PS> If Virgin were to buyout AE, I'd bet they would immediately try to selloff the AE certificate and planes and push everything into the Executive certificate.

PPS> Everyone can rationalize all they want, but the bottom line will always be that unless you plan on making AE your lifetime career, and unless you plan on making a lateral transfer to RAH or Skywest, it's going to be a longshot (or a long road) to get to a major. As a civilian pilot, you need well over the minimum 1000 TPIC at most places. As for those guys who got on with CAL and DAL with only TSIC, I've heard most of them had internal recs.

Either way, I have plenty of friends chasing that guaranteed base and the carrot of a bright future for AE, but the next decade is going to see 50 seat flying go away (unless it's on a tprop). 50 seats does not work with oil +90/barrel...it's basically a truth.

Your friends chase carrots.

Btw, I know plenty of people that got hired at majors with no internal recs and no pic time. Guess they werent chasing carrots. nut.

So this thing I hear about being able to pick your base. Is that any base? I just read a post that said certain bases like LAX are not hiring? true not true?

OK. I stand corrected. You know people who got hired with only turbine SIC time. So I guess the joke is on all the people I know who made lateral transfers from Eagle to get a faster upgrade and TPIC time!!!

Everyone has different ammo on their resume. Some can do it. Some cant. Those who cant, a jump over to another regional may be the best move if you want the TPIC time.

LAX and MIA are closed. Go to O'hare if you actualy want to fly. Everywere else you probably will sit reserve for a while.

They are not "closed", there just aren't any available vacancies in those domiciles right now. Vacancies are bid monthly and anyone already on the property has first shot at any openings in those bases; anything left open after that could be awarded to newhires. The best idea if you want Eagle and MIA or LAX would be to accept another base with the ATR (MIA) or SF3 (LAX) or EMB (LAX) and then put in for a transfer. Otherwise you may be waiting a long time to get hired.

if you do get LAX as a base, good luck with commuting! Schedule sucks right now

From what I've heard Boston reserve guys are getting sent out to Chicago to fly the trips.

wouldnt doubt it. they are way understaffed at FO in ORD.