XJet,SKYW or ASA
 

Well guys Im sure there are some similar threads but I want the newest info and suggestions you guys/gals can give.

I'm a currently a corprate pilot who is looking to make a switch to the 121 world obviously not for the money but for the QOL (an actual sched. being #1). I know that in this buisness the best company now may not be that way in a year and vise versa. Im just looking for a good stable company.
A stable company is very important because Im not looking like alot of people to get my PIC time and bail. (No im not an old guy, just a 26yr old realist)
Upgrade time is another factor-Im not looking for a 1yr upgrade time type company but also dont want to get stuck back in the right seat forever.
Base location really doesnt matter to much to me since I am single and really dont have a problem relocating to any of the companys bases.


Thanks for all your help just trying to make an educated decision before I make the leap.

Well, I doubt you could go wrong with any of them. XJT and SKW are both excellent places to work, and I'm hearing good things about ASA now that they have a new contract.

Stability? Well, these are passenger airlines we're talking about. Nobody's really certain of the future of any of these airlines, especially with the majors talking about mergers. Could be good for us, could be bad. We still have to see.

Upgrade times are about to get longer than the 2-year standard we've been seeing. XJT isn't hiring or upgrading until April (we stopped the mad dash in 9/07), and SKW just announced they're doing the same through the summer. These are simply methods to shrink the pilot groups a bit just in case a reduction in flying were to occur so that furloughs can be avoided. I haven't heard much about ASA lately, but I understand that they may still have classes going on.

Anyway, hope this helps, even if a little. There are just a lot of reasons to pick one company over another, and they all have to do with your personal situation.

If you can hold-off for a few months, SkyWest is still a great place to be...Had to say it :D

Where do you live?

You just don't know when to quit do you? Did you go to riddle by any chance?

You're right - I am way out of control :rolleyes:

And no, I wasn't cool enough for Riddle. Sorry!

I live in Florida Presently-

and seems like SKYW is hiring, are they not?
maybe your joke is over my head

XJT has been hiring since mid-January, it was even in Semak's voice mail. probable May class dates for guys hired in Jan.

It wasn't a joke. I would probably go to the one with the easiest commute. That is why I asked.

Hiring into a pool, yes. I just meant firm class dates. Word from the training center right now is 240 new-hires and 180 upgrades starting in early April.

was refuring to exp.AB about SKYW still being a good company i just didnt understand what he was saying

I understand why u were asking were i lived

im finishing up training here at asa and am happy so far. good contract. big d treats us like a red headed step child but i think thats with any regional. good contract as well. interviewed at xjet in dec and they said they were hiring for a feb class and as it turns out they pushed it to an april class and who knows it maybe even further. i have some friends there and they like it quite a bit.

I was just speaking in light of the recently cancelled classes...if you don't mind waiting until the end of spring, we'll be filling them again.

well from what it sounds like and what i know- I guess Ill just try to interview with all and take it from there-I have an Interview with ASA on the 28th of this month, and got an Email from Xjet asking if I could interview on the same day as the ASA interview so Im gonna try to push them back a couple days-.I did get an email from SKYW late today asking me to call them:eek: wich I will be doing tommorow, so well see what they have to say.

Thanks for the info guys, your all always such a help!!!!!!!

I think we'll see some of those numbers change. At least the upgrade numbers. The company is already running at the max line-divisor for CA's in a few bases, but the last bid will only see us 30-40 upgrades. All the while, we're fat on FOs... It seams the only way to legaly keep the 10% factor would be to upgrade more people than we hire next year.

I guess we'll see what really happens.

I really don't wish to hijack this thread, but it is kind of relavent.

Does someone have an idea of how a schedule would look for a new hire on either the 200 or the 700, reserve time, what are the hours of reserve, number of days off in a row etc, and then when a line holder, what is typical (not extreme i.e senior FO position) block / credit for a first & second year FO.

I ask, as I am looking to make a change if the option is open to me, but want to fully know what I can expect before I waste anybodys time. I have no option but to commute, and ASA is the closest to my home in southwest florida. I am tired to two leg commutes, as is my wife! (Avg. 40 hrs per week at home!)

If someone could PM me their schedule or a typical line, I would be very grateful

Xjt, Skw, Asa...
 

Being at XJT I can vouch for the work rules......they are VERY VERY good. Reserve times are long, and reserve has bumped up too. This simply is because hiring has stopped for a while as have upgrades. But it will happen again reserve times and upgrade times fluctuate on what seems like a daily basis. Remember, just because upgrade / reserve time is "X" at a place when you get hired, does NOT mean it will be the same for you. Things happen, and change constantly. If you were to compare XJT to SKW they are both good places. If those are your two choices I would think about where you would rather live, and maybe go from there. XJT doesn't have the most desireable bases for me, but I commute and have no problems doing so. Work rules and pay are very good at XJT.....that's all I can vouch for. My .02.

Are they? We have no trip rig, and no duty rig. If it's on your line you can fly a four day worth 8 hours. When a leg gets cancelled we lose our overs. We can fly a 7.5 hour day trip consisting of two legs and a 30 minute turn and they don't have to put food on the airplane for us. Our minimum scheduled overnight is 8 hours, our duty days are extendable to 15.5. We can wait on hold with scheduling for an hour, because they took away trip trading over the computer (and that's in the contract).

Compared to alot of other airlines they are great, but we still have a long way to go.

Never said they were great. Sure there is alot of room for improvement...but things are never greener on the other side of the fence. Unless of course you work for Mesa, GJ, TSA.....