Jacksonville FL/JAX based, which regional?
 

6 months out from the magic 1500, Jacksonville, FL based. Recommendations? Nearest/easiest commutable basing, pay/schedule/QOL/etc. QOL is the biggest, will likely be a minimum monthly guy, not bidding extra trips, so time off is important. I have a spreadsheet built but it seems every other week things are changing, which I understand in the biz, but wanting to get input from all you experts out there doing it right now to steer me into the right direction.
Thanks in advance.

Check out www.pilotdomiciles.com for a big-picture idea of what your options are.

PSA or Piedmont have CLT. 7-8 flights /day. Endeavor has ATL. 8-9 flights /day. Envoy you could go to MIA or DFW and they have 4 flights /day. DCA is doable with 4 flights /day if PSA or RAH interest you there. RAH and XJT also have an IAH base and I think there are 4-5 flights /day there too.

...my personal opinion CLT or ATL are your best bet with DCA a distant 2nd. Endeavor or PSA is who your choice will likely come down to.

Just my opinion, but either Endeavor or SkyWest for Atlanta. I’m sure they’re are a lot of flights and it’s only about an hour.

I wouldn’t personally recommend SkyWest, but Endeavor in ATL is a good choice.

Like I said above, your choice essentially comes down to ATL or CLT and DCA as a distant second as far as ease of commute is concerned. Look at the regionals with bases there, interview, get offers, then make your choice.

PSA or republic. Republic has a MIA base with several flights a day on republic metal. PSA being a wholly owned means you can get on AA to any number of destinations and there are a lot from JAX - DFW, CLT MIA etc...

Thanks for the steering in the right direction, good tips to start hammering down on to start narrowing down and honing in. Thanks!

I am pretty sure Envoy has a lot of overnights into there out of DFW, with ORD even getting some. While it is a longer commute, you could in time be able to bid trips that put in your own bed more nights a month. Just an option obviously and does come with the fact that you may not always be able to do that. Good luck to you.

Or when you become a line-holder at PSA you can be off 17-20 days /month as long as you’re okay with 65 - 70 hours of pay. I run into DFW, MIA, and ORD commuters from time to time and they have it a lot tougher than CLT and ATL commuters. Just my observation.

MIA may be easier if you’re at Envoy or Republic and you’re on your own metal for the commute. But I literally know pilots in JAX who just drive to MIA because it’s easier than catching a flight. And the Envoy 145s can be weight restricted and won’t be able to take a jumpseater. Not as common in Florida as the northeast but it does happen.

ATL-JAX is supposed to be an OK commute. Skywest and Endeavor both have bases there. at Skywest, once you can hold a line, you can plan on 90+hrs with 11-13 days a month off whether or not you want to fly that much.(an FO line is 8-10 months from hire date) ATL at Endeavor used to be very stagnant, I'll let one of those guys chime in if that's still the case.