For example would a 777 captain with five years experience at one airline who transfers to another airline be considered senior to a 777 captain at the new airline with three years experience at that airline?
No. New airlineânew seniority number.
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Well, thereâs the answer to why the Chinese are still hurting for captains despite offering six figure salaries to young captains.
Elias,
NOT AT ALL. You could be the #1 seniority Capt at United flying a 787. You leave and go to Delta and youâll be at the bottom of the list FO next to the kid who just came from Compass.
Adam
'preciate you. So, the next logical question is where can I get solid straight answers from pilots as to which airlines are the best to work for?
Elias,
The Chinese situation is completely different. China is short on Capts because China only allows FOs to manipulate the controls IF theyâre flying with a checkpilot which doesnât happen that often. Itâs very difficult for FOâs to build the required time to upgrade hence the demand. Factor in the 6 figure salaries theyâre offering WERE attractive but now are equal to what US carriers are paying BUT we have better safety and rest regs and union protection and you can understand why theyâre hurting.
Adam
Makes sense but re: the salaries, I was under the impression that theyâre offering brand new captains who would be making 100-150k/a double that. It would make sense if seniority / pay transferred to build up seniority in China in that case but seems itâs not possible.
Elias,
Whatâs your favorite color? Why buy a Chevy over a Ford? Ketchup on fries? I could go on but I think you get the point. People have preferences and opinions and no one can say anyone is wrong. YOUR job is to do your homework. Read the forums and talk to pilots if you have the opportunity and make YOUR decision.
That said thereâs an old saying, the best airline is the one that hires you 
Adam
There are a number of good pilot forums out there but honestly making acquaintances with working airline pilots is a good way to get an idea of which airline would suit you best. For me, I have my top choices based on desired base and aircraft types, but Iâd be happy with an FO position with any major.
My favorite color is the one with the best HR, advancement, pay, safety and benefits. 
Elias,
No. The new Capts who are making $100-150 arenât the pilots who are type rated in the heavies the Chinese are paying the big bucks to. Plus it makes it that much harder if you want to come back. Bottomline, if you think it would be cool to fly in China and want to do it as a life experience then by all means BUT if youâre looking for a career making money here in the US then this is where you need to be.
Adam
Makes sense. I didnât plan on moving to China, though the month on month off deal sounded interesting.
How far out are you from getting your 1,000 hours turbine PIC? Things evolve very rapidly and the âbestâ airline may be much lower on the list than it was when you started training. Those are 4-5 years from now questions if you want an accurate answer.
Elias,
And how would you determine those things? Delta starts new routes and orders new planes theyâll expand some and upgrade fast for a while but then stabilize. That goes for any airline. At Hawaiian RIGHT NOW we have FOs upgrading in 2.5 yrs BUT thatâs right now. Last year it was 5, next year could be 10. Best HR? Maybe thatâs determined by the director who took a job elsewhere the week before you started. Pay varies by contract and United for example has a âme tooâ clause in their CURRENT contract that bumps them up if another airline passes them but most contracts are 3yrs in duration and they could lose that. All airlines are safe until theyâre not. Colgan was a fine Regional until the Buffalo crash which completely changed the industry. This industry literally changes daily. If I were you Iâd focus on learning to fly vs what may or may not be down the road. But thatâs me.
Adam
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Good advice, thanks. Itâs just that choosing an airline to work for seems to be a bit like choosing a wife.
Elias,
Not really. The Regionals are all pretty equal these days. As for the Majors, once youâre actually IN the industry youâll have much better access and exposure and be in a better position to make an educated decision AT THE TIME. Also as I said the best airline is often the one that hires you. Letâs say you conclude United is best and you canât get an interview. Is it United or bust (I know pilots who have been waiting 20yrs for the call) OR do you apply elsewhere? Do you make a lateral move to a LCC? Do you start looking at cargo operators like Atlas? While I appreciate your desire to start formulating a âplanâ, as I said things change quickly and there are ZERO guarantees. Best you can do is often the best you can do so why worry about it now?
Adam
I always worry ahead of time, just part of who I am. 20 years? Seems odd - I was under the impression theyâre hard up.
Elias,
Your impression would be wrong and thereâs nothing odd about it. The Regionals are desperate. The Majors are FAR from it and are still very selective.
Adam
So, in that case, how does flow through - and in particular a âno interviewâ flow through such as Envoy->American work out? I must be imagining the process wrong. The way itâs described it seemed like a job at a regional was essentially a guarantee of work later at a major. Is there any literature / information on this?
Elias,
The Majors created flow-thrus to guarantee that THEY have a constant source of pilots should things start to lean out. Flows can be good things but thereâs ALOT of fine print in most. First off they can be cancelled, simple as that. Second the Major is not going to cannibalize their own Regional so in many cases pilots from other Regionals get hired before those with a flow. Third I think thereâs this misunderstanding that once you get hired by a Regional with a flow (even without another interview) thatâs it your done. Again thereâs a fair amount of fine print in there. Excessive absence, tardiness, training failures, accidents, incidents etc are all cause for them to deny the flow. I mean do people really believe if you get hired at your FIRST airline job and do that job poorly the Major is going to say donât worry about it? You think if you bend an RJ at Envoy American is going to say PLEASE come fly our brand new Boeing? Even ATP wonât give you that âguaranteed instructor positionâ if you bust more than 2 checkrides.
There are no guarantees without exclusions.
Adam