Mesa vs Skywest vs Compass
 

A good friend of mine has been asking me which of these three airlines he should join. He lives in Chicago and has class dates for the E175 at all three. Please no trolling. He has about 3,000TT, previous 121 but has been out of the game while he and his wife started a family.

Wants a potential quick upgrade and is willing to commute? CPZ

QOL via ORD out of training? SKW

I told him that I thought that while Skywest may offer an ORD base, he'd be better off at Mesa or Compass. Surely he'd be on reserve forever at Skywest on the 175 and he wouldn't see the left seat for 7-8 years?

Quick upgrade or QOL via driving to work?

Things are starting to move at SKW (very slowly). However, it will be a much longer upgrade than Mesa (as long as the wheels don't fall off) or CPZ (as long as the AA rollout goes ok). There were large periods (years) where nobody was hired at SKW, upgrades will drop overnight, but nowhere near 18-24 months.

I know a guy hired into ORD who is a lineholder after one month of reserve on the CRJ. I know it doesn't have engines under the wings, but driving to the airport to fly your own line after a month is a pretty decent deal. Again, QOL or quick upgrade...

With kids, not commuting was a family game changer. Best 8 years of my life was not commuting with a young family.

Things change a lot in this industry. He has a class date for the 175 at SKW? I can tell you that for October there are 0 reserve lines on the 175 in ORD. Again things change and I'm sure in a few months they'll have at least a couple of reserve lines. But I don't think he'd be on reserve forever on the 175.

SkyWest. Not having to commute is HUGE. Sitting reserve in base isn't that bad.

With a family, living in base will earn huge QOL points. I wouldn't even consider being a commuter with a family. If your friend was a commuter in his previous 121 endeavors, I can't imagine why he'd even ask the question.

I would normally say to go where you can fly the most, upgrade in a reasonable amount of time, and GTFO, but in this case that ship has already sailed since he has a family.

At this point it may be best to chase the QOL of being based at home, and just accept the fact that you may very well be a regional lifer. Either that or you'll be slinging gear for most of your time at the majors.

hiring mins
 

I've been out of the industry for five years, 4000 hours mostly jet time and three jet type ratings. I'm not current. Interviewing with regionals next month. Is some basic instrument sim time with instructor ok or do I have to go get a bfr...it really is a money thing. Don't want to spend the cash if I don't have to

If you have a pulse and an ATP there's one regional that will hire you over the phone without question.

I've been out of the industry also and wondering if I need to get a bfr. I have an atp three types and 4000 hours. A lot of people are telling me I won't get hired because I'm not current. Just curious

I don't think a BFR is going to help you, especially if they called you for an interview. Although, if the interview includes a sim evaluation, it would probably be worth the investment to get instrument current. (In an FTD.)

Where are you interviewing?

I think you could get scooped up with one of the bottom feeder regionals right now, via phone interview. Or get current and have your choice.

Oh boy, who is it? Most people are telling me that I won't get looked at because I'm not current. Getting some sim time but don't want to give up the cash for a bfr that I won't use. It will cost about one quarter of a type in an old learjet.

I have three scheduled no sim eval but getting the sim time anyway.

No he won't be on reserve forever. There will plenty of new hires joining the plane below him, and we are taking delivery 2-3 planes a month.

How do you know what the upgrade time will be? I have seen more movement in these last three months as SkyWest then I have seen in my three years here. We are technically a growing airline. We are taking on 40 new planes and we have bought 9 used ones this year to replace planes that had to go to the desert.

The first three rules of picking a regional 1. Don't Commute 2. Don't commute 3. Don't Commute and you could throw the 4th one in is maybe pick a regional that is growing if you can't comply with the first three.

I've commuted for my entire time at the regional level with a family. It was manageable and I hold commutable lines as long as they have them. The commute is horrid, and I cant wait to get a job where I can drive to work which may or may not be flying airplanes.

Mesa is the one doing phone interviews. Fire off an email with resume attached to [email protected] after you fill out the airlineapps.com application and see what you get for a response. I would hazard a guess that sim/instrument time is more valuable than a flight review in the airlines' eyes.

He needs to do what is best in the long run for him and his family and take the one year upgrade at CPZ. This is a very rare opportunity and he'll be a senior lineholder within months and if he wants to bypass upgrade for a while and 'pretend' he went to SKW then he can simply do that. Why not have the opportunity to upgrade? Who knows, CPZ might have a base in ORD someday anyway. Even if not, I think the seniority progression will cancel out the negatives of commuting. Upgrade is already just about to come down to ~14 months. People starting in the next 2-3 months will upgrade in 12 months if they want to.

Why on earth go to SKYW when this is available, with the class date right in front of him to boot?

The path to a major airline is not the right seat at a fee-for-departure airline for half a decade while a major hiring spree is ramping up. The family needs to understand this. There could very well be a million extra dollars made because of it; you never know with how the timing and periods of stagnation go in this industry.

He needs PIC time now, more than a single guy with no family does.

SKW ORD, without a doubt.

[QUOTE][QUOTE=Fecking

The first three rules of picking a regional 1. Don't Commute 2. Don't commute 3. Don't Commute and you could throw the 4th one in is maybe pick a regional that is growing if you can't comply with the first three.[/QUOTE]

Agree 100% with the above quote.
Quick upgrades come and go, you might get stuck commuting as a regional f/o for longer than you think?
Good luck with your decision.

I know several pilots who have been hired at majors with under 300 PIC and zero jet time. PIC time isn't as golden as it once was.

Too bad CPZ has already filled classes for the next 2-3 months. I'm assuming they're now filling January classes. We'll see if the short upgrade holds out that long.

Where is Mesa basing the 170s? If he takes compass sounds like he'll be commuting to LAX.

This is true. ORD at SKW is very junior these days. Besides, the airline culture is one of the big plusses…great place to work!

The pilot being discussed already has a class date at all three places.

He'd have 400 pilots below him in about a year at CPZ, at a 650 pilot company (at that point).

Lineholder captain in 12-14 months.

This whole thread is a no-brainer.

Its not a no brainer if he can't move and doesn't want to commute. Everybody has their own situation and reasons why one regional may be better than an other.

It shows a lot of flights from LAX ORD BUT How's the LAX ORD commute ????

Anyone with experience, care to chime in...????

Most of the crews flowing from compass to delta next year are based in MSP. He would probably get LAX out of training but can easily transfer to MSP and have a short commute from ORD. Either way go for SKW or CPZ.

The loads vary, but it's do able. However, avoid commuting if possible.

The assumption is still that a regional will keep a certain hub open. Regional hubs can close just as quickly as the mainline partner decides to shift flying or even their operation. I wouldn't go to a regional just for a certain base.

For the OP's friend, I'd recommend Compass. They have many flows guaranteed to leave to Delta plus the additional AA flying will ensure lots of movement.

Compass, without a doubt. And then Mesa. Skywest may be a great place to work but their upgrade is 7-8 years right now. I don't care how great a regional is, 7-8 years is a long time to
Sit in the right seat of an RJ.

Think of all the money you will have lost if you went to Compass or Mesa, upgraded in 16 months then onto a major 12-16 months after that. Meanwhile the Skywest guy is still sitting right seat on an RJ and the Mesa/Compass guy is already onto the right seat of a Boeing/airbus making 100k+ a year.

And for the guys saying Skywest's upgrade time is about to come down... Look at all the 50 seaters they have to shed in the next 5-10 years. It's going to be a wash at best there with 200s leaving and 175s arriving.

As a long time SkyWest employee I'm rather biased.

Go to Compass. Upgrade at SkyWest is going to stay 5+ years for a long time.

Now if you have the financial means to sit in the right seat for a long time and think SkyWest might be a career destination -- it would be a good choice.

I'm surprised NVUS hasn't chimed in yet with a list of reasons why the OP should go to SkyBest. Complete with the latest route map!


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don't bother, get current in the sim and you'll be fine. if you do get a bfr, do it in a cessna not a lear

That route map is slowly shrinking so he's a little embarrassed by how small it's getting. :rolleyes:

Having just spoken to my friend he seems to think he'll be going for Compass. He has a class date for some time in December I think. It seems to be the best compromise of the three.

Just that easy...ELOHEL

What about all the guys with 5-6-7k PIC who can't get called? What about people getting hired with no college and shotty backgrounds?

Shoddy??? What was that what was that......

http://mrwgifs.com/wp-content/upload...action-Gif.gif

Ooooooohhhh!!!!

Geeeeetttt the # outta here....:p

Come one i-dren, tell i why are dose captain no gettin' hired if it's so easy? Mon.