Regional Hiring

[taildragger173]

Hello everyone,
I've wanted to post this for sometime but havent gotten around to it until now. In the next few months I'm going to be sending out applications to a variety of different regional airlines. I'd kinda like to get the scoop on many of these places. With some of them I know people at those companies but I'd like to hear from fellow JC'ers about their experiences with them.

First I'll start off with a little background about my self:
I'm a full time college student in North Dakota majoring in Aviation Management. I've taken the CRJ systems class and will be taking our CRJ sim class as well. This is a requirement for the Commercial Aviation majors but not the Aviation Management majors (I was very close to double majoring). I know there is a debate weather or not to take this class but from everyone I've spoken with that has taken it has said it was a good experience. I currently have roughly 675 total time, 225 dual given, 31.7 multi and about 75 instrument (including simulated instrument). I have my commercial, multi-engine, and instrument ratings as well as my CFI and CFII. I'm looking at getting my MEI as well.

My goal is to be in ground school at an airline around the new year. I'll be finishing up with school by mid october but I'd like a little time off and have that time in order to get a little more experience and take a vacation. Life is too short not to enjoy it.

Here are some of the companies which I'm thinking of applying to. The list is in no particular order and I'll throw out what I like about them, what I dont like, questions, comments, and other concerns. This is where I'm really looking for some advice.

SkyWest:
I know that I do not meet their current total time and multi-engine time requirements. I used to fly SkyWest almost exclusively back in 2000 and have gotten to know many members of their staff. I believe that the company treats their employees well but things could be better. As of late, most of my friends from school who wanted to go there decided not to wait for them as nothing is guarenteed. I'm a west coaster but willing to relocate. The Brasilia bases out west would be nice. I'd rather fly turboprops at least to start with. Some concerns that I have revolve around the fact that the company has just grown to what seems to be almost too big. With an industry so cyclical does that put SkyWest in jeopardy? What about the union issues over there? How are the guys that fly the -900 treated outside of the SkyWest world...for instance when they try to jumpseat on Delta?

ExpressJet:
One of my good friends just got hired there for a class date in August. He is really excited. From what I've read on here ExpressJet seems like a good company. I like that they are a little smaller than SkyWest. The west coast bases and flying would be fun but again I dont really care where I move. I'm not tied down to anyone or anything right now. What are the working conditions like over there? How are you treated by management? Will they hire people with less than 100 multi?

Pinnacle:
A lot of my good friends from school have gone to Pinnacle. Some of them are big time SJS people. From what I understand Pinnacle needs to hire a lot of pilots by the end of the year. Out of the three bases I'd want Minneapolis as I've been living up in this region for a while and I like the twin cities. Pinnacle also has contract negotiations going on and I know that the work group wont take sub-standard wages or work rules. One thing that one of my friends says is that they work for the first 15 minutes of a flight for free...something about the way they're paid (it isnt block). Whats that all about? What type of reputation does Pinnacle have in the industry? Is this a company that I'd be sorry working for later?

Mesaba:
They've been comming to my college to hire a lot of people as well. One of my best friends is about to start sim training with them in the Saab. From who is getting hired out of college you can tell a difference in their personalities, flying abilities and experience. The bases are the same as Pinnacle and I'd still want Minnie for QOL. Hows the flying out of the other bases. Does anyone have any experience with the Saab? I'd rather fly turboprops for a little while. I know that they have a two year seat lock there. Also with the -900 comming online, what are the relations like with NWA pilots and Mesaba pilots. Are the -900s a -9 replacement or are they going to do a lot of the flying that the Avro used to do?


Republic/Shuttle America/Chautauqua:
My former student is now working for them as a flight attendant. He says that Chatauqua is a great company to work for. The people are fun to work with. There is a lot of variety in the bases and it is relatively easy to move around. What I really like is that if I decide later on that I want to fly something bigger or do different flying you can transfer to one of the other companies as they have a merged seniority list. I dont know too much about Chatauqua except from what I've been told by my former student. I enjoyed my one flight on them.

American Eagle:
I like that Eagle is big and that you can have a lot of variety in your flying career. Eagle is now giving you the choice of your base and knowing me I'd probably take San Juan for the adventure factor. I know that sounds kind of stupid but the way I figure it, I have my entire career to fly to Omaha. Whats the real deal with the flying down there? Do the guys doing it like it or hate it? Is it like being punished or is it rewarding? What about the rest of the company? A good friend and pilot mentor of mine told me to stay away from the AMR corp. He has worked at AA mainline for 16 years and has not enjoyed the last 8. Eagle has a long upgrade, will that be comming down? Is there a seatlock agreement or can you move around? The 7 year upgrade is a long time to wait to go to the left seat.

Thats my list as of right now. I'm willing to wait a little bit until I have more experience but as far as the guys comming out of college and getting airline jobs I have almost twice as many hours as some of them. I'm looking for an overall picture of work rules, compensation, the good, the bad, industry reputation and last but not least, what airline has the cutest flight attendants?

Thanks everyone!

P.S.
Lets not turn this into a SJS thread or a battle between the different carriers. I'm just curious about those companies which I listed. Thanks again.

 

[zmiller4]

SkyWest:
As of late, most of my friends from school who wanted to go there decided not to wait for them as nothing is guarenteed. I'm a west coaster but willing to relocate. The Brasilia bases out west would be nice. I'd rather fly turboprops at least to start with. Some concerns that I have revolve around the fact that the company has just grown to what seems to be almost too big. With an industry so cyclical does that put SkyWest in jeopardy? What about the union issues over there? How are the guys that fly the -900 treated outside of the SkyWest world...for instance when they try to jumpseat on Delta?

I don't think that Skywest is any more at risk from the cyclical nature of the industry than any other regional. It definately growing fast, and there are definately times that you notice it, but it's still got hundreds fewer pilots than either Expressjet or Eagle (and it "feels" like a much, much smaller airline than Eagle). The union issues are complex and up in the air, and there's been a lot of heated threads on the pro pilot forums about it...I'd check those out. I haven't done any 900 flying, but I've never heard of any animosity from Delta pilots. The mainline guys I've jumped with have actually for some reason talked a *ton* of trash about ASA but not about Skywest.

Overall, I'm extremely happy here--my schedule next month is 91hrs, 15 days off, and all trips commutable both ends (and I'll be on 2nd year pay, which is actually not too bad). Unless you've got a great instructing job lined up it doesn't sound like you'll have either the total time or multi by the end of the year, though, and although I'd recommend taking the time to build up the time and experience to apply here, it may not be worth it to you. By the way, upgrades are super-short right now if you've got CA mins, but most people hired at 1000/100 are taking almost 2 years to build up the time.

ExpressJet:
I like that they are a little smaller than SkyWest. The west coast bases and flying would be fun but again I dont really care where I move

Like I said, they've got about 350 pilots more than SKW. I'd be excited about the new flying and bases they have--I think it's a little bit of a crap shoot with the new endeavors, but what regional isn't?

American Eagle:
I like that Eagle is big and that you can have a lot of variety in your flying career. Eagle is now giving you the choice of your base and knowing me I'd probably take San Juan for the adventure factor. I know that sounds kind of stupid but the way I figure it, I have my entire career to fly to Omaha. Whats the real deal with the flying down there? Do the guys doing it like it or hate it? Is it like being punished or is it rewarding? What about the rest of the company? A good friend and pilot mentor of mine told me to stay away from the AMR corp. He has worked at AA mainline for 16 years and has not enjoyed the last 8. Eagle has a long upgrade, will that be comming down? Is there a seatlock agreement or can you move around? The 7 year upgrade is a long time to wait to go to the left seat.

Don't go anywhere based on the upgrade right now. Eagle's could drop really fast. You say that you think SKW may be too big, but you like how Eagle is big...I don't really understand.

The SJU flying for Eagle is fun, especially if you are young, single, and approach it with the right attitude. It's an incredible experience, but it's not for everyone (the bad outweighed the good for me). You are seatlocked for a year in whatever equipment you get as a new-hire, but as a jet FO you can't go back to the props...you can only move "up".

For what it's worth, there's a *ton* of regional pilots making lateral moves to Skywest (and I think Expressjet and Reputtlaqua). That should tell you something about the possibilities at those places relative to the others you listed.

and last but not least, what airline has the cutest flight attendants?

Male or female, which do you go for?

 

[Murdoughnut]

It doesn't seem like your multi-time would cut it for most of these places - are you plannin on building more?

 

[casey]

ExpressJet:

I like that they are a little smaller than SkyWest.

not sure how big skywest is, but we have just over 3000 pilots on the last seniority list and operate 274 jets for continental, delta and ourselves (branded + charter).

The west coast bases and flying would be fun but again I dont really care where I move. I'm not tied down to anyone or anything right now.

You could end up in any of the bases to start off with. ONT and SAT are branded, LAX is delta and EWR,IAH and CLE are continental. Charter is home based, but right now you can hold captain before you can hold a charter FO spot.

What are the working conditions like over there? How are you treated by management?

Work conditions are good. Contract 04 (as amended by LOA 7 and 8) are good. Management has a decent relationship with flight ops and they do try to keep us in the loop on things. Communication has been a little rough lately with branded and delta ops ramping up, but its getting better. QoL overall is pretty good, but it depends a lot on where you live and what base you are at. There are some sore spots with QoL (commuting to newark, CLE in general) but overall i'd say its good.

Will they hire people with less than 100 multi?

Probably not, especially if you are near the mins with your TT. Get your multi up to 100 and do it within 6 months of when you interview, they like to see current multi time (or at least they used to).

 

[Cheechako]

Having spent 7.5 great years at Skywest, I'll chime in on what I know:

I believe that the company treats their employees well but things could be better.

Things could be better anywhere you go. You will never find the perfect place of employment, union or non-union. They all have their issues and downfalls. What you need to do is look to see if any particular one is something you can or can't live with. What's most going to affect your lifestyle day-to-day? Hot flight attendants will not, whether you get paid for a mx canceled trip will.

As of late, most of my friends from school who wanted to go there decided not to wait for them as nothing is guarenteed.

A valid concern and, maybe, a smart move. Some may head elsewhere, gain the PIC time and be off to Delta/United/Southwest, while you're still pushing an RJ waiting for the upgrade. On the flip-side, it depends on what you're willing to settle for. Is hand-flying a 1900 6-8 legs a day through mid-west thunderstorms being paid peanuts worth it for you? Sure you could do it for a year or two, but what if the industry tanks again and you're stuck there for more? Maybe you could look for somewhere that would be a viable place to put roots down for some time. I'll tell you, as a family man, I sure am glad I picked Skywest over any other because I got stuck there through 9/11 and wasn't able to jump for many years. Skywest took care of me for over 7 years. I don't have any complaints. It was a great ride. They took care of my needs.

I'm a west coaster but willing to relocate. The Brasilia bases out west would be nice. I'd rather fly turboprops at least to start with.

Excellent attitude!

Some concerns that I have revolve around the fact that the company has just grown to what seems to be almost too big. With an industry so cyclical does that put SkyWest in jeopardy?

Everyone thought that in 1996 when they got the United contract on the west coast. The airline doubled in less than a year. Then in 2000 when the RJ fleet more than quadrupled (when I was hired we had 13 RJs, three years later there were more than 70 on the property). One thing that Skywest does really well is expand on a moments' notice. They've done it so many times. It's not perfect, but better than some, I would venture to say.

What about the union issues over there?

Unless you're real politically minded and follow that sort of thing, you probably won't even notice. Unless things have escalated in the last 8 months since I left, I barely knew there was a union drive going on. Good? Bad? I don't know, but it didn't affect my QOL one bit. Maybe because I was on the inside (interview team, invited to be checkairman just before I left), but I had a real good relationship with my chief pilot and some of the management pilots. I knew they were on my side.

How are the guys that fly the -900 treated outside of the SkyWest world...for instance when they try to jumpseat on Delta?

Don't know about the -900 as I left just as they were coming on line, but I was there during the "advent" of the RJ. Back when 50-seaters were taking over many 727/737 runs that Delta and United once flew, I never got any sort of animosity from our mainline partners. I should think that the mainline pilots see that it's not the regional pilots that are to blame for these airplanes coming on property, but their own management allowing it to happen.

You really need to look at more than just payrates. Try to find out some of the work rules. Do they pay for canceled flights? Is deadhead pay a full 1:1? How about duty/trip rigs? What's the perdiem rate? Take a look at benefits. How much is health coverage? You could find that you're hourly pay rate nets you $100-200 more a month, but your insurance takes that back away. Our health coverage at Alaska is downright depressing! I've got a $600 individual and $3000 family deductible. That means I'll be shelling out a lot of cash this winter when the ear infections make their rounds through my kids! What about retirement contributions? You need to start now!

Good luck! It's a lot to look at, but exciting times are ahead. It a great job!

 

[Fly4Pay]

I'm a west coaster but willing to relocate. The Brasilia bases out west would be nice. I'd rather fly turboprops at least to start with.

I agree with Cheechako--excellent attitude. On a different note, personally I would recommend that, if possible, find a company that won't require you to relocate, at least not at first. You're already going to be under enough stress--financial, mental, psychological, and so on. Adding a move is just an extra rock to carry around. This goes double if you're married, which you better not be if you're concerned about how cute the FAs are!!

 

[sigpilot]

what about Colgan?!

 

[Chris_Ford]

what about Colgan?!

He said AIRLINE, sonny

/kidding of course

 

[secretapproach]

I hadn't been watching the pilot hiring situation for quite a while but I'm realizing now that the minimums have dropped way down, with instructors applying to the regionals with 500 hours. A friend of mine who flies the 747-200 for Evergreen said a friend of his is applying somewhere without having instructed and with only 300 hours TT. Don't know what his chances are, but that's still amazing.

 

[OCflyguy88]

I hadn't been watching the pilot hiring situation for quite a while but I'm realizing now that the minimums have dropped way down, with instructors applying to the regionals with 500 hours. A friend of mine who flies the 747-200 for Evergreen said a friend of his is applying somewhere without having instructed and with only 300 hours TT. Don't know what his chances are, but that's still amazing.

A long shot from amazing, more like scary! But hey, if they can cut in the 121 world after only 300 hours of experience, more power to them right? We're all chasing the same dream!

 

[Timbuff10]

I know for a fact that they will not interview you at Xjet if you have under 100hrs ME time. Even if you are in the room and just flew out, they will still send you home. 100 ME is firm, I bet 600 TT is firm too unless you are an intern then it is 500/100.

 

[kellwolf]

Pinnacle:
A lot of my good friends from school have gone to Pinnacle. Some of them are big time SJS people. From what I understand Pinnacle needs to hire a lot of pilots by the end of the year. Out of the three bases I'd want Minneapolis as I've been living up in this region for a while and I like the twin cities. Pinnacle also has contract negotiations going on and I know that the work group wont take sub-standard wages or work rules. One thing that one of my friends says is that they work for the first 15 minutes of a flight for free...something about the way they're paid (it isnt block). Whats that all about? What type of reputation does Pinnacle have in the industry? Is this a company that I'd be sorry working for later?

SJSers fit right in around here. They've got plenty of company. The whole 15 minutes thing, you're friend is BADLY mistaken. I get paid 100% of what I'm scheduled to get paid. Now, if there's a DELAY, then I don't get the first 15 minutes of THAT. But, if the flight is blocked at 2:45 minutes, and the leg value is 2:47, I get paid 2:47, not 2:32. Seeing as we've got a lot of guys going to places like AirTran, SWA, Delta and jetBlue, I don't think working at PCL is gonna hurt you down the road. We've got guys in the pool at FedEx, too. When FedEx starts hiring again, odds are there's gonna be a mass exodus in the MEM domicile.

 

[taildragger173]

First, I'd like to thank everyone that replied. You guys have given me some more angles to think about with this.

The whole 15 minutes thing, you're friend is BADLY mistaken. I get paid 100% of what I'm scheduled to get paid. Now, if there's a DELAY, then I don't get the first 15 minutes of THAT. But, if the flight is blocked at 2:45 minutes, and the leg value is 2:47, I get paid 2:47, not 2:32.

That might have been what my friend talked about as far as the 15 minute thing. How are the overall working conditions at Pinnacle?

I know for a fact that they will not interview you at Xjet if you have under 100hrs ME time. Even if you are in the room and just flew out, they will still send you home. 100 ME is firm, I bet 600 TT is firm too unless you are an intern then it is 500/100.

Time to get that MEI! I wish that I would have gotten it sooner but where I've been working we dont even have a twin so I wouldnt have been able to gain additional multi-time. I'm kinda tired of carrying over 31.7 multi for the last two years.

what about Colgan?!

Colgan seems like a good company and the people that post on here are proud of where they work. One thing that I really dont like with them is the out-station bases. Is that going to change in the future? Also arent most of the trips day trips?

I agree with Cheechako--excellent attitude. On a different note, personally I would recommend that, if possible, find a company that won't require you to relocate, at least not at first. You're already going to be under enough stress--financial, mental, psychological, and so on. Adding a move is just an extra rock to carry around. This goes double if you're married, which you better not be if you're concerned about how cute the FAs are!!

It looks like no matter what I'm going to relocate. Right now I live in Grand Forks, ND. The closest crew base to GFK would be MSP for Pinnacle or Mesaba. I'm not married or in a serious relationship so I'm not really tied down to staying here. Most of my stuff will fit in a small u-Haul. My parents live in California (near SFO) but no one has a pilot base there for regionals...well...SkyWest has a reserve base there. It looks like I'm going to have to move.

Skywest took care of me for over 7 years. I don't have any complaints. It was a great ride. They took care of my needs.

I used to fly SkyWest ever week back in my non-reving days between SFO and SMF and I was always impressed with them. I made many friends there. Many of the agents at SFO to this day remember me. Do you know Anne-Marie? If you've flown through SFO you've probably met her. I also got to know a lot of the pilots and flight attendants. Everyone told me that they love SkyWest. They do seem to take care of their employees.

You really need to look at more than just payrates. Try to find out some of the work rules. Do they pay for canceled flights? Is deadhead pay a full 1:1? How about duty/trip rigs? What's the perdiem rate? Take a look at benefits. How much is health coverage? You could find that you're hourly pay rate nets you $100-200 more a month, but your insurance takes that back away.

True true true. How is this at the other airlines I mentioned?

Work conditions are good. Contract 04 (as amended by LOA 7 and 8) are good. Management has a decent relationship with flight ops and they do try to keep us in the loop on things. Communication has been a little rough lately with branded and delta ops ramping up, but its getting better. QoL overall is pretty good, but it depends a lot on where you live and what base you are at. There are some sore spots with QoL (commuting to newark, CLE in general) but overall i'd say its good.

The new operations will always have some growing pains. At xjet are you locked into a base for any length of time? Also, do you get both Delta and Continental travel benifits even if you fly on the Delta side?

It doesn't seem like your multi-time would cut it for most of these places - are you plannin on building more?

Looking at getting my MEI in the next few weeks.

The SJU flying for Eagle is fun, especially if you are young, single, and approach it with the right attitude. It's an incredible experience, but it's not for everyone (the bad outweighed the good for me). You are seatlocked for a year in whatever equipment you get as a new-hire, but as a jet FO you can't go back to the props...you can only move "up".

Right now I'm not tied down to anyone and I think that island hopping would be an experience of a life time. How is the flying down there? Are the trips mostly day trips or are there layovers? Do most of the pilots there enjoy island hopping or is there a real desire to get off the rock?

Male or female, which do you go for?

female

 

[surreal1221]

I see no ASA. . .ever give them a thought?

 

[jtrain609]

You mean Skywest-east? The poor SOB's that are gonna get stapled onto the Skywest list? I'd avoid them.

 

[surreal1221]

You mean Skywest-east? The poor SOB's that are gonna get stapled onto the Skywest list? I'd avoid them.

Ah - yeah, that's what I meant.

The person mentioned they didn't have 100ME hours, but they didn't include one of the companies that are only requiring 50me time.

 

[jtrain609]

It doesn't matter what you meant, ASA is still a sinking ship. Losing 2 bases in a year? Being owned by another regional that just opened a base in your one last remaining base?

ASA is gonna tank bro.

 

[taildragger173]

ASA has been taking a lot of UND guys but for the reasons mentioned above I dont forsee myself applying there.

 

[surreal1221]

ASA is gonna tank bro.

Okay Bro.

And I'm pretty sure I haven't disagreed with that statement.

Granted, I'm not as wise as you when it comes to giving a prognosis on the remaining life of any airline.

I gave that gig up years ago. But, if it's some large enjoyment factor for you to sit around and use your strong psychic powers to decide which airlines are going to tank next, all the power to you. I wish you the best of luck in that adventure.

Must be nice to not have any ground school on a Sunday eh?

 

[Blip16]

:subscribing:

been considering this route lately, just can't decide