Winter slow down? I thought winter was the busy season.

Alpha's model seems to generally do better in warmer months, when there are far more short hops to vacation spots. Fewer people are interested in the 4-5+ hour flights from the northeast to Florida when Winter rolls around.

Just announced a return to pre-recession pay levels. While pay is still frozen, getting rid of the pay cuts is a step in the right direction.

I know you guys did not end up getting those Grob jets. However, is there any talk of adding jets to the fleet in the future?

There's been some interest. I believe they've tabled that program until they're solidly back on their feet. There were a series of Phenom demo flights a few months ago, but I haven't heard of anything coming of that. Grob has new investors, so maybe they want to see what happens there. For now, focus is on getting the 135 program running. Hopefully the pay freeze will experience a nice thaw soon!

What can a 1st year FO plan to take home realistically with per diem?

After taxes, you'd be looking at mid- to upper-20s. Of course that will vary depending on the deductions you elect and how much time you end up spending on the road. Keep in mind there's still a freeze on pay as well.

I'm looking for an honest take from anyone currently flying at Alpha. If I were to come there from a regional would it be worth the move? I know everyone has a different situation but overall are the pilots happy?

I'm taking a serious look because right now I'm commuting on reserve at a regional that has a bleak future. The airline is showing some significant movement but for how long I don't know. I live in NH and would like to move over to business aviation and am wondering what the pilot moral and outlook is at Alpha.

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Is there still a pay freeze aka no chance of a yearly raise? How long are upgrades these days? How about QOL?

Upgrade is mostly based on merit not necessarily seniority.