If you were free to live in base, at whatever is most convenient for any regional DEC position you might take, who is offering the best and most lucrative deal right now? I see a lot of places like Piedmont, etc., offering signing bonuses and promising $250k for the first year. What does the second year look like? A lot less, since the bonus doesn't apply on year two? Flow to majors is great, but first year at a major is low pay, less than $100k, am I understanding that right? If a pilot is almost 60, would it ever make sense to just stay as a regional captain to stay at the higher payscale?

My background is as a corporate/135 captain with numerous type ratings. I see a lot of offers as a DEC at $250k, and that is better than my current job flying a Falcon. Trying to get some perspective here, and see if I might be better off as a regional DEC with more days off, work protections, and better pay. Thoughts?

 

DECs are the low man on the seniority list in an industry where seniority is everything. And they stay the low man on the seniority list (excepting the handful of subsequently hired DECs) until EVERY SINGLE PILOT working for the company the day they are hired has made CA or left.

Expect to be used like a rented mule for at least four years before you get much QOL improvement. Assuming the regional lasts that long.

 

go to a LCC instead

 

You could make an argument for this ... really depends how things go the next 5 years. I personally doubt the regional model will persist that long. BUT if I were picking a DEC slot
1) do not go to a 50 seat only carrier
2) strongly consider a wholly owned carrier

It sounds like you could probably get hired at United and then likely upgrade to 737 captain at 1 year. That sounds like a better deal than being a permanent reserve regional captain.

 

Regarding #1, I'd amend that to say "do not go to a carrier with only 50 seat or a carrier with only 50+ seat". There's a couple ways this regional model can break. If two class airplanes get pulled in to mainline at some point, the 50 seat carriers win the regional war of survival... at least until those airplanes wear out of course but that's likely after someone that only has 5 or so years left has retired.