SkyWest to Expressjet?
 

I'm a current 175 FO at SkyWest. Fiance and I are considering moving to TN, within driving distance to Knoxville and Atlanta.

Would going to xjt make any sense? Looks like they have growth coming plus the 175s. Bonus for me would be 27k.

Other option would be stay at OO and transfer to the CRJ for the ATL base. And not lose my 8 months of seniority for a lateral move. But that bonus money sure is tempting.

Thoughts?

That really depends on how old you are/what your plans are?
Are you 50+ and going to be a regional lifer?
If not, or even probably if you are... You're probably going to be able to upgrade soon-ish so you're pay is going to double right there.. By the time you get in and through training at XJT, you'd probably be upgrading if you stay at OO.

Think about the pay difference for a second.. yes you'll get a 27k bonus, but you're going to make that as up as a captain too (over your FO salary).
Now if you do a direct entry captain thing, you're still going to be at the bottom of the seniority list which means your schedule is going to be garbage..

If it were me, I would goto ATL and then upgrade on the CRJ asap.
If you're just itching to get on the ERJ move to that plane later.

Do you hate it at SKW?

If you are happy with SKW then stay and transfer to ATL.

If you are not happy with SKW might as well get a nice fat bonus in the old pocket.

Does XJT even have an Atlanta base anymore?

I'm fine with SkyWest. I just have some debt and the bonus would provide a quick way to pay it off.

No clue. Seems like new hires are getting EWR though. That would basically defeat the purpose of going there

ExpressJet bases are EWR, ORD, CLE, IAH, and TYS. ATL is still where the company headquarters is, but it’s no longer a pilot base after becoming an all-United Express airline.

I know you also mentioned TYS, but a new hire shouldn’t plan on it. It’s a tiny base and not likely for a new hire to get it. New hires should expect EWR or ORD.

It’s a very good company, and with the United purchase, it has aircraft and movement on the way. It really depends on what your main priority is. If you’re trying to stay near ATL or TYS and not commute, then it wouldn’t make much sense.

If your circumstances are that you really need that $27,000 bonus now, and/or if you want guaranteed interviews/Hogans with United, then maybe consider it.

Don't you start getting monthly/quarterly bonuses after you first year at SKW ?

You are talking to someone who has considered throwing away 2 1/2 years of seniority (forced upgrade into crappy QoL) for the record. I'm quite unhappy where I am though. I wouldn't make the switch for only money purposes. You'll be further ahead in the long run (probably... no one has a crystal ball) to stay where you are.

Now if you were like - money, TYS base AND the United Interview/Flow/Whatever its called thing - now you're talking a more sensible move.

Good luck.

Yeah. In a few months I'll be at year 2 50/hour, which is better than xjt pay scales. So that's a factor. No clue about the bonuses. There's financial and performance or whatever. Not sure how that works.

Biggest thing for me is location. My fiance and I thought moving to Denver would be a good idea but we hate it here. Housing costs are out of control, too many hippies, etc. So we wanna get the hell outta here.

With XJTs override, the adjusted rate year 1 is about $51.50 an hour.