C5 vs OO
 

I have a CTP and a CRJ class date with OO, CTP starts on the 12th. C5 has been recruiting me over the past couple weeks. Myrna and I have been playing phone tag for a week or so. Some people on the forums have reached out via PM telling me all about C5. I'm early 30s. 3700tt2600MutliSic from previous 121. I live in the Midwest, ORD is an easy commute but am wanting to move out west. I would move anywhere. No family. A big part of me says stick with OO due to size and base options and stability, not a horrible place to be if I never get called up. But the opportunity to jump on the top of small growing list with a CPP with United and upgrade more quickly is attractive. What's a pilot to do? Cordial pros and cons would be appreciated. Blatant negativity is not needed. Thanks..

You would upgrade immediately at C5 if I understand correctly , meaning you'd make more and enjoy a better schedule sooner.
I'm torn between these two as well, but I have zero 121.

SkyWest's upgrade time is 2.5 years and dropping fast. Yes, SKW has better basing options & good base pay, while C5 has a slightly shorty upgrade time. ORD is junior for CAs and FOs at SKW. At the end of the day living where you work is what I would recommend.

How would you enjoy a better schedule sooner?

Go where your main objective is to get out. The worst thing you can do in this industry is get comfortable, at the start. Poof, 10 years later and you have a F/A baby mama, child support, and financially can't move on without a lot of pain. Take the short term pain of a less than stellar regional and use the discomfort as motivation to get out, and on to a major, then get comfortable.

I think that you would get off reserve faster as an FO. Not sure how you would have a better schedule sooner as a CA.

I would consider envoy as well

Just some shooting from the hip spit ball numbers here. Everything changes. 350 aircraft/3500 pilots. Add the reserves and those on leave and what not and you get 4000. So I assume the junior captains at OO are in the 2200 range. Given that there is a percentage of FOs that are delaying upgrade for their various reasons. So going to the bottom of a 4K pilot list. Current attrition, which always changes, is 60/month. That's straight from a pilot on a message boards mouth, but believable given average attrition numbers, let alone legacy hiring numbers. So 720 pilots a year are leaving. For the first year almost all 720 of those will be senior to a new hire. As you move ahead in time not all of the pilots resigning will be senior, but the majority will be. 720 pilots a year. Multiply that by three years and one could expect to be halfway up Skywests list. Crazy. This all changes so rapidly. And where are the new applicants coming from when half the seniority list is turning itself over every 36 months. There were supposed to be 4 interviewing with me. There were only 2. Only 1 was offered a cjo. I'm content with a class date at OO. Sometimes the negative nancy moms basement keyboard warriors intimidate the new hire. Luckily I've had experience in the 121 world. I know what I'm getting myself into. But no matter what, I'm never commuting reserve.......EVER!

Not sure why the original post, but OK! Enjoy DTW.

What exactly is there to consider about envoy? And don't say 2 year upgrade and 5 year flow. Recruitment Hogwash!

Yeah you're right. I'm talk myself in and out of both. Mod feel free to delete this thread.

I heard United expects to have less than 100 rj 50 seaters in its fleet by 2019. Things change fast.

And their west coast base the original poster asked about is where?

(Did you even read the O.P.?)

If you live in the Midwest now but would eventually move to the west coast OO is probably a good place for you. Even if you got a quick upgrade at C5 you would be on reserve for a long time as a CA and not to mention a long commute from the west coast.

The fact that envoy is a WO with a flow, awesome travel benefits and now with the bonus they offer , commuting would be worth it. They are setting themselves up to be one of the top regionals .

Live where you work brother....those few days of bad weather, MX delays and missing flights home will eventually suck at any airline that you commute to. In the end it is about QOL. Heck if you have no ties....move!

I'll give him some honest advice.....


Speaking purely as someone who has lived out west (AK, CO) and now finds myself an east coaster again, if you want to move out West, do it and don't look back.

Living out in the Rockies or the Pacific, if that's where your heart is, is something that can't be duplicated anywhere else. SKW is you want DEN or SLC, or Compass if you're looking for LAX or SEA.

There's going to be enough movement over the next few years that well prepared (and perhaps less well prepared as well) folks are going to have their shot at the Legacies no matter what carrier you work for.

The above is good advice. Your single, no kids or commitments holding you down. Take the upgrade, move in base, and start building your PIC time. You will be making captain pay, get the max sign on bonus, and have the CPP. With the movement, and growth, you will not be on reserve long. As a bonus, it's a great company and a great pilot group.

You must have messed up when setting up your account. You must have meant "MISTAKE89"

Are you sprinkling crack on your cocopuffs.. the wo are imploding right now.

I did both. Go with OO.

Why do you say that?

If you want to move out west compass has LAX/SEA, either of them can be obtained as a new hire. Smaller pilot group so you don't have to go through 2000 pilots to get I the left seat. 10 lifers, not 1000 like SKW. So all but 10 of the pilots are trying to get out. You won't fly with a younger crowd there too! If you have prior 121 you could upgrade within a year most likely. Typical upgrade for prior 121 has been 6-9mo from hire date. Since west coast bases are Jr you won't sit reserve for years before you see a line either.

It's an assumption based on getting in early in the hiring wave there and having a seniority list growing beneath him quickly (they are planning to triple in size). At skywest, I think a large portion of the hiring is for attrition. Of course a skw FO schedule could be better or worse then a new capt at C5, admittedly I'm not privy to the intricacies of it all.

I can tell you from experience, the airline will not triple in size. There just aren't enough applicants out there to grow that much. TSA was predicted to triple in size and even before the fast upgrade train left the station, the new hire pool dried up.

Good gawd! You're either delusional or incredibly naive and certainly lacking experience in this industry!

Unfortunate for TSA.

Times have changed. Majors are hiring FOs now. When i got to my major most of the regional guys were either no pic or very little. If QOL drives you then go to SKYW

Times have changed, but I would venture to say that most newhires at a major have jet PIC time.