Again...Duh...who doesn't want mainline pay?

My point is a narrow one...while a small number of FOs might benefit from certificate hopping, it is mostly a poor strategy to say if PSA or some other "fast mover" goes stagnant to just switch to another one and start over.

At that point you are like the pilot who has collected three spouses and wonders where the years went...and the money.

AWAC is steady and with good pay...there is very little reason for a pilot to just up and certificate hop to go lunging for a not yet proven strategy that a fast upgrade will move one closer to mainline. There is really no improvement in benefits...and likely a step backward should things go south.

It might very well be, but there is a much higher risk that in 3-4 years those hoppers will still be at an airline like PSA, wondering why they are not at mainline.

 

Not sure what you are getting at, it seems clear from this thread there is now no real hope of a new hire upgrading at AWAC. Do you read this differently? AWAC may be steady with good FO pay, but that doesn't get you to a major airline currently, PIC time does. Maybe that will change in the future, but for now, without PIC time, you are at a competitive disadvantage against those who have it.

 

Says who, you? You know something the rest of us don't? I get a kick out of all the fortune tellers on here predicting the future of a company or the industry. Awac exercises their extension, still makes money hand over fist, retires a few airplanes, still hiring on a regular basis, and this means no upgrades? Just cause a few crappy regionals are hiring street captains doesn't mean everyone wants to or should go there. If I had the choice between building 1000 sic or whatever it is to upgrade, I'd pick 3 or 4 years of livable wages over 2 years of top ramen and no lube. The way things swing up and down that 2 years turns into 5 and then what, chase the next concessionary regional?

 

Pick an airline that fits your needs. If you're a commuter I'd stay far away from long upgrades. If you live in base then maybe a better paying job is for you. But picking a regional and deciding to commute for 3-4 years before upgrading can be rough as hell. I've seen it first hand!!


AWAC is a good airline and one worth going to and so are many others. Make your own choice based on pay and QOL.

 

Don't mind tom, he's just a PSA cheerleader.

 

It was only a matter of time until this thread turned into PSA cheerleading fest...smh.

 

You're telling this to a guy who has 2 legged it to AWAC going on 5 years. I'd rather 2 leg it than work for most other regionals, that's how strongly I feel. Bare in mind during my stint as FO I also bought a house and enjoyed a good quality of life, even with a 2 legger. Something about being in my 30's and being broke as a joke or living at home/roomates just isn't appealing to me. At any rate hopefully AWAC keeps trucking along like they have for the past 50 years. In the big picture it's not a bad place to be.

 

I would really like to see an apples to apples comparison of pilot salary at each of the regionals. After everything is factored in, it would be interesting to see what a person at each company takes home.

 

I'd like to see this for FO and CA pay...

 

I have friends from school that started at a couple other airlines at the same time that I did. We compare things occasionally, but we haven't really shared W2's. There are certainly some things to consider, like how much time is spent on reserve and your utilization while on reserve.

Hourly pay is an absolutely worthless variable from which to compare. There are too many outside factors that can change this greatly.

On a side note, what does AWAC pay during training (minimum? Per Diem? Average monthly income?)