86BravoPapa
Well-Known Member
Base/commuting aside, which regional would you choose in 2020?
Which Regional
- Thread starter 86BravoPapa
- Start date
86BravoPapa
Well-Known Member
What about issues such as: reserve, upgrade time, regionals best situated for a long term stint if the music stops, etc.?
Cherokee_Cruiser
Bronteroc
Today I’d do PSA/Envoy/Piedmont for the AA flow as a back-pocket item to have.
Autothrust Blue
“If you jump on my shift, that’s just rude, man.”
Any and all the unionized ones, and especially whichever of the AA WOs has the quickest flow.
jynxyjoe
Queso King
Everyone is different, I liked the money and days off at EDV, and I've been told often our money and days off are outside the norm. If you're gonna blow your brains out commuting to NYC then don't go there. The AA wholly owns flows are a great deal too.
Hiboglossi
The Most Depressing Person
Either Endeavor because they pay the most or any of the AA wholly owned regionals (Envoy, PSA and Piedmont) because of the flow. The AA wholly owneds also all seem to pay more than average.
I wouldn't choose a regional based on reserve or upgrade time as those both change frequently. If you want to ensure faster movement a better way to predict that would be if the airline is growing and adding more aircraft or not; or if its shrinking. Also as long as American keeps hiring some of that will be from the flow so that could be another advantage of the AA wholly owned regionals, since people above you on the seniority list will be leaving through the flow who otherwise might not be leaving.
It can be difficult to predict which regional is best long term, since the regional airline industry is so volatile. The best way to make an educated guess would be expected growth (are they planning to add additional aircraft vs. retire them) and when their contracts with their mainline partner expire. Another thing to consider is it might be prudent to go to a regional with more 68-76 seat jets as opposed to 50-seat jets; 50-seat jets have a higher cost per seat mile so they may be at greater risk of being parked next time oil gets expensive. Before oil prices collapsed around 2014-'15 many 50-seat jets were parked and have been returned to service since then. And while I recommended wholly owned regionals above, if you do go to a non-wholly-owned regional it would probably be best to choose one that does flying for multiple mainline partners. For instance Republic does flying for American, United and Delta, so if one of those 3 mainline partners decides to drop them they'll still have the other 2.
I'd also probably avoid the carriers that have exclusive agreements with United and have the Aviate program (formerly CPP), as most of them pay poorly and have substandard contracts. The CPP/Aviate Program is not a true flow, just a preferential interview program, and while the pass rate is kept secret it appears to be abysmal. At these carriers you will have the disadvantages of being wholly owned (all your eggs are in one basket and you could be "Comaired" at any time) without the advantage of a genuine flow; or above-average pay like Endeavor.
I wouldn't choose a regional based on reserve or upgrade time as those both change frequently. If you want to ensure faster movement a better way to predict that would be if the airline is growing and adding more aircraft or not; or if its shrinking. Also as long as American keeps hiring some of that will be from the flow so that could be another advantage of the AA wholly owned regionals, since people above you on the seniority list will be leaving through the flow who otherwise might not be leaving.
It can be difficult to predict which regional is best long term, since the regional airline industry is so volatile. The best way to make an educated guess would be expected growth (are they planning to add additional aircraft vs. retire them) and when their contracts with their mainline partner expire. Another thing to consider is it might be prudent to go to a regional with more 68-76 seat jets as opposed to 50-seat jets; 50-seat jets have a higher cost per seat mile so they may be at greater risk of being parked next time oil gets expensive. Before oil prices collapsed around 2014-'15 many 50-seat jets were parked and have been returned to service since then. And while I recommended wholly owned regionals above, if you do go to a non-wholly-owned regional it would probably be best to choose one that does flying for multiple mainline partners. For instance Republic does flying for American, United and Delta, so if one of those 3 mainline partners decides to drop them they'll still have the other 2.
I'd also probably avoid the carriers that have exclusive agreements with United and have the Aviate program (formerly CPP), as most of them pay poorly and have substandard contracts. The CPP/Aviate Program is not a true flow, just a preferential interview program, and while the pass rate is kept secret it appears to be abysmal. At these carriers you will have the disadvantages of being wholly owned (all your eggs are in one basket and you could be "Comaired" at any time) without the advantage of a genuine flow; or above-average pay like Endeavor.
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86BravoPapa
Well-Known Member
Thank you for all the insights. Very helpful.
Jordan93
Well-Known Member
I agree with the AA WO regionals that have the quickest flow. I don’t know if I could recommend Endeavor at this time. However, we did just get an email from the MEC saying changes to the DGI are coming and specifics will be released in a few weeks so take that for what it’s worth! I’ll be going to Delta after almost 4 years here but now upgrades are 3 years and you are eligible to interview after a year and half in the left seat. If all goes well that’s about 5 years to get to Delta. Keep in mind our DGI pass rate is pretty abysmal so that’s 5 years minimum for a POTENTIAL job offer. Of course you could always get an OTS interview.
jynxyjoe
Queso King
Delta is back to paying attention to EDV again. If all three things happen delta is promising I think youll see something akin to 75% pass rate. Not that i know anything about it, but if I did id be a little more excited.
jynxyjoe
Queso King
That youre gonna mentor them personally, pay the jetcareer membership fee, and pass out ur cell number for two nights before the interview when you need a sanity check.
Jordan93
Well-Known Member
I’m curious to see what the enhancements are. We do a pretty good job of promoting the brand and hope more guys can get the opportunity to come over. I don’t see them opening it up to FOs like the SSP or dropping the degree requirement, but maybe they’ll decrease the captain time to a year? Who knows? Either way, I think it will be good.
jynxyjoe
Queso King
Oh i think the pumping up of the brand is stupid. Edv hr has never made a dent in hiring, and while they tell their boys in rah-rahs that theyre gonna overturn the tide they never do and management will sit in with the union and joke "dont worry HR is gonna fix it". Meanwhile the real managers go to ATL, ask for more money or airplanes, and that fixes everything. The lengths to which EDV HR volunteers (what i called them) would struggle in the crew room and cockpit to tell me they knew what was going on and not the union was comical. If the timing was right id tell them what was happening in the real world and i really wasnt happy until id broke down all their stupid memos to pilots and how they talked out of both sides of their mouths.
"So edv has never been in a better place and classes are full? Someone should tell managment because theyre in the union office tuesday-friday begging us for more new hire money." "Doubling down on the endeavor is the best path to delta, why did RG goto ATL to fire off a flow proposal." "EDV HR was the one that told the union if you didnt like the SSP pass rate theyd really be upset if "they" let EDV FOs interview, the FOs were the most successful at the interview, they were the only thing that dragged the numbers above 50% pass rate, and EDV HR isnt ever consulted about anything by Delta HR, theyll interview whoever they please."
The union will fix the company's problems like they always did except when JJ was Chair.
To my knowledge i made at least three people quit the job fair squad. I hate edv HR nearly as much as RP in crew planning. Dum dums all. Dum dums.
Cherokee_Cruiser
Bronteroc
Promoting the brand? Wearing hats and galley PAs?
Autothrust Blue
“If you jump on my shift, that’s just rude, man.”
Meeting Chuck Colgan was a personal, well, something for me, for sure.
Jordan93
Well-Known Member
I do neither! I do like doing gate announcements when we have lengthy delays. Customers seem to like it when a pilot gives them information rather than a gate agent and they’ve been receptive to it. I do think our efforts shouldn’t go unnoticed. We do exactly what Delta tells us to and do it pretty well to try and create a seamless transition from connection to mainline.