Please tell me your not trying to throw Comair guys under the bus?

 

Sure, Delta shut down Comair in September 2012 because the pilots went on strike in March 2001.

I guess they didn't shut us down 11 years sooner because that wouldn't be polite.

 

Uh no, I'm saying what Delta did sucks!

 

Delta couldn't afford to lose all your flying, and couldn't replace you overnight. The same holds true for Endeavor and PSA, but management somehow keeps convincing flight crews to take it in the shorts, while they keep increasing their own pay, benefits, and bonuses for every cut they manage to "sell"!

 

Whoa Nelly... this thread is starting to spiral. I like the idea of staying at a regional long term. The bases are usually smaller, crews are certainly smaller and you fly together for the whole trip. You fly to small towns and get to know the gate agents and even the hotel van drivers. The hotels aren't always as nice but it seems like they give you more, like beater bikes to explore around town. That's what I miss the most about regional flying. What I can't tolerate is that first officer pay is not sustainable. Never has been and everyone knows it. It's the gorilla in the corner of the room. We pretend to ignore it because we convince our selves that an upgrade is just a short wait away. We're our own worst enemy. The bright eyes of young new pilots reflect the same public misperception that airline pay is based on the staggering salaries of wide body captains. The painful truth is that even if you're fortunate enough to get there, when you average out the long years the pay is far less. This explains why an airline pilot can track down a happy hour, free breakfast or USA Today from miles away.
Another point dully noted is that regional flying (although at one time its own brand) is now a subsidiary of a larger carrier. So the flying done today by one regional could be taken away when the contract ends to the next lowest bidder.
But where do you draw the line? Midwest Express was an airline with a great product and loyal customers and it was not a regional. Is it a risk to pursue a boutique airline because you want to live in a certain region or you prefer a smaller airline culture? Is it safer to work for a giant legacy... to have power in numbers? What about the giants of yesterday such as Pan Am, Eastern, TWA? How much impact does a CEO or board of directors have on your career?
I think the answer is, you're never safe. We are all free agents and even the best of intentions could be dashed away by bankruptcy, a bad merger or another Lorenzo-type spin off taking command of your company.

 

^^^^^^^^ That's a damn fine post chief

 

As someone that's seen my "career" at a regional go about as good as it could over the last 13-14 years, I'd strongly recommend that you get to/move onto a Legacy type airline as soon as possible. The pay and benefits are significantly better at mainline.

Even nearing year 15 pay as a RJ Captain at SkyWest, I'll make less than most FOs at Delta and United in their 2nd or 3rd year. And they'll get nearly 3x the retirement contribution I'll get as well.

I've even advocated for the "regional lifer" position in the past, but now believe that was a mistake.

--my perspective as someone that's been in the left seat of a RJ now for a decade, in the top 10-15% of the seniority list, gets a pretty good schedule, and hasn't seen reserve in 8 years. I'd trade it for the bottom number on someone else's list now.

 

 

That's an epic John Terry meme.

 

I'd like to buy you a beer.