ASA or Comair or American Eagle
 

Does anybody have any good gouge on the pros and cons of these three? That would really be helpful to me. I am trying to learn more about these companies and whether one would be preferable over the other.

Thanks!

Eagle is now letting you choose your base before going to class. No more random San Juan assignments if you don't want it. Upgrade is still long, but now that AA is recalling, upgrade time should get better. The shorter upgrades will still be extremely long compared to your other choices, but I personally like the experience level that we have in the cockpit. So far, I have enjoyed working here at Eagle and I think it's a great company despite what some people say about it.
Hope this helps.:)

ASA is definately the way to go. Good management, training, .....you will get off of reserve so much faster. Give 'em a shot! and GOOD LUCK!

Go wherever you can live in base and have the best QOL.

That is the best advice on the board.

By live in base, you mean live at your domicile.

Comair pay is a little bit more than ASA and about the same as Eagle, but I would have to commute to Comair or Eagle.

Are you speaking from experience Cubflyer?

From a three airline vet and currently with Comair, at this moment in time I would rate Eagle, ASA then Comair in that order. However, few things to consider and that is upgrade time and QOL. QOl can depend on many factors and those factors that are important to you and you only. SOme people consider reserve time and lenght. How that reserve time is worked with thier particular company. Some consider upgrades others domiciles and if they choose to live or commute to their domiciles. If your hometown is not that important to you, I would look at where these airlines have bases and if you would like to move there. Believe when I say that life is soooooooo much better when you live in your domicile. I personally commute and it sucks but I love where I live, so the trade off to me right now is worth it. So all in all I could have made this short and just agreed with the other and say QOL. I would choose Eagle then ASA then Comair in that order. Good luck in whatever you decide.

One more thing....dont go with pay...first comair hasn't gotten their final payscale yet in our restructuring. Second pretty much everyone is within 2 dollars an hour give or take. In my opinion that isnt' enough to justify or sacrafice QOL or with one airline for another. Stability with company's outlook is most important.

Thanks P1ayn. I live in Atlanta so I would have to commute to Comair and Eagle vs living at my domicile with ASA. I was wondering if better pay at Comair would be worth it, but it sounds to me like it wouldn't.

Maybe you new guys havn't noticed but Comair is most likely going to take it hard in the backside on the pay and beni's. There contract is about to get shreded. You wanna make money, no one has mentioned Horizion, but I understand you have 500 or 600 maybe even 1000 hours and you deserve an RJ job so why would you want to fly a dash 8 and make better money with what appears to be a better quality of life.

Not that you should not go there but don't expect any of the companies you've mentioned to being doing anything too super in the near furture for thier pilot groups.

Go with eagle. They won't go out of business. As far as the others, it seems uncertain.

Hes right about that, EAGLE will be around 5 years from now, my company on the other hand :( :confused: :eek:

Hardly anything is for certain. 5 minutes ago we thought that Mesaba was going to be gone, now they're going to be flying 900's for NW...

The only that is for certain is that the regionals all suck to a degree. You just have to figure out which one sucks the least for you.

I'll throw in another endorsement for living in base. If you can do it, it makes life so much easier and enjoyable...

I was wondering when someone was going to come out with this! Ahhhh the smell of a ink on a license not yet dry from there multi checkride.......then SJS start to set in.

Comair pay is history... The comute would be impossible since ASA is deadheading tons of crews back and fourth to operate CRJ700's out of CVG. Commuting anywhere on reserve is hell. I've never worked at Eagle but something about a ten year upgrade and having to sweat your balls off in a Saab doesn't sound appealing. ASA is hiring tons and the 12 or less remaining ASA ATR's will be history end of the year.

Thanks to everyone for the great input. You guys have definitely helped me clarify my decision.

Thought about Skywest? ASA is/was a great company. Unfortunatly things change all the time in the industry. Rumor was at SKW a few months back was that we were going to open up an Atlanta base. It's a great company to work for and a lot of people from ASA came over here.

I enjoy training here at Comair. I think the training is good and the instructors have a lot of experience. The facilities are excellent and the Comair Chili is a great treat for lunch. I would pick Comair if you are interested in living at one of our domiciles. I am very interested in attaining 1000 PIC as quick as possible. That is the number two reason why I picked Comair; living in NYC was number one. I think this company has a future as a low cost regional. I think the days of making over $100 an hour and providing one with a job they can count on to retire at is slowly fading away. Another thing...go to the airport...ask pilots who actually fly the line what they think about the company they work for. I find that there are a few people who use this forum only to complain about the company they work for...or argue over issues they know nothing about.

Ok is some if this sarcasm? Such as good management?

I think having to commute is my big hangup with Comair or Eagle. Both companies don't seem too bad. Every company has its issues, but it seems like most of the people that have responded suggest trying to live at your domicile. I am definitely going to live in Atlanta so ASA seems like the best choice.

When on reserve at ASA and Eagle, do they have hard days off or are they floating days off?

How easy is it to pick up open time and to manipulate your sked at ASA and Eagle?

I ask because it seems that reserve at Xjet isn't bad at all. It seems they have hard days off and picking up open time is not that hard. I'll be a commuter for any of these companies and so hard days off will be a huge plus.

not to mention my paycheck was 1650 take home (RESERVE)

So SAAB, xjet does have hard days off on reserve? What's your sked been like in terms of consecutive and total days off? I have my interview in early Mar.

Pros and Cons
 

I think that there are some important factors to take into consideration:

1: Stability, Airline industry is very cyclical you can be top of the world to day and down and out tomorrow. American Eagle looks very stable they are wholly owned by AMR and don't have to worry about loosing contracts being undercut etc... Comair great airline but delta looks to be in trouble maybe they will emerge from bankcruptcy maybe they wont. ASA again another very good company but like comair they dont own there routes!!

2: Pay, Kid yourself if you want but you don't want to be living at home with your parents all your life so just because these companies have shiny jets doesn't mean you should go fly them for peanuts. (The rest of the pilot group will respect you if you hold out for a job with good pay)

3: Quality of Life, Minimum days off is the company unionised??? I don't care what people think of Unions Airline Pilots need them! Can you live at your base?? Is there any easy commute. Upgrade time!!!!!!!!! Very important unless you wnat to fly rjs for the rest of your life!!!

go with the quickest upgrade, and dont stay at a regional for more than a few years. They are just places to pay your dues before you go onto your final airline.

I would go to skywest. They don't even have reserve anymore.

Here is the resignation letter my girlfriend would have liked to have turned in when she left Comair. I had to chuckle at the letter but she was pretty miserable there.

RE: Resignation

Dear Mr. Joe Blow Chief Pilot:

Please consider this letter my formal resignation from your sh*tty company. My position as First Officer at Comair has by far been one of the worst jobs in my life. I do not see how you think you run a professional airline. You have no respect for your employees; therefore, I have no respect for you. You have shown me no professional courtesy since I have been here so I will show you none as well. My resignation will be effective immediately. I will not give you two weeks notice because you do not deserve it. I hope it causes you great problems with your scheduling. I do hereby resign my seniority, along with all benefits and privileges therefore provided. Oh, that’s right, there are NO benefits to working for your company. So, simply stated, you can literally take this job and shove it!

(Up) Yours Truly,

Xxxxx X. Xxxxx

...........

Ok, I'll try to tackle this eternal question: "which one is better, Airline A or Airline B".

First you need to examine your situation:

Are you young, single, not attached in any way and looking to get hired with a major someday? If this is the case, the choice is easy. You find out where the first upgrade would be, try to go there (commute if necessary), and fly as much as you can. Money be damned. Simple. Don't get "comfortable." Thats the worst word in the dictionary to an aspiring pilot falling under this paragraph.

Are you married, have kids, and/or a compelling reason to be in a particular area of the country? That one is MUCH harder to address. Any financial planner will tell you the single biggest thing you can do to protect your financial future is NOT GET DIVORCED! No small accomplishment in this industry. If this is your situation you need to find a place that can give you the right mix of time at work and at home, tending to the family. Also, money, security, and benefits DO matter in this situation as you are trying to support your family. Look at location, money, benefits, and security and make your decision based on these factors. It will take you much longer to make it to a Major (if that's your goal) but your family life will more than make up for it.

That's what they said about being a CFI. That's why my old instructor is saying about being an FO in a 737 for Cont. and that's also what and old instructor of mine is saying about being an FO at NetJets....

Don't kid yourself. You aren't done putting in your dues until you retire. Might as well pick the best paycheck. Then go from there.

I'd wouldn't go to any of them personally . . .

Gotta say, I agree with this.