Career at a Regional?
 

It seems that almost all the posts I read involve putting in some time at a regional and then getting out just as soon as one is qualified for a major. Has anyone considered staying at a regional? I know the majors pay a lot better, but say you enjoy the people you work with, get a base and equipment that are good, a career at a regional wouldn't be all that bad, right? Maybe work your way up into management, make some of the changes that everyone here always says management needs to make?

From what I understand that's theoretically correct. The perfect example to illustrate both sides is Comair. They WERE a great place with good pay and excellent work rules and benefits, and they had alot of career people. But now they're being ******ed up the @$$ by Daddy Delta. Some even say they could be gone in a few years (but I hope not). The problem with a career at a regional is not even the salary, it's the instability caused by the whole regional versus regional thing. For a long time Comair was great and stable and then the stuff hit the fan.

There are plenty of career pilots flying at Comair, ASA, Eagle, Mesaba, Expressjet, Air Wisconsin, etc...and every person in that category each has their own reasoning.

Bottom line is this - unless you fly under your own code, you are subject to the whims of the mothership...and as long as there are companies and pilots willing to do the same job for less, there will never be any guaranteed stability.

I just saw some of the previous posts on this subject. As is everything, it's up to personal preference I guess. The issues of company stability are definately worth considering, but look what happened to the majors. There is always the threat of furlough and job loss, no matter where you work or who you work for. Only those far enough up the seniority list survived the furloughs after 9/11, and who's to say when the next crisis will come?

I'll just have to decide what's right for me. It is good to see the different viewpoints that everyone brings up.

In the past some of the big attractions at a major were pensions, big paychecks (200k+), and really amazing quality of life. Now the majors have lost pensions (mostly), taken huge paycuts, and are being forced to work more which reduces the QOL a bit.

I know a pilot at Horizon that has been there 8-9 years and is making $90,000 - $80,000. Going to Alaska would be a fairly big paycut for him but after while it would definently be a smart move.

ya, complacency and underachievment

Lets all just get a sex change then we all can go to UPS

I'm waiting for "gay" to be approved as an affirmative action category...

I can be "gay" to qualify for a job at FEDEX...I'll check the box, and you can't prove otherwise. If they don't like the whole being married to a woman thing, I'll just change my mailing address to my crash pad :rolleyes:

i heard that there is a trans testicle at usair. I guess they have an agreement that "she" will never upgrade.:confused: