 in bonuses!

• Receive an Experienced Hire Bonus of $25,000 for those with 500-999 hours of prior qualifying time and $50,000 for those with 1,000+ hours of prior qualifying time.
  
• 50% pays out 12 months after Date of Hire, and 50% pays out 18 months after Date of Hire or at transition to Alaska Airlines via Pathways.
  
• We are offering a longevity match for hourly rates with no cap for pilots with prior part 121 experience. Year-for-year longevity pay is contingent upon the pilot maintaining a permanent bid preferencing all Captain positions as their highest priority bids.

This is a direct quote from Horizon's website.

Horizon Reserve Rules
 

I'm thinking about jumping over to Horizon from Skywest in order to avoid: 1) upgrading to the CRJ and 2) being sent somewhere east (I'm currently in PDX). I have a young family and really don't want to commute. It sounds like the experienced hire option could keep me and my family in the PNW at the very least (minimizing commute to at most a <1 hr direct flight) and might take less time to get back to PDX than staying with Skywest. I know I'd be sitting reserve as a CA or as an FO but am wondering what the reserve rules/days look like for Horizon. Skywest is 18/month with captains getting called way more than FOs. Can anyone share the Horizon reserve rules and/or any experience they have joining as an experienced FO?

Thanks!