From a numbers standpoint alone, i think its safe to say most regional pilots will have their chance to move on in the next 5 years. I think its in 2018 UAL alone needs to hire 2800 pilots THAT YEAR.

But thats just me being optimistic. Not sure if that's allowed here

 

The top 500 or so of the 3300+ pilots at SkyWest don't seem to be going anywhere. I'm a mid 400 number and only move up a number or so every couple months. It's usually because of a retirement. A number in the top 500 puts you at almost 15 years or more with the company.

I'm sure there are plenty of others with numbers between 500 - 2000 that aren't really planning to go anywhere either. Plenty of pilots in their 40s and 50s that are planning on staying.

 

At least the top 140 or so of Horizon Captains aren't going anywhere. Of those below them, I'd say that about another 50-80 either don't plan on leaving, or don't have a 4-year degree.

We only have 309 Captains.

 

Seems like top 30% are lifers usually. Add in a certain percentage of guys that have skeletons in their closet trying to get out too. A good percentage of regional guys aren't going anywhere.

 

at least 80% of the guys I fly with have no plans to leave. LASA ATL base

 

I think theres a lot of RJ Captains who have been raising families at a regional for over a decade or more and moving on is daunting. - BUT i also dont think you can believe most people when they say they have no plans to move on. People lie.

 

[mod note]

Post 78 on was merged in from another thread on the same thing.

 

From what I've seen with the guys in the left seat next to me, SO MANY of the OVER 10 year people in the left seat don't even have their logbooks in order, are behind in logging their hours by years, and aren't in the I'm thirsty as heck to get outta here mindset. They hear the "so and so got picked up at XX major" and they only get more discouraged, thinking, crud, I could be starting over again but I havce a family and I'm used to being in the left seat and having a line... ugh I don't know. Knowing that there are more of those out there than I ever thought, I see there may be more people than we think who are just gonna stay put. I don't blame them, since they've been through the torture of stagnancy and the thought of starting over seems to induce some stress, as it would in me I assume.

 

Yes you can do an entire career at a Regional, if you must. However keep in mind that the Regional industry may not proceed in the next 25 years as it did in the last 25 years, so you must have a plan. I'm not sure there is the stability in Regionals there was due to the whipsawing from the Majors that we ALL work for now. My plan from years ago may not work today but First, just be damn sure you are at a Regional you can live with if necessary. At my 10 year point I was applying at Majors and BOOM, 911 happened. STRANDED! Thankfully I was making over $100K, off 15 days a month, off weekends and holidays and able to turn one week of vacation into 3 weeks off 4 times a year. I now have only a few years left to fly and my house is paid off, cars are paid off, boat paid off and kids are educated and successful and the wife has a teachers pension and can check out 4 years after me. Between 401K and SS I can quit tomorrow and not take a paycut. I plan to check out early! Good luck and plan well!