Hey guys,

Long time lurker, first time poster. I'm nearing the point of transitioning towards a regional. I am currently a flight instructor and live in the Detroit region.

I know that QOL is one of the top points for deciding which regional to go to. Being in Detroit, surprisingly the options are limited for non-commuting though.

From what I understand, with Compass closing their DTW domicile the choice is now Endeavor or ExpressJet...

My hope is to end up at a place I will be happy as I put in my time towards a regional, but I don't want to be stuck at a regional for 10+ years...

The pros and cons of going to Endeavor have been argued ad-nauseam with the retention bonus vs. upgrade time. My gut tells me the upgrade time is too much for me to accomplish my career goals. But, being Detroit based means I can save several thousand a year for the first few years by living at home.

Everything I have heard about ExpressJet tells me to avoid it like the plague.

So, is it really worth going to one of these carriers to avoid commuting, or would commuting be a better option?

Currently I have interviews scheduled with Piedmont, CommutAir, and Envoy. Compass, Endeavor, Skywest and PSA have shown interest in having me interview as well.

Sorry for what seems like another "Where should I go?" post. I just figured somebody might have some insight into my situation about not commuting with a crappy regional vs commuting with a better one.

Que the WHY ARE YOU INTERVIEWING AT PSA????!!? posts

Well living in base is a nice quality of life enhancement, but here's the thing- Regional airlines open and close bases so frequently you just can't depend on that base being there. My advice for your career would be to prepare (you and your family) to be mobile.

Fortunately (or unfortunately depending how you look at it), I am currently living the single life, so no family to worry about. Big reason for wanting to be based in DTW would be cost savings the first few years of low pay by living at the parents place.

You need to weigh that against the cost in upgrade time. In your estimation, you have to decide if a quicker upgrade time will be more beneficial to your career. ie- do you think getting to regional captain sooner will have a bigger impact on your hire date (and thus your seniority) over at a mainline carrier.

If you want to live in DTW I would say Endeavor is your ticket. There are XJT guys leaving and coming to Endeavor if that means anything. Living at home and not commuting while making $46k plus your first year beats commuting to a crashed and much lower pay.

My opinion is biased, however I would say PSA. You can bid Dayton which is relatively Jr and could drive to Detroit in about 2.5 hours. An apartment in Dayton would be cheap! Like low $400's for 2 bedroom.

You can get all the info you need about upgrade/contract/QOL by reading through the threads here.

Live the single life, in a cool domicile, crashpad, and address from your parents house. Travel around the system via basing, decide if it's the life for you. If so then decide where you want to live. Being JR means you will be worked like a hooker on Sat night, so you ain't gonna be eatin' Moms and Dads frees foods much anyway. Go for the fastest upgrade, and power through the pain of the regional experience as fast as possible. Trust me when you are living in HNL or MIA the parents will be coming to visit you, so you can live in paradise and eat Mom's home cooking on your back porch without risking frostbite.

P.S. Know why people pay $2000.00 for a studio in SFO? Because it ain't Dayton, or DTW or any other place where you can rent a $400.00 a month 2 bedroom bullet sponge. If you are gonna live in a place wher you might get shot, try Compton, at least you will be warm when you get hit.

Rumors at RAH for a DTW base...

Now that's a tempter!