Airline Pilot Central Forums - Most fun regional?

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Quote:

Originally Posted by golfandflows (Post 3632355)

nice subtle troll. Surely you have had enough conversations in the flight deck about how life is better with a seniority number at a major.

Not trolling. I'm trying to figure out if I hate my regional or hate 121 flying in general. I still can't figure out if it's worth it to go to a major, because I will be commuting forever if I do. Everyone tells me commuting sucks and I already think the job sucks, so adding a commute does not seem like a positive step.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FlyinCat (Post 3632577)

If camaraderie is of high importance to you, consider a ULCC which has a base you're willing to move to. Small (compared to majors) pilot group, frequently flying with the same crews, and the opportunity to live in same community and socialize if you choose, like a "regular" job. Some fly daily out-and-back schedules which bring you home (back to base) every night. Not as financially rewarding over a long career, but for many people that's not as important as QoL, which we all define differently.

Seems to me that if the OP hates commuting now, he'll likely hate it when flying with a major. Here's a litmus test for the OP - would you like your current regional job more (and how much more, if at all) if you were living in your base city?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Njflyguy (Post 3632611)

I'm not commuting now, but I would be at a major at least for the forseeable future. My family is not mobile.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FlyinCat (Post 3632695)

I'm not commuting now, but I would be at a major at least for the forseeable future. My family is not mobile.

Sorry, I misread your comment about commuting. If you hate the job now, ask yourself exactly what you hate. Short legs? Sometimes gruff colleagues? Crappy overnights? As a junior at a major, you may well experience those same things on top of enduring a commute for an undetermined number of years. What's your personal limit before it affects your general QOL and well being? What will be worse is if you get put on reserve at the major you go to *AND* you have to commute. That usually means commuting to a crashpad to be within on-call distance and potentially not flying at all.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FlyinCat (Post 3631661)

Most of the “best regional” threads are about which ones have the best work rules, or benefits, or will get you to the majors fastest. Can we talk about which ones are the most fun? Full disclosure, I’m not having much fun right now. Mostly wondering if it’s different anywhere else. And yeah, I get it’s a lot about how you make the best of the situation and your attitude. This can’t be completely unbiased but I think it’s worth seeing what most people’s perceptions are, even if they are subjective.

Overnights?
Routes?
Crews?
Company culture?

I’ll start.

YX
Overnights- I’m told we have overnights in Key West but I’ve never seen one of these in my base. Mostly LGA, YUL, EWR, MEM, STL. About 50% of the trips have an overnight in LGA.

Routes- lots of short legs. EWR-BOS-DCA-LGA. We dominate the northeast. It gets old. I bid for the longer ones when they’re available.

Crews- the captains I fly with are 40% bitter lifers, 40% leaving as soon as they get called and not here to make friends, and 20% people who are committed to doing the job well and actually friendly. Only about 1% of the time do crews hang out together.

Company Culture- this is hard to explain. Training was very stressful, and pilots who have been through more than one training program corroborate this. Company has a very corporate feel. Sometimes I feel like I’m working a minimum wage job with the way we accumulate “occurrences.” I don’t really feel I’m part of a team. Most captains not great at mentoring or even interested in it. Very much feels everyone is out for themselves only.

Maybe my expectations are too high? I wasn’t expecting to want to leave so soon but I can’t wait to get out of here. I’m starting to adopt their attitude, just put in the hours, don’t make friends, wait for the call. I wish it wasn’t like that. Interested in your take on your own regional.

Definitely not the YX I work for, what base are you at?

Quote:

Originally Posted by FlyinCat (Post 3632577)

ACMI operators buy you a ticket to work.

Not every segment of the industry is for everybody. There's a lot more to do in aviation than fly for "major" or "legacy." You have options.

Explore them.

As a single guy with no kids, international ACMI was the most fun I ever had flying. It was like being in college with money.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FlyinCat (Post 3631661)

Occasionally people mention this idea of something related to "culture"..... It's kinda silly, what would that even mean? There really is no such thing. Shouldn't even be on someones radar as something to consider. These regionals are just places to work at until you can get out onto your hopefully final seniority list. Your just an employee number there grinding it out. Then when you hit the line at your final career airline, there's no such thing as "culture" there either, even if the HR/management folks tout it. Your still just an employee number thats part of a big churning machine, and all these big churning airline machines are pretty much the same. This silly culture thing shouldn't be on anyone's list of things to investigate.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FlyinCat (Post 3632577)

You are slowly figuring out that 121 flying is boring. You’re flying to the same airports, to the same hotels, to the same overnight routine, etc etc. You need to guide your career to limit the mundane aspect of it.

It gets better once you get senior at a major - a beer at the Hofbräuhaus München tastes better than the Applebee’s in Des Moines - but you have to grind it out and be planning 10 years in to the future to make it happen.

With some seniority and the right fleet you won’t be working much. I have 27 days off next month with 2 weeks vacation and some creative schedule working. But it took me 20 years of 121 flying to make it to this point.

At the end of the day, it’s a job and it can be a boring one. Figure out what you want out of the career and make it happen. Oh, and live in base once you get to a major. You’ll thank me in 20 years.