Opinion as ORD as a base.
 

41 year old closing in on 1500 hours here. I am about to start applying to the regionals and am curious which regional would be the best pick to hold Chicago as a base soonest. 1) I know the seniority of bases for fo and capt is different for different regionals. 2) I know there are many different variables that will go into choosing a job other than bases. I’m just looking to explore this one variable currently. 3) I know that the seniority levels can change day to day with expansion, cuts, new bases, etc but I’m looking for an opinion if I had to pick the best option today. From what I read, commuting is horrible and cuts into life significantly and I’d like to avoid it as much as possible. And I’m not in a position to where I can move because of family. With that being said, I’m looking for the best opinion of what regional to choose if I could choose any that would allow me Chicago as a base soonest. Also, if anyone knows of a resource out there that does like a side by side list and updates of the answer I’m looking for that would be great.

Thanks!

At XJT about 90% of new hires have gotten ORD in the last couple of months whether they wanted it or not.

ORD is easy to get for just about any regional that has a base there so you should have no problem getting it. Envoy has the flow to AA, so if you can’t get on at any other mainline at least that is in your back pocket. No idea what the timeline is though.


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At AirWis, I held ORD reserve after one month on the line and an ORD line after 6 months. I think that timetable is extended a little but now but you should be able to get reserve there within a couple months.

Literally any regional with a crew base there EXCEPT Republic is a solid option. YX has been shrinking ORD for 5 years and seem to only care about the northeast. If ORD is your goal stay as far away from Republic as possible.

If I could do it all over again I’d chose Skywest. ORD is one of, if not the biggest crew base for OO. Tons of options other than ORD if you ever chose to leave Chicago. Pay and QOL on par with almost everyone else.

Living in base is 100% the highest deciding factor in QOL. Skywest can give you Chicago and job security over every other regional that operates in ORD.

I got ORD before finishing training at OO. YMMV but it shouldn't be long.

Where are you going to keep your wallet with flow in your back pocket? ohh wait I forgot, you won't need a wallet because you will be broke working for Envoy.

OO or Envoy. No brainer. Don’t go to Republic.

Yeah go OO. Especially if you don’t mind flying 5-6 legs a day in a 200, junior manning on your “days off”, or sitting hot reserve. Not to mention the lack of pay compared with other options, no rigs and no union. But at least you’ll get ORD and a name tag.

What’s the knock on ExpressJet currently? $22K bonus, $40 an hour, $10,000 per year “salary” (EQO). 75 hr minimum. Easy to get 85 after very short reserve. Upgrade time has come down dramatically and will continue. We only have around 200 CA eligible FOs left with around 10 CAs leaving for new opportunities every week. Of the 200 over half have already bypassed upgrade.

And brand new 175s