This is spot on what my D.O. told me. He was a chief pilot there for over a year and left because it was a ****** show.

Tranny1. your friend is telling you this? By the tone of your posts you are taking the word of a disgruntled employee, fired former employee (hence disgruntled) or someone who really doesn't like working for SA, which frankly represents a small minority . Listen, your buddy makes a good few arguments but there are some outrageous and simply off base statements.

I'm a simple line pilot, I'm not based at the mothership (LA) and have no close connections with the company management. I just happy to show up to the plane every day. So let me address a few things from my perspective only:

First of All: Most of the CAs who have worked for the regionals left because of industry BS, your friend is right. However, I've yet to meet one that was bitter because of it, and the ones I've known in the company are all happy they are at SA. Most came to SA because they wanted the QoL of being at home to hang out with their wife and kids. Gee, most regional pilots give up flying because of their kids and hardships, SA requires a pay cut but still allows you to fly.

Secondly: If any FO thinks they will get to the Majors with SEL Turbine Time only, they were smoking something going into it. Surf Air has NEVER sold the lie that you can make the majors based on SEL TT only, thats simply foolish. Additionally, I have NEVER heard the CEO or Chief Pilot say/announce/hint you can make it to Virgin America based on Surf Air time alone. Yes its true that we have a company agreement with Virgin America to ride on their aircraft (SA is non-CASS). Its true that SA's C-staff have connections with Virgin C-Staff, but any RUMOR saying that SA has promised a flow to Virgin is just that, RUMOR. The only Rumors I've heard however was a flow to a regional which doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me, but I'm sure some FO's would like that.

Third of ALL: Pay. Yes your friend is right, $29/hr with a 72hr guarantee WILL NOT pay the bills in CA unless you live with someone, you take on CFI side work or a part time job, or your significant other has a good job. Frankly though, starting pay is LESS at compass, skywest, horizon, etc. even more so after you add in union fees, eating out, etc. After 6 months SA's $36/Hr is actually higher than Compass (2 years) as FO, and just a little lower than Skywest after 2 years as FO (CRJ7)...Oh then you have to factor in QoL of sleeping in your own bed, waking up next to your wife, playing with your kids. QoL > Pay. Captain pay IS lower than Regional jet captain pay hands down, but again those who stay do it for QoL first, building time second (one of our CA's has a 747-400 rating with 9000+ hrs).

Fourth of All: Time on Vs. Time Off. Yes there are people in NorCAL who have 8 days off a month! And yes they are flying 100-122 hours (two people this month). BUT those two REQUESTED max hours! And to say that being overworked by working 85 hours is ludicrous! Most captains are working between 75-85 hours (some less!), and most typically get between 11-15 days off. NORCAL is understaffed right now, but there were a bunch of new hires and that trend is going down over time. I've never had a month with less than 14 days off, and never had more than 90 hours a month at the bases I've been to. Plus 85 hours still gives me 15-16 days off.

Fifth: A FEW pilots commute long distance. Some decide to stay at a place, but most don't choose hotels (some do crash pads). SA is really good at trying to place you in base, some bases are OVER staffed with CA's (Carlsbad) which there are a few CA's that have been with the company for a few years waiting to get in that base. However, the longest commute at SA is usually under 2 hours of driving (yes that sucks, but a hell of a lot better than commuting Jump seat on your days off to your crash pad, which you pay for as well).

Lastly: There are a few people that are actively leaving, I'm sure of it. Some dont like the job (a few with every company), some are moving up or over (lateral move to corporate), but few express that they are disgruntled. But I, and the vast majority of people I fly with think that SA does treat their pilots well. Sure I can't necessarily agree with everything the company does, some things don't make sense from a line pilot's perspective (MOST airline pilots agree with more conviction). But never once have I been mistreated or felt like the company didn't have us in their best interest.

Just my two cents, take it how you want, but I'm certainly content that I have a quality job.

@DavidM
You definitely have some good points as well. But by you saying that the pilot Moral is up at Surf Air and there is a small dissatisfied group of Pilots, that is were you are wrong. According to my friend, 3 FOs and 2 Captains are leaving in a 2 week span, and more on the way. If pilots are so happy here, why does 90 percent of the captains have Apps to try to go to the Majors, brainwashed by management thinking that the PIC Turbine is going to get them into a major? Also totally False that Surfair tries to put their pilots at their desired base. There is a handful of Captains in Hawthorne alone who have to commute 2-2:30 hours to come to HHR for work and then are obligated to get a room or crash pad because it isn't worth driving home because they have to go to work the next morning, so the quality of life, sleeping in your own bed is totally irrelevant. Also maybe you should go to Hawthorne, maybe you will get a feel for what's going on in the company. This isn't a RUMOR, According to 2 Captains and 2 FOs, they have flown the Cheif Pilot and the CEo and they have stated to the Pilots that there is a "Close Agreement to having a Flow Thru with Virgin America". Very credible and Professional Pilots by the way. Even in the past, the CEO has try to pull the same tactic. It doesn't hold well with a Pilot Group that A chief Pilot who is never around making thousands of dollars and has no presence in the company what so ever, he is too busy flying a Gulfstream out of the country. Why do you think Surf Air has a Laundry List of things to fix with the FAA or has the possibility of having their certificate revoked?Why hasn't Surf Air received anymore airplanes in the last 2 months?
They need to have 4,000 members before the end of the year to present to investors to get the next round of Funding and they only have maybe around 1700. Maybe a little Financial Trouble?
Yes you are right, the pay is a little better than the regionals, but I guess it all depends on what you want to do with your career. If you want to fly PC12s making 65k a year Surf Air is perfect, if you want to go to the Majors or fly big corporate jets to make big money, it is a place to start but need to be on the move. Also the Captains are overworked at base either way you look at it and are very under paid. But having access to see the schedule, these captains don't have a lot of time off and QOL isn't there. But everyone has a opinion

Okay you got me there. I don't work at HHR, I don't see the ****ed off pilots you are mentioning. Quite possible they can exist, I just never saw it. And you do again make a couple of great points, some of which I won't argue. Your point about using SA to build time for airlines is quite possibly the best. You usually cant go from a PC-12 into a A320, just like you can't go from a C-172 to a G650 either. You clearly have an axe to grind, but maybe I don't understand why you are grinding an axe for your friend. Pilot boards here have plenty of people talking about how their jobs suck, but at least its their job that they are complaining about.

JetBlue has a bridge program with Cape Air...

Wait.....because you have an application in at another job - especially one that is considered the end job in the career field - you equate that with automatically disliking your current job?

I LOVED my last job before my current job, but I also knew that is was a much tougher road to a stable career path than the job that I was applying for and eventually hired into.

Many operators have a list of things to fix from the FAA - especially a fairly new start-up. Any operator also has the possibility of having a certificate revoked. Are you saying that Surf Air has been told that they are close to having it revoked?

You have a lot of examples of 2 CAs and 2 FOs.......
Unless it is a very small pilot group, that hardly speaks to any sort of majority but rather to third person information and a sampling.
If the other poster were to provide second hand information that 2 CAs and 2 FOs had opposite feelings about any number of issues would you consider it a draw or rather tht there might be some unhappy people at the company and some unhappy people?

Having an application in with a major airline or any company for that matter is the norm in this industry. Its not that we aren't happy, its that we are smart in knowing our options in case something happens to our current employment status. In any industry, if you aren't aware of what jobs are out there, you become stagnant and are therefore doing yourself a disservice

Any interview gouge out there on Surf Air?

Tranny1 your contact wasnt by any chance RR was it? haha hope he is doing well at elite.

Everyone else, sorry i've been real busy and gone from this site for a while, I'll try to respondto any pending questions tonight.

I have an interview Wednesday and I have not been able to find a gouge anywhere. Any info will help. Thanks!