Whew!
 

135 guy here. I was all ready to go regional late last fall but it didn't work out. Now I'm glad i chose to stay put. Nobody's job is safe these days, I suppose... but had i gone I would be right down on the bottom of some seniority list and ripe for the pickens. Anyone else think 135 is the way to go?

same here. almost exactly. Making more money, upgraded to capt and looking at lear jet this fall. Better that right seating for two or three years in the regionals. But then again I'm not a young man who can expect 30 more years of flying

and we're all very proud of you.. but seriously the are pros and cons to both sides. 121 is all i know so i don't know what i'm missing out on. can you choose when you work? prob not. do you make more? i'll bet you do. everyone has their preferences.

Ten years ago, if you had 3500-4000TT and 700-1200 TPIC, a 4 year degree and interviewed well - you had a good chance at a major.

Too many things have changed since then...

This happens every 5-6 years, it's a cycle. Sometimes you get in at the start of the wave and sometimes you get on right before it crashes onshore.

You never know how safe any company is. With skyrocketing fuel prices I'd say anything with wings (or that burns gas for that matter) will feel a bit of a pinch in the months to come.

I wouldn't say any 135 is a savior over 121. Nor is 121 a savior over 135.

I'm in the same situation as well...working at a part 91 flight dept currently, and in two pools at the regionals w/ no class dates in sight. Your career is based on what YOU want, if you enjoy 135 flying then pursue it, likewise with 121. Make no mistake though, 121 time is valuable, more so in my opinion than 135 (depending on what you want to do with your career.) There are pros and cons to both, but like I said, it is what works best for you. But lets be honest, had the regionals picked you up last fall, you would have likely gone, but yes, as the cards were dealt it is nice to have a more stable job at the moment!

Yep, I would have gone. No question. I would never deny that I really wanted to go fly a jet and still think about it a lot. I'm just asking for opinions. obviously, the one that doesn't send you to the unemployment line is the better way to go. now i gotta figure out what im gonna do with all this hair gel.

I flew on demand 135 in the past and this fuel thing will be hitting that flying pretty hard as well. I hated 135...I'd be up at about 0400 getting donuts and newspapers for the passengers, fly for a few hours and then sit all day at an airport waiting... an hour before scheduled departure..customer would call, where gonna have dinner with our clients and will be a few hours late! Part 121....pax is late...see ya catch the next flight!!

Plus you do not have to buy donuts or anything for the pax, you do not have to lodad and unload the baggage, you do not have to file the flight plan, you do not have to do a lot of things. You just go to airport, fly the plane, and go home.

People will think I am crazy, but....

I left 135 for the regionals for (get this) job security! Half of the companies I worked for don't exist. Had I chosen better, I may have stayed.

But I agree with the posters above, flying two one hour legs with an eight hour sit between them SUX!