Ahhhh yes..."Lots". Was this during the hiring boom 2-3 years back? Did these individuals happen to check off any DEI boxes? Connections at mainline? Move from a wholly owned carrier to the competition? I expect those answers to all come back as a "No" as per the standard protocol for saving face online.

Has it happened? Sure. But it's the exception and not the norm. More so today than it was 2-3 years ago. Mainline is metering hiring from Skywest, and that is real. Peace out.

10% of the upgrade class already get hired before showing up to upgrade. Another 10% leave just after. Most classes end up being 6-8 students yet 20 were scheduled. There is no need to worry right now about getting out to a Major. I think it will only get better for pilots this fall…

totally the norm. What AMNCD says is correct. Tons getting hired at legacy’s with little to no TPIC. 135 to 121 route can be via ULCC or regional to ULCC to legacy.

I'm still like to know the details of FO's getting hired directly by mainline. To sum up word on the street:

-DAL, AA, and UAL have hiring quotas for the number of SKW pilots they can pick up each month
-Legacies would like to see minimum two years on property before consideration*
-Pilots are leaving for ULCC's and getting calls from mainline in 3-6 months
-*Key exceptions being individuals that meet criteria such as being a veteran, checking off DEI boxes, solid connections at mainline, etc

From my contacts at Peidmont and Endeavor, it sounds like they have a steadier flow of FO's getting hired directly by mainline.

I'd still recommend a ULCC for two reasons: Don't have to worry about being metered by mainline. And if the hiring music stopped tomorrow, better pay/QOL than the regionals.

PHX CRJ vs ERJ?
 

Hey all. Have a couple of questions.

1: Due to current residence, I am hopeful for a PHX base, preferably ERJ. However, I understand the PHX ERJ base is currently very senior. Do y'all see this changing anytime soon? Is it actively growing, will it need new FO's soon?
2: Given the apparent seniority of the PHX ERJ base, if I chose ERJ over CRJ, would I be sitting reserve for a much longer time? Are we talking an extra month or two, or perhaps half a year or more, as compared to the PHX CRJ base?

I'm aware the ERJ indoc class dates are right now running about a month behind CRJ class dates. A single month is worth it, but if I am gonna be sitting reserve for perhaps an extra half year or more, that would change my decision making. Thanks for your help!

Due to lack of captains there’s no regional where you won’t sit on reserve for the foreseeable future.

CRJ FO
 

Any idea on how long to hold an CRJ line in ORD?

As someone who is currently waiting for PHX, I can answer this.

Phoenix opened for ERJ in April. Since then, there has been no significant growth. It is stuck at around 16 crews, with a few people upgrading or leaving every month or two, and a waitlist of about 30-40 people hoping to fill their spots as they depart. And even once you do get it, you'll be sitting reserve there indefinitely, because again, there is no growth. I've had buddies transfer OUT of Phoenix, simply because they are sick of sitting reserve. I've been waiting 3 months, and anticipate having to wait at least 4-5 more months. I won't be transferring there until I'm within their lineholder range; not gonna do the reserve game there.

If Phoenix is your make-or-break, you'll want the CRJ. They are getting Phoenix assigned straight out of training. If you're fine doing the 1 hour commute to an ERJ line, SLC and LAX aren't that bad (short flight, plenty of flight options per day, and lots of crashpads available).

A FO in ORD would likely not sit reserve long too terribly long. I would say 9 or less months for both aircraft, maybe 4 months or so for the CRJ.

This is what I more or less expected, thanks for confirming! I'm leaning PHX because it's a simple 1.5-2-ish hour drive for me, so reserve commuting would ALMOST be not that bad. Haven't quite figured out how I wanna handle a 2 hour call out time with a 2ish hour drive.