I didn't do very much research on Sun Country until getting the call. Kind of forgot I even had them in there. I was actually impressed with the destinations though. Unfortunately I'm seeing there is not much flying apparently(?), so I'm guessing the good destinations go senior? Aruba and Athens in particular are what I'm interested in. I know Athens is related to military charters, but how frequently is that an option and how frequently are pilots hitting the Caribbean and how long are those layovers?

 

What are your times and stats? I’m thinking of applying.

 

Not sure if your first question is asking how much flying there is in general, or to the Caribbean. In general, lines for next month are crediting 75-95 hours.

The overseas charters sometimes come up in daily open time, or are assigned to reserves. I've been here for a little over a year and haven't had the chance, but others from my class have been assigned to fly them on reserve here and there. I've been told you can make yourself known if you prefer them to scheduling, however when I mentioned it once I was snapped at, with them saying the contract doesn't allow reserves to request specific trips or something. So ymmv.

Can't tell you much about Caribbean flying, as most of my time here has been during Covid and we weren't doing nearly as much of it.

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Cara stuff is usually turns so senior. But you can expect lots of charters and domestic main deck cargo... a lot.. Just have to be lucky on The Euro/ Asia stuff.

 

You're just going to go somewhere else when their offer comes through as you are half way through training.



j/k but seriously, though.

 

If by Athens you mean AHN...as in Athens,GA


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My times are overkill tbh. From what I see on aviationinterviews the norm is sub 2500hrs total, and 0 turbine pic. Looks like they get a lot of first officers. If I was a year 1or less FO no question I'd go for it. I'm really just bored of the flying I have and I'd like to change it up and make more money later if I don't sublimate into the legacy seat(many guys that check more boxes have been left waiting). If you have ATP mins even, I think you have a shot.



Lmao. Also
I am specifically asking about Caribbean layovers for those in the know.

 

On reserve I got 2-3 Montego Bay, Punta Cana or HNL layovers a year, layovers are just about 24. Just luck of the draw. Do a lot of Caribbean/ Mexico turns. Haven't done any Europe trips, but some newer guys on property got called for mil charters to some interesting places... Romania, Norway (maybe Sweden, I dunno).. I bet those hard core Europe stuff comes up every 3 months maybe? That's just a guess. It is actually kinda of nice to have a "mini vacation" from MSP in February

 

Contract and pay issues aside, here is my opinion on your chances of cool Caribbean overnights:

You have decent chances of getting some on reserve assuming you start at the right time of year and are on reserve between December and April. Even then it's luck of the draw, but most guys get 1 or 2. Hardly something I would recommend basing a career decision on. After you start bidding lines you won't see them for some time, unless you decide to stay on the FO side and if current rates continue, you could potentially be in a good place as an FO 4-5 years from hire. I again wouldn't recommend accepting our FO pay rates just to get some good Carribean trips, but it is an option if it's important to you, for sure, weigh it in the balance.

One of the things we really had going for us was being a turn airline, which is an awesome thing for locals, that is gone. Another thing we have going for us is cool flying and interesting overnights. Those aren't gone but realistically junior guys aren't going to see more than a few of those. Are you willing to do several years of 6 day Amazon trips at an industry bottom trip rig in order to get a swing at some Carribean stuff? I guess that depends on where you are now and what other options you have on the table.

 

Thanks for your honesty. I greatly appreciate it. Definitely have to go with no. I hope things pick up after your new contract.