The guys at Republic who say the flow is worthless are the guys who still think they’ll be picked up by legacy airline. There seem to be a lot more lifers at Republic who can’t get hired at a legacy at the top of the list, creating stagnation. PSA has a small number or lifers who will be retired during your tenure so attrition from the top will be at least 10/month when AA is hiring, plus anyone going elsewhere. Flow does not have a monetary value, but it’s worth something in that regard.

 

Those who say flow flow flow are trying to convince themselves they made the right decision. To see the realities of flow, just look at the threads in some of the Regionals that offer flow. Envoy is a dumpster fire right now.

As far as RAH having some lifers, that is more of a product of their acquisition history then anything else. Having great QOL rules does not help that situation either as we have many 50+ year old people who have no desire to move on.

In today’s hiring environment I would only recommend flow for someone who has an element of their history that would make them an undesired candidate, such as no degree or a dwi. Otherwise go to where you don’t have to commute and you will get the best pay and QOL. Upgrade times are about the same across the board and wait on class times fluctuate.

 

It's pretty much like this...what do you value most? Do you value having good pay, work rules, and a very flexible schedule with ability to have a lot of days off? Then Republic is probably your best option. Do you want to be at AA in 6+ years? Go to PSA. The rest of the metrics are pretty irrelevant when comparing the two. You will have to work harder marketing yourself to get to a big 3 from YX, but it's not impossible in under 6 years. You'll enjoy a significantly better QOL at YX than almost any other regional. That's the short term advantage of Republic. For me, I didn't want to suffer for those years of my life in a meat grinder regional, so I came here and mostly enjoy it.

 

Just so you know, with SAP a PSA round 1 lineholder will have 18 days a month off.

 

But how much are you crediting with 18 days off? 18 days off with 75 hours credit isn’t much to brag about. I’ve heard the lines are very unproductive at PSA. At Republic the company tries to make the lines as productive as possible. It benefits them, because of our soft pay.

 

I’ve had as many as 20 days off utilizing the SAP. And that was crediting 65 hours. I usually aim for 13-14 off and I’ve been netting about 104-110 credit with the new “accelerated” pay credit. The thing with the SAP is that you can get off any day you really may want. Don’t want to work a holiday? Don’t have to. Want to make it to all of juniors ball games Saturday night? Sure thing.

And if I were a new hire, I would definitely not discredit the flow. I certainly would not depend on it by any stretch of the imagination, but it does provide a lot of benefits. The main benefit for a new hire is going to be the constant churn off the top of the seniority list. Every month AA is hiring you’re guaranteed to move up at least that many spots at a WO.

PSA:
Decent pay
SAP
Flow
Lots of seniority list movement

Republic:
Good pay
Good work rules

 

Also a big factor is realistically how soon a new hire can hold PHL... Thanks for all the info.. keep it coming!

 

I am just going to leave this perspective, but I wouldn’t rely on the flow but treat more like a insurance policy/backup card in the back pocket. One can always try to get hired on at other majors and AA off the street while having the flow in the pocket.

SAP is another story that has been a life changer. I’ve literally rebuilt my schedule with SAP, used SAP to get days I want or need off, used SAP to get more days off. But it will take about 10 to 12 months to hold a round 1 line in most bases in order to have SAP.

No problem getting PHL as a base. You may have to spend a month or two in DAY before getting PHL. You will just be on reserve.

To piggy back off what Chris said earlier, the flow creates constant attrition from the top of the seniority list and also opens up opportunities like LCA, or other resume building collateral duties because guys who fill those positions will be looking to flow shortly afterwards too.

Food for thought.

PSA Pros
SAP
Flow

Republic Pros
Good pay with soft pay
Good work rules

 

Wow, the PSA recruiters are double teaming this thread with almost identical posts. You guys have templates or something your work off of? lol

 

I’m far from a recruiter. And I’m honestly indifferent whether the OP comes to PSA or not. I’m just trying to assist them in making an informed decision. There tends to be a lot of misinformation on this and most threads on APC. A lot of people tend to try and speak to things they have little first hand knowledge of. For instance, I don’t know much about Republic other than you have good pay and a good contract. So I don’t comment on much else...