How bout some advice/overview for the younger guys?
 

OK, so I can read everyones griping and boasting about all the regionals, but WHY?!! I know that Mesa is bad and the QOL sucks..but WHY? So how bout anyone with any knowledge of any regional offers some insight as to why they like/dislike that particular airline. My application will be going out in about a year so I'd like to get know know what it's like out there. Care to enlighten us guys? Maybe a top 5 good and bad? Here's how I see it now. I live near Cleveland and have a mother that works for CAL so I've been partial to the airline forever. ;)

Good:

1. Horizon (LOVE the Dash 8's and it's west which is where I'd like to live ultimately.)
2. Skywest (West, KDEN :))
3. Commutair (Dash 8's, Cleveland, CAL)
4. Republic
5. ExpressJet (CAL, Cleveland)

Bad

1. Mesa
2. PSA
3. Comair
4. Mesaba?
5. Great Lakes? (Although I really would LOVE to fly Beech 1900's out of DEN through the Rockies with no auto-pilot. Seems like a great experience, put the pay is just so damn low)

Do you actually know anything about Mesaba or are you just throwing that one on there because of the red tail?

A year from now the whole scene can and probably will be entirely different. Mesa is bad because of sh!tty management. Employee mgmt relations are horrible, the contract is substandard, and even with that mgmt doesn't honor the contract! I only lived a fraction of the hell most guys go through due to military leave. :)Avoid Mesa or Air Midwest at all costs. You'll live a longer more prosperous life. There's no reason to put up with the BS with so many other regionals hiring today. If you want 8 days off a month and a chance to fly in China, then go for it.

Don't let him get to you....Mesaba rocks:cool:

Nah, I respect NW, The only dislike I have for Mesaba is strictly based upon the complaining of furloughed pilots.

Pants with a zipper in the back will help make things a little easier...

In all seriousness, do some research on pay and work rules. Mesa seems to think it's ok to pay "average block". Their computer program decides it takes 2 hours to go from DEN to PHX on average. You get paid for 2 hours regardless of if it takes 2 hours, or it takes 5 hours because of a groundstop, holding, etc.

Most other airlines pay "Block or better". You take 1:45 to make that same flight, you get paid for two hours. You take 4 hours to get there, you get paid 4 hours.

As for the other airlines, I think it's pretty much a draw. Sure a few are slightly better than the rest, but that's all reletive to what you're looking for. Some want a fast upgrade, some want better pay, some like a regional because of the base options. What works for you? Do your homework before you take a leap. First year pay sucks no matter where you are.

What made you put CommutAir into the "good" column? I've heard nothing but bad things, and have been avoiding them.

There is no such thing as a catch-all "best" regional...only the regional that best meets your goals and objectives for employment.

Absolutely right.

Skywest would be in my "bad" list just because most of the bases are in the west.

Choosing an airline is not like choosing the right dishwasher. There is no Consumer Reports airline rating guide.

Whatever works for you.

Yeah commutair good, comair bad.......Im confused! Do some research

As of today express jet is the best,good contract, reserve time short, pay is on par or better than most, mx is good. Please take note all of the above could change by the time you get in so I must say your asking all the right questions. When it comes down to it whatever works for you.

I'm curious as to how you have decided that ExpressJet is better than all others. I make about 7 bucks an hour more on first year pay (no food stamps), am based in an awesome city in the most beautiful part of the country (not polluted like IAH, and river doesn't catch fire like CLE), get to fly a really fun turboprop, and get a 10% 401K match my first year. Oh, did I mention free health coverage?

As was already said by Pilotpip, BoilerUp, and Cyrcadian, there is no best regional. It all depends on what you are looking for. Personally, ExpressJet was about fourth on my list when I was job hunting due to their bases. No doubt that ExpressJet is a good company, but it wasn't the best for me.

I Love the Dash-8 and thats one of the reason I think CommutAir is appealing. P.s. Don't hate on Cleveland. There's nothing wrong with this city. :)

Also, instead of criticizing everyone elses opinion, do you guys think you can tell us why you do or do not like your airline?

My advice. Spend the money you are using for flight training and renting planes to start a business. The skills you will develop (even if the business fails in a few years) will take you much farther in life than an airplane can.

That is my $0.02 worth.

LOL..quit my lifelong dream to enter the business world? Thanks for the laughter.

Do you fly for Horizon??

I am quitting the business world in the next month to pursue my lifelong dream of getting paid to fly a plane full of passengers instead of student pilots. Ever seen the movie "Office Space"???

Good Idea
 

Whether it is your dream dream or not having business experience will get you father in life. All the skills and knowledge that pilots acquire is flat useless in all other facets of life. Few other careers are so highly focused on developing job skills that are totally unmarketable elsewhere.

Skyhigh

Start a business
 

Ellen said to "start a business" not to work for one.

SkyHigh

Perhaps some people actually like to Fly and have a passion for aviation. Why be a miserable millionaire when you could be a happy regional FO?

The only happy FO is a Newly Qualified Pilot.........after about 4 months, they realize what a mistake they made. :confused:

How bout you try not to get too hung up on an airplane. If you want to live in Cleveland, that's great, pick a company because of that, not because of what airplane you might fly. The longer you are in this business, the more apparent it will become that what and where you fly is not as important as pay and time with the people in your life that matter.

For the record, I fly for XJT, enjoy it and realize how lucky I was to end up here. Having friends in the biz at other companies really gives me an appreciation for the contract and benefits we have here. And I hate CLE.

I fly for Horizon. There are things I like and things I dislike.

Likes:
1. Livable first year wages
2. Pay is base on seniority not aircraft type (so you could be a Q200 FO (which you didnt choose or may have) and you get paid the same as a CRJ700 FO
2. Use of technology (GPS appoaches, RNP, CATIII
3. You get to know a lot of the guys/gals you fly with
4. And ummmmmmmmmmm


Dislike
1. Long upgrade (But i knew that before coming here)
2. Long reserve (Something i knew before hand)
3. Everything is a mystery in terms of growth and future plans (only miss cleo got the answers)
4. If you get tired of the scenery up front you get a penalty....if you switch aircraft (Back to first year pay for 2 years)
5. The Hotel in Helena

Here is some advice for you.

Go find another career where they start you at a "Respectable Salary" that does not qualify you for food stamps.

If you do get hired as an FO........don't wear your uniform when applying for food stamps. We gotta keep the image up!:cool:

I haven't even read this thread for the most part. But a yob is a yob and I speak very good English..

Lol... Loved that episode on Mind of Mancia

Shouldnt people be looking at Year 2 salary levels anyways? :confused: I have always thought that Year 1 salary includes the cost of training the airline "gives" you. Struggle the first year and break even the second year on a shoestring budget.

In the end its up to the individual pilot's quality of life requirements. I feel lucky for the fact that it doesnt take much ($) for me to be happy, and I have lead a pretty good/successful life so far.

The reason that you are getting a lot of flack is because your attitude is totally unrealistic (not your fault) and most of us have seen it 100 times before...and we know how the story ends too :rolleyes:

Regional FO will only be great fun for a year tops. After that you will start to realize that flying more than 1-2 legs per day becomes real work (I admit that a 2 leg day with an overnight in a cool town is fun...as long as the show time is after noon the next day). Also you will start to notice that your friends have houses, vacations, SUV's, BMW's, boats, motorcycles, and spending money...while you are still driving that 1988 Civic, living with 6 other FO's in a 3 bedroom apartment near the airport and eating top ramen. You can probably afford a 12 pack of Busch once a week, assuming that you have no student loans to pay.

You may be able to be happy with an aviation career ten years down the road, but until then you will have to pay your dues. And don't forget to add extra time out for the inevitable furlough (2-4 years).

I'm not saying don't do it, but I guarantee that a "love of flying" will probably NOT make up for the hardships you have coming. Many of the folks I fly with would have been better off going to dental school and buying an airplane to fly on weekends.

Thats a bunch of BS, in any other Industry, when companies hire people they have to send them to training as well, its called "the cost of doing business", just like 9/11 its an excuse for management to bend us over

My boyfriend and I are both FO's ad we dont live in a house with 6 other FO's or eat top ramen..... Get in the industry when your young and can afford to make no money. I am a new FO but he isnt, and he is not uphappy..... A BMW, an Audi and a nice apartment downtown....I'd say we live pretty well I think, of course I dont own a house or anything, but Im doing fine for being 22, and all my friends from college dont even have jobs and live with mom and dad still...... Of course I guess student loans would be a problem.... Guess we are lucky in that respect :)

Do the two of you have at least three months of normal expenses saved in cash? How much do you have in retirement accounts? Audis and BMWs are nice but they don't let you retire early...

With company match I put 17% into my 401k, both my wife and I have Roth IRAs, and we have about 4 months of normal expenses in cash savings. Not too bad for a couple 23 year olds...

The most important thing for anybody, especially a first year regional pilot, is to STAY OUT OF DEBT!

Please tell us you're a chick pilot...:D

gee, make the rest of us feel bad will ya? :rolleyes:

What's BS? What I said or what the airlines do??? :confused:

These are observations from a lowly piston pilot trying to figure things out before I send my resumes in.

i guess winning the state lottery or a lucky weekend in vegas helps :cool:

Obviously I am a girl!!! I am just saying, we are not miserable and we are both FO's. Its possible (if your young) like we are......... Everyone is just making out life to be SO horrible, and that the only happy FO's are the brand new ones....not true.... Of course like I said we were lucky enough to not have college loans etc........

Well I for one am glad for you. And your avatar was cool too. Any chance of replacing it?... much better than mine.

My life has been rather hard and I appreciate it when there are people who have been less stressed by it as yourself. Try and put some money away... BoilerUp has a valid point. I am not ashamed to drive a well-kept 15 year old car. They say the late great John Wayne drove an ordinary Pontiac.

Am already putting into 401K and I havent been out of college 2 months, its not much but its a start.....

Bertramcheck22, I am disappointed with your research skills! Just because a company is on top today, that doesn't mean they will be tomorrow. Go where you will be happy should you get stuck there for a while. There is another thread on here somewhere that has contract/work rules, check that out, it has some good info. BTW, not sure I would have commutair up there, talk with Wadsworth, we know a guy who worked there and left for Express, he will give you some info. on commutair.

Look at where you want to end up in your career and work backwards. It will most likely chance over the years but you have to start somewhere. So narrow down where you would like to retire and then evaluate you best options on how to get there.

As far as chasing an aircraft. Sure it would be fun to fly a certain aircraft but I would guess after a few hundred hours it would loose its appeal. Then again I'd fly a supercub if the pay/benefits were right.



What he said!