Qol?
 

I am among the many CFI's who is looking to get into a regional airline in the coming year. I have instructed for several years now, and should have no problem meeting the minimum time required for most of the regionals if/when they hire in the coming year.

My question is this: what is a good way to evaluate quality of life between different carriers? This is beyond "do not commute if you can help it" and "don't fly for Mesa" (I can do a search of the forums). I am thinking along the lines of work rules, days off, travel benefits.

I have a good CFI job for now, and don't mind waiting for a few extra months to get a good job rather than jumping for the first airline that hires. Since I am married QOL is arguably more important to me than a fast upgrade or building the most time possible, although these are considerations as well.

As you said, your married, probably don't want to stress the family with moving around the country time and time again for different jobs in different places. Regionals (as you know) have historically been stepping stones. If you go to a regional with the thought of it being a possible "career" airline, then you'll probably be able to enjoy the "fruits" of your flying career with a decent schedule, and moderate pay. Quick upgrades are only really important for getting out, or making some $$ in the meantime.

The regionals with better reputations will most likely yield you the better QOL. Look for Expressjet, and Skywest. On the contrary, i know it wasn't what you wanted, but, living in base can make a heck of a difference as well. An individual at a lower tier regional who lives in domicile, might experience a better QOL that an individual at a upper tier regional who commutes. I wouldn't go moving for the sake of commuting, but if there's something available around you, it might be worth considering.

I am 90% sure commuting is out of the question...although I don't mind temporarily commuting while waiting on seniority to get a base in my city (Chicago) Moving is not an option due to the wife's job.

I don't mind keeping the option open of making a career out of a regional... although I am not interested in "Lateral Moves" i.e. getting hired by Mesa and jumping into SKW when the opportunity presents itself.

I am just looking for a way for an outsider to access work rules, contracts and other such QOL things beyond what is available on Airlinepilotcentral.

With most of the Higher Tier Regionals (you choose your own for that designation) not hiring....most contracts for regionals don't have soft money and few min days off....it all depends on where you live now, where you want to live and where the carrier flies! IE are you going to be delayed in LGA for 5 hours and screw up dinner with the wife?

No one can tell you what makes a #1,2,3...etc airline for YOU! You can get this sort of information by digging here, and the carrier's own websites, how are they doing financially is important too. Will they be here for 5 years or so until you move on, or make a career out of a regional.

These are the sort of things you search out on the interwebnet and sit down with HomeRaiser6 to tell you where you will go to apply when the well starts collecting water again for the pools that have dried up. Then is when you put your line in the water to try and catch that mythical Higher Tier Regional!

QOL is all about what is quality FOR YOU. Some want big money, others want the minimum time away from home, some want long overnights to "see the world". Commuting is the biggest factor to me- the QOL hit to catch an extra flight an either end of a trip is a major PITA. If you are single it may not matter, if you are young you may get a crashpad and go out with fellow pilots the night before/after a trip, if you have a wife/kids/dog/family/mistress/etc at home you may want to look at which carriers either could base you at home, or give you the best options from home. You need to evaluate the contracts in the area of when they are amendable. A carrier that just signed a new contract may have the best rules/pay, but its apples and oranges to a carrier in negotiations because the new contract could change the comparison. Growth/movement could be a consideration- while there is minimal movement at the moment reserve life and the top end are important. At places such as American Eagle the top end is many years senior to many other carriers, that will start to matter when the industry reverses itself because at many places the folks on the top will not be leaving regardless of the industry. Talk to friends that are pilots at various regionals. There will be hundreds of opinions on here but what I am interested in and enjoy may be totally different than you. Pilots are a solid group but the personalities within the group are different from place to place. If your friends are somewhere and like it, chances are you will too. I happen to work somewhere that has the lowest pay, worst rules (we are in negotiations) but have amazing QOL since I am home 18+ days a month and never miss any of my family's or my wife's family events since my base is where I grew up and my wife/my family lives. Pay, bases, and days off are typically where people look in the "QOL" department but there is much more to it because each person is looking for something different.

In the 5 minutes it took me to type my post I see many factors have already been taken off the table.... Good luck, whatever you do- INCLUDE THE WIFE in the decision... or at least make her feel like she's included...

Is there a source for current pilot contracts for regional carriers?

wisky has a solid contract. I dont know where you could view it. ASA also has a good one from what i hear. At least shoot for one with rigs, pay protection and a decent second year pay rate. Express jet is good if they ever hire again.

Air Inc...

You would not be able to read and understand contracts (or crew policy in the case of SKW) in such a manner as to compare apples to apples. They are far too complicated and interpretation dependent.

Most folks flunk at least one interview in their career, so do not automatically assume that you can pick and chose a specific regional. What you probably want to do is select a few that would work for you, rule out a few bottom-feeders, and the start networking like crazy. Networking will get you the interview, not your CFI resume. Also the expansion and boom hiring days at the regionals are over for good...you might well need some 135 and/or turbine time to be competitive in the future (unless you want to wait for age 65 in 2013).

Philosophically, it is worth holding out for FDX/UPS instead of CAL, USA, UAL, etc...there is a large career difference in compensation. This is not so much the case at the regionals...your choices now can affect your future QOL far more than your pay.

QOL is a factor of workrules and location. Sounds like you need to live in ORD, so start with regionals based there and rank them. Word-of mouth reputation is what you will need to go on...like I said the contracts are too hard to read, plus they may not be applied verbatim.

Commuting is a big QOL factor, but it might be better to commute than work for a bottom feeder in domicile. Bases and contracts get changed...you could end up faced with either commuting for a bottom-feeder or doing a lateral move.

I would also look at regionals with commutable bases within 2-3 hours flight time of ORD. Look at flight schedules, you want multiple nonstops on company or codeshare plus hopefully one other airline.

My A-list would be SKW, ASA, AWAC, CHQ, XJT in no particular order, I probably forgot someone, apologies in advance. Avoid gojet unless you want industry-wide disrespect and possible career repercussions down the road.

If you plan on being a lifer and don't care about upgrade QX and AE would be OK too...but there are no guarantees on upgrade anywhere right now. It's possible that as the regionals stagnate and decline going forward, today's new hires will not have a reasonable upgrade expectation unless you go to a bottom feeder. I would almost say try to get your 1500 turbine PIC in 91/135 first, THEN go to a regional to hang out until the big boys hire.

i think the biggest key to youre quality of life is schedule. When it comes to schedule, i dont really feel like theres much difference between one carrier or another when it comes to regionals. the best advice i can offer is to do your research and get yourself in a position to be marketable at the BEGINNING of the hiring wave. Say you are keeping yourself up to date on regional news and hiring and you find out that Air Airways just got an award for 50 airframes from United and they dont have anyone on furlough...you need to get into the first class you can because that means a couple things:

1) you will end up sitting less reserve
2) there will be more people below you which equals better schedules and job protection

I know that people on these boards dont think much of TSA, but I got in at the beginning of a hiring wave and sat 3 days of reserve. My quality of life has historically been pretty good, but im getting shipped out to IAD now. When i was hired, there was no way to predict that.

ok...so i just rambled for a long time, but the point is: make the best decision you have with the most information you have.

Unless one is flying for a VERY crappy charter operator that pays VERY badly, by the time one would get 1500 TPIC flying 91/135 (except maybe doing single-engine tprops like Vans or PC12s) I don't see much career upside for going to a regional...and a lot of earnings downside.

With that said, I personally know a few who have gone this route because they wanted to check the 121 box on any application they might fill out and were happy with their decision.

A few reasons I can think of:

1. You'll build flight time like crazy. SIC is worthless, sure, but when you're just starting out TT is important, too. Once you upgrade, as well, you'll build PIC time faster.
2. Schedules (at the better regionals) are pretty good, much better than being on a beeper constantly. Plus the ability to swap/drop/trade trips to improve your schedule. Even on reserve, you will probably have some sort of hierarchy/bucket system and a chance to be on long-call and sit at home on reserve.
3. You'll make contacts with other pilots at the company who will someday move on and help you get your next job.
4. You don't have to worry about the boss selling the airplane, especially in this economy.

I was thinking more of the bottom end of things. Majors don't usually hire caravan pilots, but if you punched out the TPIC in a van and then spent a few years at a regional it might work out for you.

If you have 1500 hours TPIC by the time you get hired by a regional, you're not just starting out in your career. Your total time is very likely in excess of 3000 hours, and many HR folks may question why somebody left a PIC position to become a regional airline SIC.

Very true, but this makes two very large assumptions: 1. you're on a beeper constantly flying 91/135 (I'm not, and neither are most others I know) and 2. you live or are willing to move to your airline's domicile. 91 & 135 jobs/schedules are NOT made equal and they run from 24/7 on call as you describe to hard days off and trips scheduled weeks in advance.

True you'll fly with more people at an airline, but quantity of networking doesn't necessarily constitute quality networking.

That's a valid concern..but no 'good' regionals are currently hiring anyway and there's just as much risk of getting furloughed as a newhire in a down economy as there is of a flight department folding. Additionally, within the bizav world your experience (and salary) is largely transportable to another job should the worst happen; that isn't the case if one is furloughed.

This is NOT meant to be an "airline vs. corporate" argument, as I flew two happy years at AWAC before getting my current job....but IMO there's little to be gained and much downside for somebody with 1500 TPIC in a non-121 environment (again, assuming that time isn't single-engine turboprop) going to fly an RJ.

Agreed!

I know a guy who has nearly 2000 hours PIC single-engine T-props but is struggling to get a job right now because he has no jet time. In a case like that, some time in an RJ would provide them substantial upside.

All of the above do not matter if you don't have a job/furloughed, as in my case. This is the best advice you're going to get; do not choose an airline based on what their status is at the time of the application. Going to Trans States was probably the biggest mistake so far in my flying career and it was all because I got suckered into the prosperity they told us were supposed to have and the 1 year upgrades of 08. As someone mentioned look for airlines that have CONFIRMED new flying and try to get on at the beginning of the wave. At TSA interview they made it seem like they were going to take over the Mesa 50 seat operation in ORD and IAD, a year later, NOTHING. Be patient and chose an airline based on their past and future not present.

Boiler,

Any regrets from leaving AWAC to go 91? Serious question.

Not a one.

I do miss many of the great captains I flew with and union guys I worked with, but I'm fortunate to stay in touch with a few via phone and others via Facebook and the Air Willy Forum.

Couple of things, the first you will be under qualified when the regionals open the doors because of the 121 guys that are out of work right now, so be prepared to wait an extra 6 months to a year until those guys get hired and you become competitive (not everyone will open their doors). Second as someone mentioned before, QOL is defined slightly different by everyone. In my case it means not commuting, good working rules, good pay (for a regional anyways), and plenty of days off with a good line value. May or may not seem like a lot, but at a place like MESA, you'll only score a couple of those.

In your case if you're ok with just living in domicile and don't care much about anything else, anybody would do; anybody but gojets, stay as far away from those guys as you can (do a search if you need more info).

One last thing consider the fact that QOL is a direct byproduct of seniority, so the quicker you can acquire seniority the better your QOL in relation to all the other things besides domicile.

Hope this helps.

If you need to live in Chicago the obvious choices are Skywest and Republic. Both good companies with bases out there. You could interview with Mesa for practice and as a backup.

Good for you!

if you must live in chicago go with skywest if they hire. (they probably will cause its seems they always got their ****** together) I would commute before i worked for republic or mesa. Commuting out of chicago is usually pretty easy with all the nonstops anywhere that any decent regional has a base.