PSA or Republic?
 

Hello all,

I am deciding between flying for PSA or Republic. I live in the DC suburbs, so DCA is my ideal base. Out of the regionals that fly out from there, PSA and Republic looks the most promising. I have 0 Part 121 experience, so all the mumbo about scheduling and the like go over my head.

My number 1 priority is being based out of DCA.

From what I can tell, PSA is growing very quickly (arguably too quickly) and upgrade times seem to be on faster side. The jumpseat/flight benefits are a plus, too. I am not putting any weight on the AA flow agreement. Pay and bonus is decent. Fleet is decent (I know the bird you fly doesn't matter).

Republic seems to be one of the higher pay regionals for both FO and CA (something PSA is lacking after year 1 pay). They fly for all 3 legacies, and a quarter of the pilots have been moving to one of the big 3. Overall benefits seems to be superior to PSA, which means higher indirect monetary gain.

What are some factors that you would look for, if you were in my shoes? Which would you recommend?

SAP......Done. Go to PSA.

PSA = SAP, which = no brainer decision.

PSA... and I don't work for either.

Banana.

::

Curious... where did you hear a quarter of RAH pilots are going to the big 3? That seems awfully high, especially considering the limited amount of off the street hiring at AA. Even 25% attrition to any major sounds too high. Are they getting enough new hires to sustain that kind of attrition?

Consider the airline's history in screwing its pilots...I live closer to 2 Republic bases than a PSA base, but happily drive an extra hour to get to my PSA base.

If you want DCA, PSA is a no-brainer. Our DCA flying is greater than Republic and will only increase. Overall, lots of great people at PSA to work with too.

After you get to a Round 1 line (which WILL happen quickly at DCA), you can basically arrange your schedule to work when you want...or you can choose to work when the company needs you and pick up lots of critical pay.

Looks like PSA's signing bonus is larger for people without prior 121 time ($16520 vs $10000)...And it takes a lot of hours to make much of a difference between $38.88 and $40.40 per hour. You'll make more at PSA with just a few hours of critical pay (1.5x base rate), if that's a concern.

Lots more info available throughout the PSA threads if you want to dig...

I live In the suburbs of DC and work for PSA. With the SAP this is the easiest job on the planet. Not only can you pick the days you want to work but you can also use the SAP to pick what time of day you want to begin and end your trip to avoid the horrendous traffic. Nothing against republic but PSA is a no brainer. Owned by AA, great travel benifits, SAP, drive to work. Easy desison.

Are you on the Virginia or Maryland side? MSG me if you want to meet up and talk about PSA.

I can be a bit of a grumpy spoiled pain in the ass and even commuting halfway across the country to reserve in DCA PSA has been pretty painless. No complaints so far.

I was facing the same choice...I went PSA. So far so good, I like the routes out of DCA and the people in DCA are good. Reasons have already been mentioned....plus Republic was still in bankruptcy when I was making my decision.

If you go PSA, find one of your friends to "sponsor" you before you apply and you can split the $5 referral bonus. Might be an extra 1.5k after taxes.

Good luck!