So, after much deleberation what was once a huge recruiting tool, the flow and SAP, is a non-factor. I am typing this so hopefully the people similar to my position of soon choosing a regional to apply to can see where it doesn’t do much for a new hire at all (at PSA) in this hiring climate. At least I hope it gets you thinking and maybe it will help the current pilots that are getting shafted at PSA right now by drying up the hiring a bit so they can have some leverage. If I’m totally off on this (current PSA pilots) let me know but I truly do care when I see my pilot peers getting the raw end of the deal. Hopefully this doesn’t hose my chances of possibly coming their in the future either but I have counted to cost if so.
If you live in a jr PSA base then try to go to PSA if not then don’t. Exception for RTP guys. I live near two jr bases so it’s still a good choice for me.
If you haven’t read how bad SAP is right now just know it’s nothing to be banking your QOL on and do some research. Hopefully that changes but time will tell. PBS may be coming as well which screws SAP tremendously.
Flow at PSA is pretty much worthless, for the most part, as of now. And it could be at the other wholly owned regionals as well but I don’t know their flow numbers. I’ll explain later in the post.
The possible reasons to go to PSA for flow
1. If AA is your absolute and ultimate place to work the flow matters because it gaurantees it. That’s the only scenario flow has its unshakable positive but I still feel it’s not as great of a factor given future hiring outlooks at AA.
2. If you don’t have a bachelors it might matter (I think this will change to a no factor in the near future but we will see). But get one to up your chances. I know I am.
3. If you have skeletons it may matter (I am betting it doesn’t though). Full disclosure, I have four checkride busts between getting my heli and fixed wing ratings through CFI/II and I’m still betting on myself to get to a Legacy or LCC without the flow. Yes I messed up, yes I learned , yes I will study hard, yes I will pass everything from now on, yes I will establish a long and clean 121 record, no I’m not giving up being a pilot. I didn’t not study or not take it seriously. It happened but it’s not stopping me. It may make life tougher. For those of you with squeaky clean records thus far you’re golden and flow is definitely not needed.
So the flow has an absolute best case scenario of getting you to AA in about 7 years if stars align which probably isn’t going to happen. Worst case 12+. Assuming it’s best case scenario it’s still just about worthless. If AA stops hiring flow stops, congrats it’s worthless. In these times if AA stops hiring something massively terrible has happened and you aren’t going to get hired at any Legacy or LCC anyway so now you are stuck at a regional that has been mistreating their pilots (forced upgrades and displaced without the pay for it) and is not keeping their word (reserve rules and SAP degradation) and pay is substandard (soft pay sucks as well). This is happening now, in a climate when they need pilots to come their, imagine when they have the upper hand. Bonuses are a sham that overall helps the company more than the pilots. It needs to be in base pay to help pilots in all the ranks of the company. That goes for all regionals.
If you do your part I feel like you will make it to a LCC, legacy, cargo of choice in the ~5 years timeframe or less as long as the hiring train keeps rolling. If the hiring train stops you still don’t want to be at PSA based on previously mentioned reasons. You want to be at the regional that pays well as you are going to be their a while.
This is solely based on you not screwing yourself by doing something stupid or having training failures at the 121 level.
Just the way I see it but think about it and do your research. Heck everything could change tomorrow.