In doing my research, I have a short list of things I plan to use to help me compare regional A to regional B, C, etc. Of course, not in this list is the concept of local domicile; we all know that commuting sucks more than being close to home. However, some may not be able to move, so commuting is a must.

At any rate, please feel free to add any things you would use to select a place to work, and thanks for your constructive input!

Training Pay
Reserve Guarantee
Monthly Guarantee
FO 1st yr pay
FO 2nd yr pay
Sick days per month
Per diem
Uniform allowance
Hotel (in base)
Hotel (out of base)
Cancellation pay
(your turn)

 

In order of importance:

1) Bases, ( because you'll want to live in base)
2) Bases, (because if you can't live in base, you'll want the easiest commute)
3) Bases, (because you don't want to end up in a lousy, uncommuntable base)
4) Projected upgrade time.

So yeah. Bases and upgrade time.

 

Commutability
Live where you are based
How long is reserve
Upgrade time
Wholly owned vs non wholly owned
Contract renewal



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Originally, I didn't include reserve time and upgrades because they are such elusive targets. But I guess still things that need to be considered, even if they aren't very tangible.

Thanks for the input!

 

This is what you want to look at for sure ^^^^^^^ However it can be adjusted with upgrade time. For example a crap commute might be justified by a fast upgrade time. Suck it up get your pic time and get the hell out.
However going to a regional with a 2 plus year upgrade you'd definitely want to avoid it when dealing with a bad commute.

Also there are a few Regionals that are providing hotels in base now for commuters. That could be an easy extra 250 bucks or more in your pocket a month.

 

I would think the top 3 things would be Upgrade Time, Domicile, and Quality of Life (QOL).

The order of the 3 depends on you; family, don't wan't move/commute; single, wouldn't mind moving or working with low QOL to get a quick upgrade; or have other income and want QOL.

 

There are hundreds, no wait- thousands of people who have "sucked it up, got their PIC time"... but can't get out. The former does not guarantee the latter. Expedite it? Possibly. But in the current hiring environment its still going to take a good chunk of time to "get the hell out", thats just the way it is. For this reason, I believe upgrade time should be considered, but never trump all other factors when deciding where to work.

Drive to work. This job is basically not worth commuting for.

 

Upgrade times can change drastically and quickly, so be careful with that one or at the very least understand that variable. Domiciles can too, but are more quantifiable. One important aspect is the QWL offered by a particular carrier and what the managements attitude is toward their pilots. History is a good predictor of the future on that one.

Think about the "what if" scenario of ending up tethered to carrier X for an extended period longer then planned and whether you can live with that development in the QWL and treatment department.

Just my .02............

 

For me, ATL is the closest domicile, and it's still 3.5 hrs away. Commuting will most likely be in my near future, no matter where I decide to hang my hat. I have already resigned myself to that fact. After that, if I still hate it, I can move.

As I said, upgrade and reserve times aren't a very viable target, but I added them to the list, because they ARE things to consider.

Hopefully, this list is generic enough for anyone to use to compare potential regionals, not just me. A lot of the good info I have picked up here on APC (domicile, QoL, not commuting, etc.) are still great things to consider, but may not be much of a factor in selecting that first regional for some. One could sit back and prioritize regionals for 6 months, and never make a good decision, or flip a coin today and get really lucky. One thing that IS certain about the industry is that NOTHING is certain, except sucky FO pay!

 

I agree but I will say that some carriers have more tolerable first year pay than others. I would weigh the QOL factors first above all else. And the others were right, what would be the most painless commute. Check out the passrider website to get a feel for who and how often a flight is out of your home airport to various domiciles for your top airlines. While who serves your airport does change, try to see if the company of choice serves your airport. You'll be number one on the jumpseat list every time if it's a podunk airport.

Then, once you've looked at your commuting options, choose the best paying regionals. Look for scheduling protections like min day or trip/duty rigs, then first/second year FO pay, health care, and see if you can find someone from each airline to talk about what lines look like at their prospective company.