Granted the ideal position we all want in this industry is to be a captain with seniority at one of the majors right? Well I was curious how many pilots just stick with a good regional airline? I know that the salary differences are huge but what about peace of mind having seniority to get the schedule you want? I personally feel like I’d be ok sacrificing a bit of the pay to get the schedule I want and be more valuable in uncertain times given how the industry works… Im 32 and just starting the process so I’d be really stoked to be FO at a regional by 35 giving me 30 years for a career. Thinking if I started out of HS the majors would be a no brainer but time is precious and money isn’t my soul motivation, happiness and success are! So it’s a couple questions really.
How much faster will you gain seniority with a regional compared to a major if ever?
What are the best regional airlines?
How massive is the pay difference between a captain with seniority at a regional and one without at a major?
Hope you get the gist of what im gauging with my overall question. Is it worth it to just stick with one airline rather than chase the big bucks and lose seniority? Sorry for the novel
Good questions. Short answer is, it depends on your goals, but yes. It could be worth it, but again, it all depends. You’re also not taking into account that this industry is highly competitive and cyclical. You may not ever even receive an opportunity to be hired by a major. That’s exactly what happened to a lot of pilots after 9/11. A lot of them stayed put and now earn a decent living with awesome seniority. If they were to move up to a major they would take a pay cut for the first year, maybe two, and they would lose all of their seniority that they’ve spent the last 20-30 years accruing.
So, yes, this can be and should be a thoughtful decision. It should not be assumed that moving from regional to major is automatic. It’s perfectly okay if you want to stay at a regional too. Everyone has different priorities.
Impossible to say. Seniority is multifaceted. You have your overall seniority within the entire company, but then you also have relative seniority within your base, seat, and aircraft. You could fly for the same company at a different base, a different aircraft, or in a different seat and your seniority would be different (relatively) in each scenario.
The one that you see yourself retiring at. Obviously you want to fly for a regional with a good rep, and frankly I think their all good these days, but most choose a regional with a base nearest home. Commuting takes a toll. Your quality of life will guide you to your preferred airline.
Thanks for the info. I ultimately want to fly and earn a good living doing it. Obviously if I got the call from a major within a few years I’d jump but like you said some people never even get a call… Money is not the top priority. Quality of life and time is. So with that my hope would be to just stick with say Alaska Airlines and accept the lesser pay and hope that I’ll be captain with seniority around the time I’d be starting over at a major… All said and done I’m still very much in the R&D phase but step one I have decided this is what I want to do with my life. Thanks for the insight
The main reason I left my Regional was to gain some peace of mind but it had little to do with seniority. While having a great schedule is nice, job security is nicer and for me THAT means peace of mind. While all the airlines are struggling due to the pandemic, none of the Majors have folded but 3 Regionals have. Really doesn’t matter how senior you are if your airline shuts down you’re done. As for your questions:
There are no exact figures but it must cases its considerably faster. Pilots move on from the Regionals for a number of reasons but they generally only leave a Major when they retire, get sick or die. More attrition equals more movement.
What’s the best car? What’s the best restaurant? What’s your favorite color? These are subjective questions and the answer depends on what’s important to YOU. Is it pay? equipment? bases? Often the best Regional is the one that offers you a job.
Regional Capts top out at about $100k. Junior Capts will make about $200k+ and continue to $350k plus. The difference is considerable.
Just a point of clarification, Alaska Airlines is most certainly a major airline. Flying for Alaska is a very desirous position and often one that people spend many years working towards. Regionals are airlines that fly for other, parent companies. In this case Horizon Air would be the regional of Alaska Airlines.
You are still way too young to be considering making a career at a regional airline. To me the most important parts of the career are job security, pay, and quality of life. All of those will be better at a major airline, even the schedule. Much of this is driven by the nature of the flying. Regionals fly several short flights per day while majors often do one long flight per day, which ends up driving a much better schedule in the end.