If this is true then why isn't the bid for 50 captains? (3.5 per a/c x 17 a/c) Most airlines have more crews but 9E runs "lean". That's with no attrition.
Because 9E has never staffed at 7 crews per aircraft. 9E staffs normally around 4 to 4.5 crews per aircraft.
So, for 15 initial aircraft back from the desert at 2.25 crews per a/c is 33 Captains (approximately).
Hey Lear70,
Dont know you and never had the oppurtunity to fly with ya..But Im on the edge of upgrading and on the edge of bankrupcy..Just wondering what you think about this Compass deal and if its even worth a guy looking into? Or If I should hold out for upgrade at PCL, the thing is I need MSP I cant be a Comuter.
Well, I'm a bit out of touch with PCL upgrades these days,,, but Compass, if it even happens with an external certificate outside the existing red-tail fleet, will be an outside bet unless you could get hired as a street CA.
Put your app in EVERYWHERE you might like to work, then make the decision after you have the job offer. If nothing else, it will be good interview experience for that BIG call later on, as well as keep you informed about the industry as a whole (every pilot should understand what's going on at the other Regionals as well as the Majors).
MSP CA slots were easier to come by when I was there, as a CA stuck 25 from the bottom of the CA list for 3 years, I could hold ANY domicile on reserve, so obviously things have shifted to MSP as a senior base in the last 6 months or so.
Your best bet is to simply look at who the junior CA is in MSP and how many people junior to him are around the system and how that has changed in the last 6 months. If you see a lot of MSP movement, then you can time the upgrade-to-MSP transition pretty accurately (I did this a lot when base-hopping for $$$). If you don't...
Also watch this big bid,,, things have a tendency to shift, depending on which base has the best QOL for commuters which still, as I understand it, make up about 70% of the PCL pilots.
Either way, jumping ship to another carrier usually ends up hurting you if it's a lateral move without a big bump in pay and/or QOL. Better to wait it out.