Boils down to Quality of Life
Somebody said that all the Regional's are not the place to be. This is true. All Regional Airlines pay their pilots, FA's and staff way under what they should. I see alot of people doing the Regional Hop because they think the Grass is Greener on the other side. The question is....... Is it really???? First year F.O. Pay stinks wherever you go. Piedmont pays like 24 an hr and that's one of the highest I know of.
Commuting stinks. I can't stand it even though I have an easy commute to DTW from DCA. I've thought of Leaving 9E just so I don't have to commute, but who wants to go through that first year F.O. pay thing again? Reserve? If you want to upgrade fairly reasonable and money is more important than Commuting, then so be it. That's why I choose 9E. If you want to stay an F.O. but live in Domicile, then so be it. Then I would hop over to Air Whisky. It's all about which one you want. Quality of Life is important and it's hard to find a Good Quality of life at a Regional unless you've been there awile and live in Domicile. I personally can't stand Memphis or Detroit. Minneapolis is just too damn cold, so I'll just stay here on the East Coast and commute and hope to upgrade in the Spring or Summer at 9E. I need the cash!! and Turbine PIC time so I can get the hell away from Regional's all together!
As far as growth goes at 9E.... Well here's what I've heard come down the ladder. Some guy named Dave Shockey or Chockey or something like that with N.W.A has been making regular trips to Brazil. N.W.A. is signing an agreement with Embraer for either the 170's or 190's. Rumor has it N.W.A pilots will have to settle to either keep their Pention and give up the Scope Clause for their Regionals to carry only 50 seaters. "yes Mesaba already has 69's" They were grandfathered in!. Or they can lose their pention and fly the Emb. 170's. The N.W.A. Union has already turned down the offer to fly the EMB. 170's because N.W.A. doesn't want to pay their pilots. Now who's going to fly them?? Don't know for sure?? But I can say that Pinnacle does have a new 121 certificate that's either approved already or really close to it. I've heard that it has been approved for 6 EMB 170's already and 9E can't do anything with it until the New Contract is Negotiated. That's why there's a big hurry to get this new contract finished up by the end of Jan or Feb. from what I'm hearing. This is all Hear say but it comes from reliable sources at 9E. It does all make sense. So for the mean time I'm staying put and 9E looks like it may grow some more? Who know for sure?
If you're new to the regional world and can get a job in the same city you live in then I would just go with it. I would love to be able to roll into work in less than an hour vs. 3 to 4 hrs on a good day, not to mention paying extra money for the nasty Days Inn every month. Goodluck... Choose what works for you. The Grass isn't greener on either side of the fence.
