Let me premise what i'm about to say with the fact that I am certainly not anti-ALPA or any union really.

But i've got an interview with GoJet on thursday in St. Louis. If i happen to get a job offer i don't know what to do, is GoJet really all that bad? do people hate them all that much? and why? they're unioned now, albeit not with ALPA.
I'm a 21 year old flight instructor with 400 hours and the idea of flying a crj-700 is really appealing to me. But i know that i'm young and have all the time in the world to get where i want to.

I guess my real question is this:

Would a job at GoJet be a bad move for my future career?

Thanks, Alex.

Working for any company that has so much negativity surrounding it will dampen and diminish your love of flying. The crap that is thrown at each other amongst pilot groups who are pitted against each other is just pathetic.

The thing that gets me is that guys are fighting over such meager paying jobs and benes in the regional pilot world.

It is JUST NOT WORTH IT.

You will make more money as a CFI

And MORE IMPORTANTLY, you will enjoy the job much more as a CFI. As you have a BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE.

Build your time and then find a GOOD regional such as Air Wisconsin, Sky West or Horizon.

Stay away from the low ball operators such as GoJet. You will be happier if you do.

Alex, let me cut through all the BS this thread will create with one post.

Likely not...but you will be reviled by your peers in the industry for accepting employment at an alter-ego carrier. GoJet caused the furlough of 10 of my friends and many other folks who worked at Trans States. A simple search on this board for "GoJet" will explain more to you why folks have disdain toward them.

Don't fall for the allure of a shiny new 700...even with your low time you can probably find a better carrier to work for in short order.

get 200 more hours and go to expressjet. the erj is better than the crj 700 anyways. and your life will be better at expressjet.... or skywest.... or republic.... or awac.

The problem with gojet is not really about the union, it's about why and how the company was set up as an "alter-ego" carrier. Lot's of reading on this subject on the various forums...also look up Freedom Airlines (specifically Freedom A).

The gojet boyz are so despised that when they walk around the airport, they turn their airline badges around so you can't tell who they work for (but we all know ). They are afraid to visit pilot crew rooms, so you see them hanging out in small groups in unused gate areas like lepers. Is that the airline dream job you're looking for? You can tell your friends and family that you fly a nice big jet and they will eat it up...but they won't know what YOU know: that the majority of airline professionals actually hold you in contempt.

As for your career, you might well slip by...or maybe some some ex-TSA or ex-mesa pilot will be conducting your job interview or simulator training and be in the position to subjectively fail you. I certainly would, and Southwest Airlines posts a list of all prospective new hires in their crew room...if somebody doesn't like your name on that list they can create a real problem for you. I can assure that there are ex-TSA pilots at SWA...

If you can't wait until you get another couple hundred hours, then go to mesa instead (I would go back to CFI before mesa though).

http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/sh...ighlight=gojet

Someone asked a similar question last month (see link), and I stand by my response there.

Thanks all for the input.

I kind of figured it wouldn't be the place to go, i've got a piedmont interview next week and i'm hoping for that position.

Hopefully someday the climate of regional airlines will change and pilots will be appreciated for the highly skilled professionals that they are.

The best thing that interview will do is prepare you for future interviews. Please don't work there. Wait for a company you actually want to work at. If you're going to go there just use it as a learning experience. You don't want to walk into the company you want and ruin the interview because you didn't have the experience under your belt.

That being said it's your choice.

New guys with wet commercial tickets are hardly highly skilled...no more so than a surgeon candidate fresh out of med school...it takes time. If the industry(labor) as a whole made it more difficult to obtain that position(ATP mins for hire?) you'd see salaries not only go up but more importantly stay up. Not knocking you but when your replacement can be trained from 0 hours to regional FO in a few months to pass a canned checkride, there will always be someone with SJS willing to give it a shot for equal to less than what you were making.

You're still young! It's not to late to back out of this airline industry. Start your own business or something. There is no real future in this industry. Can't believe pilot groups are fighting over such petty low paying regional flying jobs. You think you are all cool with your pilot uniform and shiny jet but just look at your bank account and then tell me if you still feel the same way.