Which would be best
 

So after 20 years in the military, i am more worried about being able to move somewhere finally and not really have to worry about moving for a while. With that being said I would Like to move to TX. Dallas or Houston, it doesn't really matter. I have tried to decipher what people have said about each regional that i could be at in TX. After much review, I have come to the conclusion that, in this order, Envoy, Expressjet, and Mesa is how i would apply. I also saw Skywest also has a TX base, but i don't know how reasonable that out of training would be. Any thoughts on this???

Most junior FO in IAH is a 2/23/15 hire, so probably 2 months after training. Things are moving fast here at Skywest so who knows.

I would avoid Mesa. Work rules are near the bottom of the regionals. Many pilots I fly with, jumped ship from Mesa after a year or so, and went to another regional.

Envoy, ExpressJet, Skywest are all top-tier regionals (but that is not really saying much!). They all have their pluses/minuses.

When joining the regionals, definitely do some research into their particular work rules. Quality of life can vary widely.

Thank you for your service. A friend I went through Expressjet new hire training with was retired Air Force and was picked up by Southwest shortly after his first anniversary. He networked like crazy, but was able to pull it off. He also lived in TX. So my advice is to pick a regional with good work rules that will allow you to move and drop trips so you can go to career fairs and interview prep. I would say XJT followed by Skywest. I believe the reserve rules are better at XJT so I put that one first. Good luck.

Follow #4's advice. Go to regional in the area (besides mesa and rp) sell yourself for a year to anyone willing to listen, then you can pretend you never were subjected to our hell in the regionals!..

What work rules are bad at Mesa? We don't get to experience the SKW reflow issues and get treated fairly well, especially when not on reserve. I had several former XJT pilots in my class at Mesa who hated it there and left XJT for Mesa. Envoy is envoy. People who had a bad experience with Mesa was from years ago. Current Mesa employees don't bash Mesa like Non-Mesa pilots. People aren't leaving Mesa for other regionals for the most part.

If I were you I would go to XJT they have IAH and DFW. They also send a lot of guys to United. They have good rsv rules I've heard. Envoy is negotiating theirs so you could wait and see what they get. Being military your United app would probably be scored the highest coming from XJT.

I cant imagine AA hiring you through the front door if you go to Envoy, I've always wondered if them having an official flow for the last 20 years has caused other carriers to limit the opportunity they receive because they've always had their opportunity with American.

Delta seems like they shine a flashlight so far up your *** they wanna know what you were doing waaay before you were ever thinking about going to Delta. So they can get a "clear" picture of you, not the white washed version you will present at the interview. Good news is what's done is done, out your hands now with them, you either have what they want or don't.

Most junior Captain at Mesa is a February 2015 hire.

Bunch of guys in my crashpad at IAH are guys who left XJT for Mesa in the last year.

I don't care enough anymore to type out a lengthy discussion about Mesa vs Regional ABC. But I think the two points above should be serious food for thought.

Skywest currently doesn't have reserve in most bases lol

Mesa is barely above Gojetz in QOL and pay. My buddy is there now and hates it.

"my buddy" "my roommate" "i heard on a commute"......

How about some current Mesa guys actually come on here and write up a negative report about this place. I'm here and I really hear no complaints from anyone. Reserve is 1-3 months, and obviously upgrade time is quick. New E175s will be announced as soon as the 7 new CRJ900s get online.

Some people are going to hate life no matter where they work. I know people at the majors that hate their jobs. I'm at Mesa now and am very happy. Almost all of the pilots I talk to are happy overall here as well. Like it was said above, Mesa's bad rep comes from people that don't work here or worked here a few years ago.

Personally my QOL is better here at Mesa than it was at XJT. Others may find better QOL at XJT. Really it's all about what works for you.

I mean, when you have the worst payrates and benefits in the industry, you come across as having your heads in the sand. Why don't you just shelve the negotiations and enact your garbage contract permanently.

What I hear from most guys on my own commute on XJT and Envoy leads me to believe general day-to-day QOL is similar on their properties to Mesa but there also appears to me to be much greater discontent at those places, especially at Envoy. Most FOs complain about the long upgrade times and stagnation. That seems to be the hottest button. Of course, I have only J/S with a very small number so my experience may not be representative.

Undoubtedly pay rates are higher at most places compared to Mesa, but I don't hear much about that at all, either here or when J/S'ing.

Depends on who you ask. I have 3-4 friends at Mesa. They all like it. It is also their first (only) 121 experience, so they have nothing to compare it to.

Unless you have previous 121 time go to a place with career progression to a major and good pay rates. Endeavor has about the best deal for pay and a guerentee interview at Delta. Close seconds are PSA, Piedmont, Compass. Mesa has one thing going for it right now and that is a really quick upgrade. Most Junior Captain now is a March 5th hire.

Well I came from Republic, my sim partner for CRJ intial and 175 upgrade came from Pinnacle... and we both like it better here than our previous employers....

But hey, we just have our heads in the sand huh?

$2-4 an hour less really doesn't have much of an impact when your QOL is so much better at the "lower" paying one.

With prior military time it doesn't matter where you go. I know guys that were at my airline and left to United 6 months after hitting the line. Envoy, Skywest, and Expressjet are best in my opinion if you want to live in Dallas/Houston while you get some 121 time and get out. Skywest is the better choice of the three due to movement. Envoy is a good choice because training is in Dallas and offers a bonus first day along with good pay during training(regional standards).

Yes. Yes you do. Your contract is embarrassing and your company is intentionally dragging its feet to get you anything resembling industry average. And then you bring the pom-poms

Ha actually they're not, we should have something to vote on in the next two months.

You sound like fun to sit next to on a 4 day.

You're right. How many years since the amendable date?

What makes your contract so much better than Mesa's that entitles you to be so condescending towards Mesa pilots?

If you want to be a captain, go to mesa. If you're content with being an FO for 3+ years, go to Expressjet, Skywest or Envoy.

Please explain, I didn't apply at MESA because I didn't want to risk Hawaii, and everyone said the pay is less, the lines are min guarantee with min days off? Is your pay check larger?
Do you have more days off?
I don't really see how it is subjective. How exactly is your QOL better, I can see how your overall happier looking at a quicker upgrade, but not QOL.

Holy crap, mesa management is strong on here.

What happens when the music carousel stops at Mesa. And say you're stuck there, then it will be back to the crappy place Mesa really is. Right now things are just moving fast at Mesa but they are failing horribly. When the movement stops completely you will see how bad of choices you made by being there.

Mesa is a toilet. Bottom of the barrell everything, with the quick upgrade express slamming to a halt.

$29/hr. Lol.

Not sure when you applied but Mesa has not been in Hawaii for a while now. My lines are in the 80-85 hour range with 14-16 days off. I can get 95 hours of credit with 11-12 days off if I want. Most trips are commutable on at least one end. On RSV I was able to get released a couple hours early on my last day most weeks. I was on RSV for around 3 months and can hold a line ever since.

The pay rates are definitely lower, that is the big negative.

You keep saying the quick upgrade is over yet it accelerates every month. Oh that's right, the truth isn't nearly as much fun as redundant rhetoric.

They putting two left seats in dem bad boys? Everyone wearing 4 stripes?

I guess two 1/2 captains=one "real" 121 Captain.

You must be smoking the good stuff tonight.

The truth hurts bruh. Sorry mang.

I held 15-17 days off as an FO and I was only on reserve 1 MONTH as a CA. I hold a 15 day off line as a CA upgrading 19 months after DOH.

But you're right this place sucks so bad. (insert most obvious eye roll possible)

Can any mesa pilot actually say their contract isn't among the worst in the industry? I'm not here throwing stones. I just want an honest answer. I've seen the union's own factual sheet pointing exactly at that fact. One can always say that comparing regionals is pointless because they're all terrible. But one has to start somewhere. If you set the bar too low, then the bar quickly becomes dangerously close to nothing.

But........upgrades....oh wait.........

I am currently at Mesa and will answer your question. Without a doubt our contract is below industry average. Pay and QOl items are below what most regionals have in place today. In addition our insurance costs are considerable. If you are looking for quick movement and have previous 121 time upgrades are moving quickly to date. Moving forward a lot will depend on if additional aircraft will come on property. If you don't have any 121 time there are a lot of choices out there with better pay and still decent movement. I don't know why face biter is always all over the Mesa stuff but he does have one point. If things slow down (music stops) then look closely at what the pay benefits and QOL look like for FOs. I have seen things go from street captains to dead stop. Seriously consider airlines with interview programs at the Majors. Some even offer them to FOs like Endeavor. Face Biter I will disagree with you though that if the music stops here there will be no other options. You can jump ship in this environment to any other regional, barring any major national event it will be that way at the regional level for at least another 5-7 years.

So first off i want to thank everyone for a little insight to things. I do have a thought in my head and I know some may think me crazy, but i was thinking I would like to settle down in TX, be it Dallas or Houston, and stay at a regional.. upgrade one day and hang around. I really do like to fly, and with my retirement to supplement my initial pay, i think i can manage. Obviously flying for the majors is a big deal with a lot of money, but once you get to be a captain with a few years in, doesn't the money become at least livable in the regionals anyway?

If you want to settle in TX don't rely on any regional being around one base for long term. They open and close left and right. If you like to fly and want to stay put in TX take a look at Executive Airshare. They are a fractional company, and have a huge base in Fort Worth. Hiring like crazy and no crazy 121 requirements to upgrade. Have a friend there and he loves it. Starting pay is more than the regionals and you will probably upgrade within the year depending on how close you are to their company mins.

All true except you will fly your tail off. Don't plan on getting 14 or 15 days off per month. It's more like 6 or 7 days off a month. I like to fly but I also love my family. They are a great company and they do pay really well.

Don't sell yourself short. If you have no black marks on your military record and are personable, you can be at United or Southwest in no time and be in a Texas hub that will not close like a regional base would. Besides, you don't want to put up with the regional BS in your retirement. Go somewhere where you are respected for what you bring to the company.