Regional vs Sun Country?

thevideographer

thevideographer

Well-Known Member
What are everyone's thoughts on Sun Country? I keep hearing good things but there isn't a whole lot of info to go around except APC, which I don't even want to look at. My situation is that I'm starting to have enough hours to qualify for the majors, but probably not enough to go to one of the 'big 3' for at least a couple more years. Is it worth it to get out now, or would it be a better career move to stay at the regionals building TPIC time and then try to get on with Delta/Fedex/etc in 2-3 years? I think I know what I want to do but would like some other opinions. Sun Country would probably be a massive QOL improvement over my current situation, so that is another factor. How are they for job stability and future prospects?
 
I’d stick around and get some PIC time. Once you get PIC time and you’re still not getting a call then try a LCC/ULCC. That’s my plan. YMMV.
 
Cptnchia said:
I heard that Delta was going to buy Sun Country and merge DOH. It’s only a matter of time, right @Derg ? Heard it from Top Men! Ciao!
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My friend did get the question a few years ago about "Am I better off staying at Sun Country and waiting for the SLI or continuing to maintain my application?"

"Huh?"

"Well, we have 737's and a base in MSP, Delta is going to buy us"

"K…."
 
I don't like the idea of going to any airline you don't actually want to work for. That leads to grumpy disgruntled pilot years down the road when your stepping stone turns into a desert island.
Goals for bigger and better are fine, just saying, go to Sun Country only if you actually wouldn't mind staying there. Do you live in Minnesota?
 
Rodger Wilco said:
I don't like the idea of going to any airline you don't actually want to work for. That leads to grumpy disgruntled pilot years down the road when your stepping stone turns into a desert island.
Goals for bigger and better are fine, just saying, go to Sun Country only if you actually wouldn't mind staying there. Do you live in Minnesota?
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I do live in MN. What I’m trying to determine with this topic is would I want to leave Sun Country? Is it something to think of as a stepping stone or would it be a decent place to make a career?
 
thevideographer said:
I do live in MN. What I’m trying to determine with this topic is would I want to leave Sun Country? Is it something to think of as a stepping stone or would it be a decent place to make a career?
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I think the history of this industry makes it very hard to figure which place will be a choice career airline. Everyone talks about the big 3 and how they’ll never go anywhere but just continue to consolidate if need be. I’m sure those that were at Eastern or PanAm though they were at their career jobs. Life is a gamble, find out what makes you happy and go to the airline that allows you to be as happy as possible. Sun Country could be gone in a year, or could be here for the rest of your career.
 
JDean3204 said:
thevideographer said:
I do live in MN. What I’m trying to determine with this topic is would I want to leave Sun Country? Is it something to think of as a stepping stone or would it be a decent place to make a career?
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I think the history of this industry makes it very hard to figure which place will be a choice career airline. Everyone talks about the big 3 and how they’ll never go anywhere but just continue to consolidate if need be. I’m sure those that were at Eastern or PanAm though they were at their career jobs. Life is a gamble, find out what makes you happy and go to the airline that allows you to be as happy as possible. Sun Country could be gone in a year, or could be here for the rest of your career.
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Deregulation.
 
Which regional? That could be a factor as well considering the forecasted consolidation in the regional world.
 
If your end goal is a legacy, I'd probably stay at the regional until you have 1000 TPIC. After that, if you think Sun Country is a place you'd be happy spending your career in case the phone never rings, go for it.
 
Not long ago, a conversation like this would have been seen as evidence of undiagnosed dementia, or maybe a stroke.

Eventually, we will get back to a time like that. The question you have to answer is where you'd rather be sitting when that happens; a regional that may or may not lose all it's flying during the next economic downturn, or Sun Country.
 
thevideographer said:
What are everyone's thoughts on Sun Country? I keep hearing good things but there isn't a whole lot of info to go around except APC, which I don't even want to look at. My situation is that I'm starting to have enough hours to qualify for the majors, but probably not enough to go to one of the 'big 3' for at least a couple more years. Is it worth it to get out now, or would it be a better career move to stay at the regionals building TPIC time and then try to get on with Delta/Fedex/etc in 2-3 years? I think I know what I want to do but would like some other opinions. Sun Country would probably be a massive QOL improvement over my current situation, so that is another factor. How are they for job stability and future prospects?
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If you actually have the opportunity to go to Sun Country, I would absolutely go there. Since you live in Minnesota it seems like all the more of a no-brainer. While there is no guarantee you wouldn't eventually want to leave Sun County, I think it is much more likely to be somewhere you would want to spend a career than any regional.

Some people are suggesting waiting to get TPIC before you try to leave the regionals, but I think that is short-sighted. I say if you have the opportunity to advance beyond the regionals before upgrading, absolutely take it. I have flown with captains at my regional who upgraded years ago and have thousands of hours of TPIC and still haven't gotten a call from a legacy. No matter how much TPIC you have there is still no guarantee you will ever be hired at a legacy. The simple mathematics of the situation are that the legacies have dozens of applications on file for every opening. There is not room at the legacies for every pilot who wants to be there, and there never will be. There are plenty of regional lifers, and I doubt a single one of them went into this career planning on being a regional lifer. Taking the first opportunity to get out of the Regionals you have is a good way to avoid ending up as one of them.

Also, suppose your regional goes the way of Comair, ACA, Skyway, RegionsAir, etc. before Delta or FedEx calls. Speaking of Comair, based on this
thevideographer said:
.. it's one that pays more than Sun Country FOs get.
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I gather you work for one with the same parent company as Comair. I wouldn't gamble on history not repeating itself. Also I think there's a good chance Regional pilot groups will be pressured into accepting lower pay once the next recession hits and management no longer needs to pay more than Sun Country FOs to keep the regionals staffed. Speaking of which, at 8.5 years since the last recession we are just about due for another one. Last recession there was a good five years with very little hiring at the majors. If you turn down the opportunity to leave the regionals now it could be a very long time before another opportunity comes along.
 
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Does Sun Country still have the training contract? I know a guy who had to pay to get out of it last year to leave for one of the big 5. If you’re competitive for greener pastures I might steer clear based on the training contract.
 
BlueMoon said:
Does Sun Country still have the training contract? I know a guy who had to pay to get out of it last year to leave for one of the big 5. If you’re competitive for greener pastures I might steer clear based on the training contract.
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How long is it though, one year? It may well be the 737 type rating that helped him get on at one of the big 5 (they do still ask about that on the application) so he probably got his money's worth anyway.
 
I’d argue he didn’t need it, lots of people hired with out it. He still came out ahead paying to get out of the contract, as the pay was much much nuch better at the next job.

I’d argue against going anywhere that makes you sign a training bond in this hiring environment.
 
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Pretty sure you were on our jumpseat last night....hope you made the rest of your commute home! Tough choice man, good luck!
 
Tld said:
Pretty sure you were on our jumpseat last night....hope you made the rest of your commute home! Tough choice man, good luck!
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You actually work? I thought you sat around the crashpad and solved the world's problems.
 
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