Sure. Regional FO, 4200TT, 4 year degree, 1 internal, 2 job fairs, local to ACY.

Seems that a lot folks at the regionals that could wait a little longer and be picked up by legacies are bailing to greener pastures. Are the regionals that bad or are the alternatives, like Spirit, just becoming desired final stops for many?

I think a mix of both those things. United Delta and American just aren't calling.

Maybe, but the person above is a 4000+ hour FO probably close to upgrading at his current airline. Not that PIC is what it used to be, but legacy classes are about full of people with turbine PIC. Rather than getting the PIC time, this pilot is leaving for Spirit. Might not have even had an app in at the legacies. If the apps are in, I doubt the expectations were very high. Some targets seem to be shifting...

Spirit is a career airline now. The total career earnings may still be less than at a legacy, but if it's the first place that calls it's a better play than waiting an undefined amount of time for a legacy to call. Every month not at Spirit waiting for the legacy to call is a month of ~250/hr paycheck lost from the end of your career. That kind of opportunity cost adds up quickly. Add in the seniority you would give up, the risk that Spirit wouldn't ever give you another chance, and that the call from the legacy may never come, and there's a strong case for taking the job when it's there rather than gambling on a better one.

Makes a lot of sense. I know A guy that got turned down by Spirit that eventually went to Delta, but, you're probably right. Playing with fire as the years pass at a regional. Couldn't imagine years going by having turned down Spirit. Yikes...

For me there was more to it. I actually like the LCC for their pilot culture compared to the big 3. I’m a civilian pilot so I don’t fit in at Delta. I honestly don’t like United at all from working as a UAX pilot. AA, honestly don’t know much about them. Cargo, not interested.

But everyone I know at Spirit absolutely loves it. A fun place to work from everything I can tell. It think I’ll fit in great and love it.

For what it’s worth working at United and delta and American are nothing like working at express connection eagle. Your Uax experience would not translate

You have no idea what he is referencing or what his experience is.

Working in the UAL system as a regional pilot you spend plenty of time in the UAL system and just as he made the decision that he doesn’t fit the mold of Delta, he probably felt the UAL system wasn’t something he wanted to be a part of, personally.

Heard the same story from so many express pilots. “I would never work at XYZ legacy.” Then they start working there one day and cashing the checks, depositing the 16% DC retirement, collecting the profit sharing, dealing with major airline schedulers instead of regional crew schedulers, and suddenly working for said legacy is pretty good.