nibake
Powder hound
This is probably going to be long so I'll do my best to come up with a TL;DR
I have an opportunity to go from a "lowly" 135 job to a national 121 with pretty low times (an "early" career changer). To put things in perspective, I am still a year or two away from meeting Spirit or Frontier's minimums.
Almost 3.5 years ago I joined the JC community and am grateful for all the good and bad advice I've seen in that time. I'm primarily looking for perspective here, as the decision is all but made. I'm hoping to know if I'm on track in terms of what to expect.
The offer I have is with Minnesota's own sun-on-the-tail airline.
Here are some of the JC maxims I remember from over the years:
Don't move for an airline.
Check. There is only one base and it is my preferred city to be based in, as big cities go. I would be moving because that is where I want to go, not for an airline.
Take a chance for advancement when you can.
I think flying for a national airline is advancement over flying old, poorly maintained King-Airs single pilot on a 24-hr on call rotation with North Dakota weather. I have turned down regional airline jobs in the past, and have yet to regret that decision. While first year pay would be worse than a regional, things quickly go the right direction instead of the wrong one in terms of pay. I'm not sure whether the same can be said of QOL.
The name on the airplane should match the one on the paycheck.
Check.
Commuting to reserve sucks.
Will be living in base, and then, hopefully, moving to a location that is driving distance once off reserve, so check.
In spite of these things, I still have some reservations. There is an exception to every rule, and in this case the one national carrier I can go to (theoretically I could apply at Blue or that other, much bigger 737 operator, but I don't think my times would be competitive there) is one of the smallest and lowest paying national carriers. I would consider pretty much any other U/LCC a career destination, and I'm hoping this can be too, but the big pay raises of Frontier and Spirit haven't reached Minnesota yet, although I hope they do. I think although the airplanes and routes may be comparable, the size, payscale, and history of the company mean it's not really on the same level as other LCCs.
Despite the previous dim description of my current job, it's not all bad, and I would be taking a hit in pay and QOL. I'm hoping that pay and QOL can get much better over the long term, but that is contingent on many things, not the least of which is still having the job when it comes time to reap the dividends. The 15 year captain pay figure is only good for me if there aren't lay-offs or bankruptcies before I ever get there. I suppose that is part of the game.
TL;DR - My low times allow me to apply at only one national carrier and it is one of the bottom of the barrel LCC's. I did apply and got an offer. There are quite a few positives however, and I am trying to calculate the risk/reward and sanity of the decision.
I have an opportunity to go from a "lowly" 135 job to a national 121 with pretty low times (an "early" career changer). To put things in perspective, I am still a year or two away from meeting Spirit or Frontier's minimums.
Almost 3.5 years ago I joined the JC community and am grateful for all the good and bad advice I've seen in that time. I'm primarily looking for perspective here, as the decision is all but made. I'm hoping to know if I'm on track in terms of what to expect.
The offer I have is with Minnesota's own sun-on-the-tail airline.
Here are some of the JC maxims I remember from over the years:
Don't move for an airline.
Check. There is only one base and it is my preferred city to be based in, as big cities go. I would be moving because that is where I want to go, not for an airline.
Take a chance for advancement when you can.
I think flying for a national airline is advancement over flying old, poorly maintained King-Airs single pilot on a 24-hr on call rotation with North Dakota weather. I have turned down regional airline jobs in the past, and have yet to regret that decision. While first year pay would be worse than a regional, things quickly go the right direction instead of the wrong one in terms of pay. I'm not sure whether the same can be said of QOL.
The name on the airplane should match the one on the paycheck.
Check.
Commuting to reserve sucks.
Will be living in base, and then, hopefully, moving to a location that is driving distance once off reserve, so check.
In spite of these things, I still have some reservations. There is an exception to every rule, and in this case the one national carrier I can go to (theoretically I could apply at Blue or that other, much bigger 737 operator, but I don't think my times would be competitive there) is one of the smallest and lowest paying national carriers. I would consider pretty much any other U/LCC a career destination, and I'm hoping this can be too, but the big pay raises of Frontier and Spirit haven't reached Minnesota yet, although I hope they do. I think although the airplanes and routes may be comparable, the size, payscale, and history of the company mean it's not really on the same level as other LCCs.
Despite the previous dim description of my current job, it's not all bad, and I would be taking a hit in pay and QOL. I'm hoping that pay and QOL can get much better over the long term, but that is contingent on many things, not the least of which is still having the job when it comes time to reap the dividends. The 15 year captain pay figure is only good for me if there aren't lay-offs or bankruptcies before I ever get there. I suppose that is part of the game.
TL;DR - My low times allow me to apply at only one national carrier and it is one of the bottom of the barrel LCC's. I did apply and got an offer. There are quite a few positives however, and I am trying to calculate the risk/reward and sanity of the decision.
