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#11
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Sep 2016
Posts: 1,948
Implies to not go to the first one that calls. Turning down any mainline offer and hanging out at a regional hoping Cinderella calls is a bad idea. Nothing wrong with positioning yourself and trying harder for the one you like best, but I think you vastly over-estimate the amount of choice the average regional pilot has in who calls first.
#12
“From a regional perspective it may be easy to say, especially today, “H€|| I’ll gladly go to the first major that calls and then use THAT major as a stepping stone to where I REALLY want to go, but that begs the question of where you do REALLY want to go and realize after a few years seniority is going to pretty well lock you in to where you sit if you sit there very long”
Implies to not go to the first one that calls. Turning down any mainline offer and hanging out at a regional hoping Cinderella calls is a bad idea. Nothing wrong with positioning yourself and trying harder for the one you like best, but I think you vastly over-estimate the amount of choice the average regional pilot has in who calls first.
Implies to not go to the first one that calls. Turning down any mainline offer and hanging out at a regional hoping Cinderella calls is a bad idea. Nothing wrong with positioning yourself and trying harder for the one you like best, but I think you vastly over-estimate the amount of choice the average regional pilot has in who calls first.
My intention was to suggest that people pay attention - now that various business models are under stress - to see what happens with the various majors. Because, yeah, a lot of guys at the legacies are probably now wishing they’d taken that offer from SWA right now
#13
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Aug 2019
Posts: 112
I feel like Excargodog’s point is, and correct me if I’m wrong, that some people only get infatuated with one place?
Kind of like someone being crazy over some ex that cheated on them when there are so many others out there. I feel many of the people I flew with in the regionals wanted to move on, but there were quite a few at mine who definitely weren’t moving as well. They had offers at other places but were comfortable with their QOL. Their choice, but boy they’re on the streets now... yikes.
Kind of like someone being crazy over some ex that cheated on them when there are so many others out there. I feel many of the people I flew with in the regionals wanted to move on, but there were quite a few at mine who definitely weren’t moving as well. They had offers at other places but were comfortable with their QOL. Their choice, but boy they’re on the streets now... yikes.
#14
I think you misread the intention. It means what I said, no more and no less. It does not instruct anyone to turn down any offer. But as noted above, junior people in their first couple years at a major ONCE THEY’VE MADE IT THERE frequently have offers from other majors. They are in fact fairly mobile at that point, up until they have accrued enough seniority to be invested in that particular airline.
My intention was to suggest that people pay attention - now that various business models are under stress - to see what happens with the various majors. Because, yeah, a lot of guys at the legacies are probably now wishing they’d taken that offer from SWA right now
My intention was to suggest that people pay attention - now that various business models are under stress - to see what happens with the various majors. Because, yeah, a lot of guys at the legacies are probably now wishing they’d taken that offer from SWA right now
With all that said... for most people, in the long run/grand scheme, it's better to be furloughed from a major than employed by a regional. Obvious exceptions for those over 50, GED and no other skills, stay-at-home spouse w/kids, etc.
It's hard enough as it is to move up, without trying to guesstimate if the economy/industry will hold up for 3-4 years after your class date.
I frankly wouldn't trade my somewhat junior number for the job security of my old regional gig.
#16
With all that said... for most people, in the long run/grand scheme, it's better to be furloughed from a major than employed by a regional. Obvious exceptions for those over 50, GED and no other skills, stay-at-home spouse w/kids, etc.
It's hard enough as it is to move up, without trying to guesstimate if the economy/industry will hold up for 3-4 years after your class date.
I frankly wouldn't trade my somewhat junior number for the job security of my old regional gig.
It's hard enough as it is to move up, without trying to guesstimate if the economy/industry will hold up for 3-4 years after your class date.
I frankly wouldn't trade my somewhat junior number for the job security of my old regional gig.
What I WAS advocating was that regional pilots educate themselves about what is going on at different majors because, yes, there IS a narrow window of flexibility for the first couple years at a major when junior people DO change employers (I know several former VX acquaintances who bailed from Alaska after they were acquired and other junior FOs who bailed to freight or to/from SWA. It really does happen. And I believe many if not most of the younger regional people ARE going to get an offer to a major once we are fully recovered, be that in two years or ten and - yeah, they are going to take it, because fir the vast majority any major will be better than any regional.
But at that time they will have all the things on their resume that let them get that job to begin with and then immediately add a new type-rating and major experience. And when that happens they will have the narrow window of opportunity - a few years at most - before seniority locks them in to the airline they are at for a career, or at least for as long as that airline exists.
But the world is changing and some business models are adapting better than others.
Don’t get emotionally locked in to yesterday’s winner when the paradigm shifts. Watch what is happening today.
#17
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Sep 2017
Posts: 616
How specifically are regionals worse than majors other than a much smaller paycheck of course?
#18
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Mar 2017
Posts: 3,624
1. Significantly better pay.
2. Significantly better qol
3. Significantly better schedules
4. Significantly less hostility from management
5. Significantly better union in terms of being able to actually defend their pilots. Our current MEC is doing a fine job, but we only have so much power at the end of the day.
6. Better jump seat privileges on the routes that actually matter.
7. Duty Rigs
8. Min Day Guarantee
9. Better per diem
10. Meals
I could go on. Its not worth it though. Mainline is far and away the better option.
#19
Banned
Joined APC: May 2017
Posts: 2,012
#20
What I WAS advocating was that regional pilots educate themselves about what is going on at different majors because, yes, there IS a narrow window of flexibility for the first couple years at a major when junior people DO change employers (I know several former VX acquaintances who bailed from Alaska after they were acquired and other junior FOs who bailed to freight or to/from SWA. It really does happen. And I believe many if not most of the younger regional people ARE going to get an offer to a major once we are fully recovered, be that in two years or ten and - yeah, they are going to take it, because fir the vast majority any major will be better than any regional.
But at that time they will have all the things on their resume that let them get that job to begin with and then immediately add a new type-rating and major experience. And when that happens they will have the narrow window of opportunity - a few years at most - before seniority locks them in to the airline they are at for a career, or at least for as long as that airline exists.
But the world is changing and some business models are adapting better than others.
But at that time they will have all the things on their resume that let them get that job to begin with and then immediately add a new type-rating and major experience. And when that happens they will have the narrow window of opportunity - a few years at most - before seniority locks them in to the airline they are at for a career, or at least for as long as that airline exists.
But the world is changing and some business models are adapting better than others.
No one-size-fits-all answer, but I would say that almost any major pax job is pretty good gig so unless you're very young it's an iffy proposition to risk it all for something somewhat better.
Some majors honored new-hire classes for a month or so after covid (to protect those who had already resigned from previous gigs), while at the same they did NOT allow some of their own pilots to rescind resignations which had been dropped immediately after covid. There were some major (even some legacy) pilots who went from several years (or more) seniority to on the street with their top-tier class dates cancelled (and pools quickly flushed in some cases). The lucky ones: FDX/UPS new-hires.
Every move in this industry carries risk... training failures, background check issues, and of course straight-up bad timing due to black swans like covid and 9/11. Avoiding unnecessary lateral/diagonal moves will probably enhance your overall career stability, at some point it's just career risk vs. greed.
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