I started at 9E in late 2003 and made 26k first year on 20 dollars an hour pay. The regionals staff so tight that most pilots make well above guarantee.

Or you could have more than 4-5 days off, a schedule, free travel, etc.
While that's possible, again, not everyone wants to work 6 days a week with most of that spent in a hotel room in the middle of nowhere. And I dare say that percentage wise there's more former regional guys at majors than single pilot freight dudes.
Then don't go to work for Lakes. Base pay at SkyWest is just shy of 20K, not counting per diem. Second year is 28K if you stay on the Brasilia.

Pinnacle staff tight. I have friends at SkyWest still on reserve who were hired a year ago. 60 hours a month credit during training at $22, then 75 hour guarantee.
Tough to swallow after earning almost double that bashing the pattern.

They also haven't hired much since then. That's about to change.

The last year has been a lot of waist tightening at the regionals. As the 50 seat fleets are pared down to more reasonable sizes, that will continue for a bit, but not all that much longer.

QUOTE "Or you could have more than 4-5 days off, a schedule, free travel, etc."

Free travel? Good luck with that one. Since all the mergers, even revenue passengers get bumped. Non-rev travel is all but worthless now.
Ameriflight has CASS, pays more than a regional, and turbine PIC after 6 month in the chieftain.

QUOTE "Then don't go to work for Lakes. Base pay at SkyWest is just shy of 20K, not counting per diem. Second year is 28K if you stay on the Brasilia."

Actually, training at SkyWest is paid at 60 hours a month at $22 an hour with no per diem. So year one base pay is around $19,000.

Instructor gig over 2 years is $64,000. SkyWest on the brasillia over 2 years is $47,000.

A year instructing followed by a year at Amflight would earn you around $60,000 and get you some turbine PIC on your resume.

I was recently at a UPS feeder and quite frankly we rarely had the time to use our jumpseat privileges anyway. In any case, using UPS and SWA I could get anywhere I wanted to and rarely got bumped. You're right that non-rev would be more difficult, but while Amflight has agreements only with SWA, any regional is going to have agreements with EVERYONE.

Great, you'll take a pay hit to go to SkyWest. But what about 2nd year and beyond?

If your overriding priority in life is your next paycheck and not the next 5+ years then by all means enjoy life in the pattern.

Or get to a good regional and enjoy having a life that doesn't include "RIGHT RUDDER!" and has 15 days off a month. Sure, it won't happen right out of IOE, but most likely it will happen.

Gotta agree with that. Nothing beats making a decent living, a line with 14-18 days off, 90+ hours of credit not even counting an open time trip paid at a premium, know my schedule, and have off days strung from 1-10+ days in a row, however I want to bid and trade my stuff around.

Sure, wont happen out of IOE, but depending on the carrier it wont be long after. And being able to kick back at FL410 at 500 kts.... makes you forget that maybe you made the same amount sweating in a Cessna with a student who's mommy and daddy thinks would make a great pilot and future APC troll. (insert sarcasm there)