Maximilian_Jenius
Super User
Amazon planes?
Starting 121 career with Sun Country
- Thread starter Low_Level_Hell
- Start date
Yup.
How Tiny Sun Country Struck an Unlikely Deal With Amazon to Transport Packages
Sun Country Airlines CEO Jude Bricker approached Amazon almost a year ago to try to sell it a used Boeing 737. Amazon wasn't interested, but a few months
skift.com
Low_Level_Hell
Well-Known Member
Understood, that’s a risk with every airline. Doesn’t your point just bolster the rationale to go to a higher paying position right away? Comparing apples to apples, meaning entry level 121 jobs, Sun Country seems like the best choice.
Autothrust Blue
Welcome aboard the Washington State Ferries
The plane you can drive to, and so on.
“wait you quit flying a 145 to fly the Brasilia?!”
“Yearp, I could drive to the latter.”
Given your resume and experience you probably couldn’t go wrong with the following priorities for a first 121...
1. Quickest place to get 1000 hours 121. With your leadership experience, diverse flying, and the military card, it is likely you’d be looked at by the better LCCs at 500 hours and possibly by better airlines than those at 1000 hours.
2. Quickest route to 121 PIC time. If you don’t land at a career place with 1000 SIC, even just a little PIC would bump you up.
Sun Country may or may not fit those bills, don’t know. Or base and initial pay might be more important. My biggest piece of advice for mil rotor guys making the transition is to begin with the end in mind. Do whatever you can to set yourself up quickly for the type of career airline (not necessarily a specific airline) you want to end up at.
jtrain609
Antisocial Monster
Maybe? Who cares how good the pay is if you move backwards far enough to not have a job?
I'm not saying that will happen here, just that it's relative. There were guys who were thrilled they never got called by United in 2007 and stayed captains at XJT during the downturn because they at least still had a job.
Sun Country could be great. It might suck. It WILL suck if you commute to that job.
z987k
Well-Known Member
Itll really suck for everyone that lives in msp that suddenly find themselves based in cvg.
jtrain609
Antisocial Monster
Yeah...that's a fair point.
Hiboglossi
The Most Depressing Person
All that is true, but chances are it will still suck a lot less than a Regional.
True but base closures happen quite frequently at the regionals. You'd be mad to go to a regional over Sun Country, which seems to be what everyone is recommending.
deadstick
Well-Known Member
This is some good advice. I don’t recall where I read this, but somebody wrote that the pilots there aren't breaking guarantee of 75 hrs, but that’s before the Amazon flying starts, too. My point is that it might take a bit longer to get that 1000 hrs.
BlueMoon
Well-Known Member
jtrain609
Antisocial Monster
I remember thinking to myself, "why would Compass need a training contract," and as I was signing it MW walked in the door.
Autothrust Blue
Welcome aboard the Washington State Ferries
My worst day at NedAir was still better than the average day at SkyWest.
So, maybe Bendover Air is an island, but “all regionals suck” is an accurate assertion.
Hiboglossi
The Most Depressing Person
As had been pointed out already, their pay is significantly higher than a regional even if it is low for an LCC. Even if the QOL is terrible, keep in mind it is almost always terrible at the regionals as well.
I have seen people on here say you're better off at a regional than Alaska or JetBlue, and everyone said that about Frontier before their new contract. I think a lot of people on here are wildly out of touch with what the regionals are like.
I work at a regional so I think I know what they're like. Endeavor is very much an outlier among the regionals. I doubt any pilot at my regional is making 6 figures, and while you can get that many days off if you're very senior it's not at all the norm. We've been understaffed most of the time I've been here.
jynxyjoe
Queso King
So you're saying the 22days off for FOs, with 75 credit ain't what y'all are getting? I figured(being sarcastic) , but most of the captains are getting 18 off who bid it. At some point staffing will go down at edv but the union controls PBS so that's a big help.
Also, many if not most FOs are making six figures at edv who are picking up. I don't have access to the numbers anymore but it seemed like republic was doing well on the money side.
Sorry you got stuck with the sack but lots of opportunities out there, sun country included I suppose.
jtrain609
Antisocial Monster
Upgrade at JetBlue is 3 years, and you're paid $200 an hour to fly the exact same plane I was operating at Compass. Same plane, same type of flying, more days off, better contract, more than twice as much money.
I'd be scared out of my mind at Alaska with the condition their scope section is in, but anyone who won't leave a regional for JetBlue is out of their mind.
jynxyjoe
Queso King
Happily out of my mind.
The original goal was swa and the HR woman who had moved to doing prep independently kept saying more sic ain't gonna get you picked up faster at swa. Obviously swa didn't work for me but I encourage guys to stay at a regional if ur getting pic. If you're staying at jetblue then yeah God, get to jetblue, but if you're trying to get to Delta the new hire classes at SJI we're full of mil and regional pilots, not LCCs.
Jetblue ain't bad or anything but I sure wasn't crying myself to sleep at night at edv because I wasn't already two years at jetblue.
Maximilian_Jenius
Super User
Since we're rationalizing flying 737's for cheap, because its better than a regional. Why not going to Southern and fly 777 for cheap too?
Minimums
Minimums
777 First Officer
- Hold a current unrestricted ATP certificate with an airplane category multi-engine class rating and English proficiency endorsement
- Have a minimum of 1500 hours of total time (Military conversion of .3 per sortie)
- Have a minimum of 500 hours of turbine time
- Have a minimum of 1000 fixed wing or 500 hours with a 121 carrier