has anyone actually got to a regional and liked it and STAYED there to make a career...

it would seem to me if your attitude and work ethic are good, it would be EASY to be a big fish in a little pond.....

seems like a lot of people are using the regionals as a stepping stone....anyone think of making it a career??????

just wondering...............

 

Most people think of it as a stepping stone. But there are so-called 'regional' carriers that offer good career possibilities. While we were operating the BAe-146 we had quite a number of pilots who earned 6-figure salaries with terrific seniority benefits (good bidding and lots of vacation) along with great work rules.

The pay we have for the CRJ-200 is not as good as the BAe-146 was, but it is still not a bad place to make a career. I definitely fly with some guys who consider this their last stop. They have reached an age and position where they don't really want to start over at the bottom of yet another seniority list.

I suspect there are other so-called 'regional' (not quite sure what that term means when many of them fly coast-to-coast) airlines who employ "Lifers".

 

Im not sure how many PLAN on making a regional their career but a lot of folks end up getting stuck there for one reason or another. Maybe the industry takes another sh!t like it did post 9/11. Maybe you are unable to upgrade. The most common reason I hear from guys who have decided to stay at the regional level is that it would just be too hard to move on. Once you have a few years seniority at a regional and are able to pick your schedule, vacation, etc it can be real hard to move on and go to the bottom of the reserve barrel. I talked to one senior captain that showed me the numbers, and it would have COST him something like $400K in loans to cover his pay loss for the 8 years until he broke even (assuming he didn't change his lifestyle) and that doesn't take into account QOL. To some, being able to see your kids little league game or be home for birthdays and Christmas is worth more than flying to exotic places in your 777 or few grand more a year.

That being said, there are some regionals out there that make better careers than others. The stable carriers like Eagle, Horizon, and Skywest are obviously better choices than Mesa, Pinnacle, and Big Sky. But its all relative and depends greatly on where you want to live, what you want to fly, etc etc. The major argument against a career at a regional is that the regionals are always at the mercy of their partner airline. When you are at the regional level, your management rarely has significant control over your destiny.

 

The pay isn't the problem with a regional career. The problem arises from being a contractor and the major you fly feed for putting out a RFP. The next thing you know your flying is gone to the lowest bidder and you are on the street, looking to start over again somewhere else. If you hit it wrong you may always be in the bottom 5 years of someones seniority list. Hopefully this whole thing will stabilize soon and stop with the musical chairs of feeder flying. I wouldn't mind staying at the regional level, if I could be more sure of these companies being around for the next 20 years.

 

The stability factor is very much an issue as others have pointed out. You could be fired or relocated with very little notice at the whim of your employer's major partners.

Also, you are much more susceptible to economic pressures from entry-level pilots. You could be 50 yo, with a wife, 3 kids, and a mortgage...you need the $90K, but when that 23 year-old PFT with 200 hours is willing to do YOUR job for $16K your company is going to want some serious concessions from you.

 

A lot of ExpressJet guys have decided to make it a career. Many turned down jobs at Continental to stay at Express. I did not. I would never. Express is fine, but not a career for me. I left $65K + $10K (checkairman) job for a pay cut at Continental. At second year FO pay (in the 767) I can make the same as a nine year CA pay at Express. Sure I don't get all 767, I mostly get 757 for now. I can hold 777 and that is the same pay as 767. I can upgrade next year in the 737 and make $125K. I also have a choice of destinations and aircraft. When I was little and saw airplanes taking off out of SFO, I knew that's what I wanted to do for a living. I didn't watch RJ's- they were heavies. I just landed the 767 yesterday coming back from Frankfurt. If you want to make the regionals your career, there is nothing wrong with that.

 

yeah after 20 in the military getting deployed all over the world to crappy locations, i am looking forward to a change of pace.....of course i still have 6.5 years (and counting) to go....

still helps to get all of the info up front..

thanks for your help!!

 

Bear in mind that any of the information you get today can and will change in the next 6.5 years. Whats true today wont neccesarily be true then.

 

true....heck, what is true TODAY wont be true tomorrow....

but i just wanted to get the feel of the group...

thanks!

 

After 9/11, I thought it could be....spend a few years there and you say to yourself..."why did I got to the regionals again??"...to move on !!!!!!!!