My decision - What would you do?
 

You go through and analize everything again and again until it makes you sick, then you make a decision and you wonder if you have done the right thing.
I am currently a FO for pinnacle bidding between a little bit less than half way up the seniority list, I am about to start my second year with the company. I get about 14 to 15 days off a month, and with trip trading and swaping, I can usually get 2 of 4 weekends off with about 85 to 90 hours of credit. I also live 25 minutes from the airport = no commute

I have been frustrated as hell about the lack of progress with our contract, the nwa rfp, our fo pay, and our work rules
I have thought about seeing what else is out there, and recently I was invited to a skywest group interview. I am going to the interview, and I have decided that if i get the job, I am going to make a lateral move, and commute to chicago. Am I crazy?

The way I saw it was: Pinnacle has cancelled classes in august and september, there is no end in sight to our crappy contract negotiations, our fo pay is the worst in the industry, if mesaba gets what they want from their pilots, there is no way we will get better. I got called to be junior manned twice last week when we are supposidly overstaffed.

Skywest has orders coming, only 17 right now but they have plans for more growth. Even if they don't have a pay rate for the 90 seat plane, it is better than pinnacle (especially if they get this raise), and I am borderline broke. They have way better work rules, they pay bonus and holiday pay.
Their eggs are not all in one basket. I have a place to stay in chicago for free so i wouldn't have to pay for a crash pad and the commute is DTW to ORD.

I know that the potential is there for bad things to happen to any airline, and the day i leave pinnacle they could announce a new contract and 50 more planes, but i don't see that happening in the near future.

Pinnacle airlines had some great pilots, and there was potential for this place to be great, but it is falling apart i believe.

Lateral moves are really risky, but what would you do?

Well are you willing to make 19K a year again? With possibly longer ugrade times? If you have your eyes on the majors, I'd stick with it and try to get that PIC time, if you make a lateral move you'll just loose a year of seniority. Is work at Pinnacle that bad? Also, if you don't like pax flying and are not looking at the majors, consider the fractionals. Pay is on par with the majors as well as the work rules.

If you "have decided" why are you asking?

That would be a questionable move IMO. Sounds like your QOL is as good as it gets in the airline biz, and that's what it's all about. The grass isn't always greener....but sometimes you have to find that out for yourself.


Good luck

Stay where you are...You will not be happy starting over at the bottom for 19K. I wouldn't be.

Focus on your job and find a hobby to keep you busy while not flying.

You'll be a Captain in no time - when you get your 1,000 PIC 121 hours start looking for a job with a Major.

Good luck...

-LAFF

thanks guys, all your points make sense. I shouldn't have said decided, cause I am not, but I am going to go to the interview because that can't hurt at all.

It won't hurt but it will complicate the situation. Why add a 'what if' to this situation? You have a job, you are making your way up in numbers towards PIC. Remove the drama and concentrate on your job and social life.

I would in your shoes - stay where you are, get your 1000 hours PIC time, applying to the majors should be your next move.

-LAFF

If I could meet you , I would shake your hand, you have told me some really insightful things. I guess I was just scared with this RFP thing because if we lose flying I will not upgrade for a long time and I will be stuck on fo pay for a long time. Every thing you do is a risk

What I did.
 

I was in a similar situation years ago.

The airline I was working for had just lost a codeshare agreement that totalled about 35% of the company. I had been an FO for 1.4 years at that point. I was looking at a "possible" upgrade at 1.5 years if everything stayed on track. There was a lot of questions running in the rumor mill. Would we do this or that??? etc. I spoke to a lot of senior guys and they all said, hang on and ride. If you're that close to upgrade, leaving could be a mistake. If you're a new hire, then bail. However, you're close to captain - then stay.

Let's look at a few things. First, your quality of life sounds very good! I've been at my carrier for quite a long time and I don't have the quality of life that you have right now. If you think the grass is greener at Skywest, I have a word for you: "Whipsaw". They should get ready for it because all indications are that it will raise it's ugly head soon.

If you have quality of life but you don't have security - welcome to the passenger business. Personally, if I were you, I'd tough it out unless it looks like the entire ship is sinking. With the amount of people bailing, you may be able to sneak into a Captain slot faster than you think. Then you may be able to bail out of the regionals faster than those who jumped ship early. Until you're sure that your airline is going into the drink, I'd maximize my time with my loved ones, save your pennies, get a hobby, buy your time and remember to look for something good each day. That gets harder and harder to do the more brow beaten you become. Don't use phrases like: "I'll be happy when...." BE HAPPY NOW! You're flying a jet and logging some serious time! Keep it up! It all goes in the book. Get the upgrade and you'll be happy you did.

I'm the poster child for this line of thinking because years ago, I chose to stay at my regional. Life sincerely sucked there for some time. It was the people that I worked with that made the job doable. I looked for the fun stuff - lived for my off days and logged as much PIC TURB as I could get.

I just passed 9 years and 9 months with my regional and I just accepted a job with a "little" freight carrier out of Memphis. Out of the 9 years and 9 months I was with my regional, I was captain all but a year and a half. They upgraded on schedule, I was junior as hell but you know - I have 4000 PIC TURB in my book while those that bailed may not have as much. I think that makes a trememdous difference in the way you mature as a pilot.

Stay the course as long as you can handle it and soon my friend, your poverty endurance will pay huge dividends if you just don't quit.

Peace,

JD

Thanks a lot, and thanks to everyone to replying in a helpful way, not a bashing way. Everyone at pinnacle crew wise is awesome, with the exception of a couple but what airline doesn't have that? I will let everyone know how it all turns out but your thoughts have been very helpful, becuase everyone i know including my girlfriend has been urging me to go to this interview, but they know nothing about this industry.

Thanks, now i will go enjoy my quality of life and not think about the red tail!

No problem...Who knows maybe we'll be flying the line together years from now.

-LAFF