Thinking About Sun Country?

Yakob said:
I'm not sure I agree with this- seems to me it would be wisest to take the first opportunity to escape the regionals, even if it is "just" an LCC or ACMI carrier. In waiting around to log 1000TPIC, you could forfeit hundreds if not thousands of seniority numbers at wherever you go. Plus you never know how long the opportunity to get hired at a ULCC will last- suppose the music stops before you get 1000TPIC? That's an especially relevant question right now, considering it's been almost 9 years since the last recession, which means we're just about due for another one. Even if the music doesn't stop industry-wide, considering how volatile the regional airline industry is, your regional could easily go the way of Comair before you reach 1000TPIC as well.

Also, while having 1000TPIC may be an advantage when applying to legacies, it doesn't guarantee anything. I've flown with captains who have many thousands of hours of TPIC and still can't get a call. As for the point about staying at a regional to become an LCA, LCAs make up a tiny portion of a pilot group, so a given pilot's chances of becoming one are slim.

The fact is that the legacies have many more applications on file than openings. The simple mathematics of the situation are that not everyone will get hired at a legacy airline. A ULCC would be a vastly better place to spend a career than a regional.
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Autothrust Blue said:
I decided to imagine, not knowing this twerp from Adam in real life, him at about 5’4”, and one of those super-fit, super-overcompensating mountain west types who infest the program.
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If the music does stop, those at the bottom of the ULCCs WILL be furloughed.

At least as a senior RJ guy you’ll have a job, and perhaps enough TPIC to get another job somewhere.
 
GypsyPilot said:
If the music does stop, those at the bottom of the ULCCs WILL be furloughed.

At least as a senior RJ guy you’ll have a job, and perhaps enough TPIC to get another job somewhere.
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You could also be furloughed from a legacy if you are near the bottom of the seniority list. Since you don't know in advance when the music will stop, your point doesn't make sense. But the sooner you leave the regionals, the better chance you have of having more people under you by the time the music stops. I still think turning down an opportunity to escape the regionals is a bad idea since you have no way of knowing when the next opportunity will come, or if it ever will. Being a senior RJ guy didn't do much good at Skyway or Comair last downturn, or at ASA more recently.
 
Yakob said:
You could also be furloughed from a legacy if you are near the bottom of the seniority list. Since you don't know in advance when the music will stop, your point doesn't make sense. But the sooner you leave the regionals, the better chance you have of having more people under you by the time the music stops. I still think turning down an opportunity to escape the regionals is a bad idea since you have no way of knowing when the next opportunity will come, or if it ever will. Being a senior RJ guy didn't do much good at Skyway or Comair last downturn, or at ASA more recently.
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I agree. But if I was in a position to obtain TPIC, personally I would want to get the 1000 before going to a place like Frontier or Sun Country. Spirit/Kalitta/Legacies I would just get in ASAP to get numbers behind me.
 
GypsyPilot said:
I agree. But if I was in a position to obtain TPIC, personally I would want to get the 1000 before going to a place like Frontier or Sun Country. Spirit/Kalitta/Legacies I would just get in ASAP to get numbers behind me.
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Did both.

Oddly, I don’t think NKS was particularly interested in my experience strata until they got the new contract.
 
ATN_Pilot said:
There’s no reason to believe this will be the case. During the last downturn, the LCCs continued hiring while the legacies furloughed en mass.
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To be fair, he was referring to staying at a regional to avoid furlough, which, during the downturn was a growth industry for many.


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jtrain609 said:
Am I the only person that remembers when getting a job at Spirit or Atlas was like hitting the lottery? Or when the furloughs hit in 2008 and guys were thrilled to have a class date at Amflight?

It will happen again, likely soonish.
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Getting the call that I was hired at AirTran in 2007 was one of the happiest days of my life. Nobody was hiring, and I was one of 12,000 applicants, miserable at Pinnacle. Felt like I’d hit the Powerball when that call came.

You’re right, it’s coming again soon. I hope people are prepared for it. The good times never last forever.
 
ATN_Pilot said:
There’s no reason to believe this will be the case. During the last downturn, the LCCs continued hiring while the legacies furloughed en mass.
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Theres also Champion, Midwest, TransMeridian, Midway, Independance, MAXJet, EOS, USA3000, Aloha, ATA, Skybus, etc....so his/her point is fair.
 
Kingairer said:
Theres also Champion, Midwest, TransMeridian, Midway, Independance, MAXJet, EOS, USA3000, Aloha, ATA, Skybus, etc....so his/her point is fair.
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I wouldn’t consider these carriers in the same league as places like AirTran, JetBlue, Spirit, etc. You do have to be a bit discerning in where you go to work.
 
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