I am just looking for your thoughts as this seems to be my hardest decision in looking forward down the road. I’m currently working as a CFI and still have a 1000 hours to go so it will be some time but looking to the regionals it sounds like 6-8 months out they want you to start interviewing and going through the hiring process and set a class date.
My first question is how do you pick the right regional when their are so many looking for Pilot’s? What are some of the top qualities to look for when looking at a regional? Is their some that are better for getting to a Major airline then others?
I know a lot of people talk about the flows and that it is a great way to have a guaranteed job at the Major as long as the flow is still in place when your number comes up, but usually those airlines have a lot lower pay and not the best quality of life (here say from other forums). On the other hand going to a regional without a flow, how hard is it to get to a Major as a traditional hire? I have a clean record and a Bachelors degree, and I have already had one career running my own farm, so that checks a few boxes and from now till then I can continue to work on adding things to the resume so that doesn’t seem like a real issue for me as it is for others.
Just like to hear your insight as I realize this industry is constantly changing I just get the itch to keep looking ahead and trying to figure out my next move.
Everyone has their own reason and no one is any more valid than another. It’s really what’s most important to you. When my time came the 2 biggest factors were available bases and overall “climate”.
Ask any pilot who commutes and the first thing they’ll tell you is don’t. It’s never fun, it’s seldom easy and it will cost you days off. No matter what else is going on if you can get hired somewhere you can simply drive your car to start you’re trip you’re way ahead of many others. Living close to base also allows you to pick up last minute trips for premium pay. For me that’s should be on the top of the list.
Beyond that I was fortunate in I was able to meet and speak to many Regional pilots and I got to hear their complaints. All have some but you start to see trends and clearly some treat their employees better than others.
Finally I personally have seen flows work well and not so well and when I average it all out I really don’t see any advantage. Particularly if you already have your degree.
I commute and I would not recommend it to anybody. I would chose a company that has bases in places where you are willing to live. I do think the flow throughs are a good thing, but I would not make a decision based solely on that. People get hired at majors all the time without flow throughs.
I would just look for a regional with the bases you want and decent pay.
Do the airlines include your assigned first base in the offer letter? Or is it more of a preference list and “sign the dotted line and we’ll let you know where to start” process.
That’s usually part of the presentation during the interview process. They’ll often tell you where they “anticipate” openings and which bases are junior etc BUT there are no guarantees.
Bases are bid in new hire classes in order of seniority. It is generally well known what the junior bases are for each airline and is something you should ask during your interview process.
ATP had a Captain and career pilot of 32 years from United come talk to us. The best advice he said he could give us was look at the end game. Where do you want to end up? Domicile, type of flying, national, international, etc. He stated to find the major you want to end at and go with the best regional for that company. However, Chris and Adam seem to disagree with what he said. So now I am even unsure
I was also at that presentation. I’m guessing he works with United’s hiring department or somewhere in there so I think he knows what United is moving towards in their hiring process and like he said they want to create and use more flow through and use less traditional hires. This is why I posted this just to see what their thoughts are on regional and actually getting to a major and unless you have something to hide is it really that difficult to be a traditional hire vs a flow.
