I am a former enlisted (retired) military member. I do not believe it is a ticket to the majors. I do believe however that all other things being equal: flight time, education, etc. military service, either enlisted or officer, is viewed favorably by most majors. That's just my opinion. No stats to back it up. In other words, if you are choosing the military to serve your country, good on you! I would not let anyone mislead you into believing it's an automatic ticket to the majors.

 

I was in the same situation about 3 years ago. I made the lateral move and it was the best decision I could have made. PSA is growing in CLT so you will have no trouble getting based there and will probably hold a line very quickly.

 

Mesa will get you faster Upgrade. Work on degree online or whatever it takes.

 

Living in base at a growing regional is a no brainer compared to commuting to a regional whose future is uncertain. Make the move and get started on college.

Just be advised that grow and bases could change tomorrow. Good luck.

 

If you're going to do this do it ASAP. Every day you delay you reduce your long term QOL ten-fold. If I were you I would go to PSA in a heartbeat as well. Living in base, this job is a completely different gig. Even at a regional. Don't listen to people on here, they talk big but no one at the majors cares who the &^$# Gojets, TSA, Pinnacle, PSA, Skywest etc. are. Nobody cares, they worry about other stuff like "Which crew meal? Chicken or salmon"? The only people who care are those who have recently moved on and still identify with their past airline, and they will soon forget.

The ONLY thing you should concern yourself with at this point is

1) Go to a growing/high turnover company
2) While as an F/O start your 4 year (THIS IS IMPORTANT)
3) Apply to every carrier out there you feel meets your needs
4) Upgrade ASAP at the earliest possible time, and then fly as much as you possibly can
5) While in the union volunteer for a lot of safety related stuff, airlines like that and it will give you something to talk about

Don't become one of these guys who spend 10 years at a commuter then complain they can't get a call meanwhile they've been sitting on their ass the entire time and don't even have a 4-year, and they miss two large hiring waves.

 

Thanks for the responses everyone, I appreciate it.

 

Figure out the quickest way to get a 4 yr degree. Depending upon your military service you might be able to get some experience credit.

 

While being former nonpilot military is not a ticket to a major airline, it's how you market it when you get some face time with a human recruiter, that will differentiate you compared to someone of equal flight time and flight experience who has only done aviation since college.