Most fun regional?
 

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.

The best regional is the one you’re at while you hold a CJO to a major. Sorry if that’s not helpful. Regionals are overall the shame s#i+ different name. Same overnights, hotels, routes, uniforms. With how quickly everything moves these days, I don’t think there much of a “fun” vibe or “culture” at any, the faces change so quickly. I’d bet that every regional out there has had over 50% of the list change over since just before COVID. You have the right idea really, get your hours and bug out.

Regionals may have a few good deal schedules, but those will go senior... so you either have to bypass upgrade to get them as an FO (dumb in this hiring climate), or stay for many years to hold them as a CA. For junior folks, the best way to get sweet overnights is to find them embedded in an otherwise garbage 4-day.

As others have said, the majority of regional overnights will be at a La Quinta on the airport frontage road, across from a chevron and a McDonalds.

Skywest used to have some decent overnights in the inter-mountain west, some of those small towns are fun. I even skied on a JAC overnight once, gear and lift ticket comped by the hotel. For the most part I'd count myself lucky if there was a decent running trail or a mall with a movie theater nearby.

Majors have better hotels, and generally more good overnights but again seniority is king there too. I've had some international overnights that were full-on mini vacations, if you wanted to get out of the room and take advantage. Also if you're willing to do red eyes, anything might be possible...

If you're looking for variety in destinations, assuming you're still young, maybe as soon as you think you have logged "enough" Part 121 hours (whatever that means for you), go try the fractional/corporate lifestyle (if you haven't already) while waiting for a call from a major. Never know, you might find that it's a good long-term fit for you. I personally don't think the majors hiring is gonna stop anytime soon, but I thought the same thing during the summer of 2001... just never know. if it does stop, where would you rather be for another 4-5 years before it starts back up again: continuing the regional slog? or serving catering and cleaning your own bizjet (until your SIC is doing that for you) while flying into a neat new destination on occasion?

might not be the best "book" answer, but sometimes life isn't about following the best "book" answers... it's personal.

I have seen regionals stay at the Hampton at MCI. Hotel van will run you to any restaurant within 5 minutes.

Tell me you’re in your 20s without telling me you’re in your 20s………

I say let him find youthful enjoyment in the profession as long as he can... he'll be old and cynical like us soon enough.

Go to a ULCC and keep your apps updated at the big 3. Spirit has a ton of vacation layovers. Most ULCC’s do because that market is their bread and butter.

Go build flight time flying long easy legs in a 320/737 with a 18% DC retirement fund flying to beautiful sunny weather until your destination airline calls.

The regionals are seeing so much attrition for pilots and FA’s that any culture or friendships made are likely gone in less than a year. YX is not the only regional with unsustainable attrition issues. I think there might be 2 people from my regional new hire class still hanging around. 9 including myself from that class are now at Delta.

It’s actually unbelievable to think half my regional new hire class ended up at Delta in basically 5 years. That was once unheard of, crazy times.

Which regional is the best for putting your airbuds in after gear retraction? I need to listen to music and can't be bothered with work. Also which one is best for posting on TikTok? I'd like to document my work day from apartment, to airport, to arriving at the plane, and then the sweet layover.

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.

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?

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Last century, I might have possible weighted culture, at least pilot-group culture. Big difference between AA and say NW or US.

But in the modern era where everybody needs a trophy and nobodies feelings can be hurt, the HR folks will keep "culture" (both company and cockpit) within certain left and right lateral limits. I certainly wouldn't commute or take a seniority or pay hit over that issue today.

Look at SWA... their once famous culture has been commoditized to be just another cost-control weapon in management's quiver. I know a guy who chose SWA for that reason, and he had lots of shuttle time so he absolutely had his choice of airline employers.