I’m not quite sure you understand how it works. No one can upgrade (anywhere) unless you have the 2500/1000 (or whatever their mins maybe) and when you achieve those numbers you can't upgrade until you're seniority number can hold it. Currently there are a lot of low timers at SKW who can't upgrade seeing they don’t meet the mins; they aren't being bypassed because they’re not eligible. Once eligible it’s strictly based up seniority.

My question to you is; what other way is there to do it? I assure you no one at SKW feels the current system is cheating them.

No, if you're not seat locked and you meet the mins then it's based up seniority ONLY! No one is being bypassed if their illegible.

Now if you're seat locked then yes, you can have a bid in (as EMB CA) for CRJ CA and be bypassed for a Jr pilot. You agreed to the EMB upgrade so you're stuck there until your seat lock us up.

this is pretty much how it is everywhere. we have guys here at pinnacle getting hired with 5000tt and 2500 or so turbine pic (a couple of us air guys joined the ranks). they upgraded right after initial because there weren't enough people bidding for captain spots, so it just went straight down the seniority list of who was eligible and who wanted the spot. the good thing for these guys is they will get captain pay straight out of new hire training. the bad news is they will be on reserve for about 4 years.

So if you upgrade quickly at SkyWest, another FO that has been there longer can bid above you once he/she upgrades?

Their seniority position doesn't change as their position changes. If an FO who is Jr to you upgrades, he/she is still Jr to you regardless of the position he/she holds and when you upgrade you will bid higher than him/her seeing you’re more Sr.

A captain I flew with brought up an interesting point. Might be better to take the quickest upgrade regardless of aircraft in case something happens and the quick upgrades stop.

that's right on both accounts...if you get hired in aug, and have 1000 hrs, and another guy gets hired in nov. and has 2500 hrs of total time, and there's no one left to upgrade, then the guy w/ 2500 hrs can upgrade. but...because you were at the company first, when you finally do upgrade to captain, you'll jump infront of that individual in line because you're more senior.

Getting the upgrade as quickly as possible is very important, especially when you consider if there's another halt in the industry...you might be stuck in the seat your in for quite a while, just like what happened a few years back.

I'm really hoping for a relatively quick upgrade, really can't live on FO pay forever.

I can.
$22.50 an hour is a huge sum!

Thanks Burt - so if I had the upgrade mins upon getting hired, I could possibly upgrade quickly, but unlikely to find myself in TUS for awhile?