Challenge, report back at 6 months.

 

It is what you make of it. Roll with it, or don't.

 

It takes most a bit longer than that. After about a year of reserve, the garbage here really started to wear on me. It sucks, plain and simple. Spent another horrible year on reserve and I let that bitterness wear me down for another year of holding a line.

Around year four total years on property, I started to hold a decent line. Would finally start to get 2 days and 3 days, yippee. Was never fully happy (just half content) since that stint on reserve really wore me down.

Fast forward to now, nearing 7 with upgrade maybe within a year it really sucks. I haven't talked to one person from my class that is happy with their career progression thus far. Over half are out west and will have to go east again for an upgrade, which means back to reserve.

Outside looking in, I have a great schedule, but the pay sucks when you compare it to the guy/gal to your left doing the same job, taking the same checkride as you, who happened to get hired here before you (mostly because of age).

I am happy for all of you that scored your first airline job and are excited to get flying, but being in the right seat for crap pay for 5+ years will wear you down. Trust me.

 

I could say the same thing from my perspective as a junior FO looking at you. I'm flying 6 leg locals or 4 days across weekends that pay 16 hours while you're probably holding 2 leg 700 locals with weekends off getting paid significantly more than me. The only difference between us is that you were hired before me.

You've been in my situation, one day I'll be in your situation, and every captain senior to you has probably been in both of our situations. The job is all what you make of it. If you're unhappy now you're never going to be happy.

 

Amen. Very well said!

 

I do not hold 700 locals with weekends off. Can only hold a few and they always fall on the weekend.

And a huge no, most of captains I fly with never sat reserve (85+%) and then upgraded anywhere from 1 to 2.5 years (and haven't sat reserve as a captain either). It's the reason reserve sucks here, most people haven't sat it. You can choose to have your head in the sand, but things are not looking up for SkyWest.

I know you like looking at the seniority list, tell me how long it takes to hold a line as a captain in any base other than MSP, IAH, ORD, COS (about a 1/3 of our pilots). Now compare that to line holding FOs in those bases, versus the smaller bases.

If you actually break down the seniority base by base, it's quite astounding how much trouble this company is truly in.

In regards to my happiness, I'm just fine. Have a great life and make a lot more money outside this job than at this job. When you realize how easy it is to make money not working for the man, it makes it harder to do this job (yes I should/could quit, but the travel benefits my parents enjoy and independent healthcare costs, it makes it hard to leave).

 

Nothing like debbie downers. It IS what you make of it. My last job was FAR worse than this and I still enjoyed it.

 

Sounds like some people here have never worked for a truly crappy regional if you did you wouldn't think SKW is so terrible. Those quoting how long reserve is well... They were hired at a different time I'm a 01/14 hire and was only on reserve for 3 months I don't know if it will stay like that but that's been my experience so far. It's a known fact that commuting sucks and commuting to reserve is even worse so either A. Don't do it or B. Go somewhere with a base where you want to live. SKW is a west coast senior airline if you don't want to live east of the Mississippi I'd pursue another airline out west otherwise you're going to be miserable sitting on reserve on a West Coast base. It always astonishes me how much pilots complain and I'm a pretty damn good complainer but SKW really hasn't given me all that much to complain about. That's my .02.

 

Just under 12 months and I still like it.
All some people know how to do is be negative.

 

I'll check back with you after you upgrade. I doubt you'll feel the guy/gal to your right is doing the same job as you.





.