I'm on with Mesaba and just about to finish my second week here. Each day I'm here I'm enjoying the company more. It seems that everyone who gets on in the next month or so will be sitting very comfortably in seniority very quickly. Everything is moving around here so it definitely feels like the right place to be!

Is there any diff. in travel benefits from one to the other?

I would like to know exactly what you mean by safer. If you mean that we had an aircraft depart the runway at TVC because of bad weather snow and ice, or the idiots that were on flight 3701, then you really have nothing to back up your comments. I don't know about growing. From my understanding, the 15 jets that you guys were to get from us from NW just got turned down because of the lack to staff them. When I went through training at Pinnacle, it was $200 a week, no bonus, and I had a double occupancy room. About half of my class had single occcupancy. If you are coming to a regoinal to make money, you are wrong. If you want to fly, upgrade quick and get jet pic time, come to Pinnacle. We have a great group of pilots and flight attendents. The comment made earlier about 10 days off and Mesaba getting 11 is bogus. I have been on line flying for 9 months. I sat on reserve for 4, and my least amount of days since having a line is 12. I have had 3 months with 15 days off(DTW). Neither company is worth bragging about. It is still a regional, just fly and move on to bigger and better things. No difference with travel benefits, everything is under NW policy.

Sounds like you are hireable, I'd take some time and apply to better regionals, only go to these 2 as a last resort. They are BAD places to be.

Know thy CBA. Minimum days off per month is what I was referring to.

I work at Mesaba, but for what it’s worth, I think Mesaba is the way to go. At Mesaba, I’ve seen a large number of people coming from Pinnacle who are willing to give up their seniority and start over just for the change. I haven’t heard of anyone leaving Mesaba for Pinnacle recently. A year or so ago, Mesaba was a bad place to be, but right now times are good.

On the other hand, upgrade at Pinnacle will likely be faster.

Travel benefits start immediately with employment at Mesaba. The upgrade times at Mesaba will increase towards the end of hiring, not sure how much. For what it's worth I finished training in July and am 100 numbers from upgrade. You get the 75hr guarantee during training. Mesaba's minimum days off is 11 days reducible to 10, if you pick up open time, etc.

Determine your priorities among these factors:

1) Where you'd be living/based and commuting issues
2) Pay/Work rules
3) Equipment
4) Industry reputation
5) Expected career progression/upgrade/where people go when they leave
6) How well others like working for each company
7) How well you think the company will fare in this dog eat dog world (usually anybody's guess, but use your crystal ball if you have it)

See which one does the best among your top priorities. Remember what is right for others is not necessarily right for you. Good luck.

Does this really matter when there's guys who I shared a crash pad with, went from OE, 3 weeks of reserve to a line with 11-13 days off.

Hands down go to Mesaba!!! Everyone I know who has been at Pinnacle for at least a year hates it. Mesaba is not great but it is much better that Pinnacle. And as far as flying the saab, who cares it a cool airplane and you don't geat paid any more on the CRJ anyway.