Quote:
Originally Posted by RemoveB4Flight
Most importantly, don't you think we have it pretty good at Skywest as far as work rules? Yes there are some flaws, there always are. But I'll say this, if the fit hit the shan tomorrow and all hiring quit abruptly everywhere, I feel like I'm stuck in a decent place. I'm not sure pilots of all the other regionals could say the same thing.
This is a good point. It's not that I'm saying "Don't come to SKW, this place is a dumpster fire" (although life on reserve will make you want to shoot yourself, unless you're a 175 ORD guy and actually want to fly.) It's just that it's not all rainbows and unicorns over here. I do believe the quick upgrade train has left the building. That said, I can't point to any other regionals who have better working conditions or faster upgrades.
I suppose what I'm really trying to say is: If you are hired at SkyWest now, do not come here believing you'll see the same super-fast progression that guys hired in 2013 have seen. The only reason December 2013 hires are at 15% in-base seniority (as FOs) is that 1) a lot of people in front of them have left, and 2) we've expanded the pilot group by more than 20% since 2013.
As we all know, the most important variable that affects one's QOL (besides living in base vs. commuting) is one's relative seniority in-base and in-seat. Guys hired today will not be in the top 15% of their domicile by 2019. For that to happen, we'd have to add another 800-1000 pilots and we'd have to gain enough flying for that to happen.
SKW isn't a bad place. All I'm saying is, these less-than-2.5-year-upgrades, and these rapid in-base seniority advancements for some guys, are not going to apply to the majority of the guys hired right now.