Best Regionals To Work For

[Pileit]

Just wondering what you guys & gals think are the top regionals to work for. Here are the criteria I'm talking about: Job security, pay, upgrade times, basically in the current volalite environment which companies are positioned the best for long term quality employment. I have my own ideas, but want to hear what everyone else thinks.

 

[Twotter76]

Seems to me that the regionals that are consistently ranked as the best are (in no particular order)

ACA
Comair
Air Wisconsin
Skywest

This is just my observation from what I have seen on the board here. Realize that not everyone here will agree on these either. Its hard to label any one regional as the best since we are all looking for different things out of each. I might want to fly alot and make a bunch of money but someone else might just want a bunch of days off with the same pay. I would advise you to not base your decision on what others say is the best regional, do a little research and come to your own conclusions.

I suspect there is a really good argument for the best regional being the one that hires you. Decide where you want to live, what you want to fly, and how long you are willing to be away from home and go from there. I think that any of the companies on my list will be excellent candidates given your criteria. Hope it helps.

Twotter76

 

[PositiveRate]

How about "the first one that offers you a class date." Swimming for Comair (~5mo) and ACA (~1wk) right now.

I second Twotter's list, though.

ACA, Comair/ASA, Air Wis, Skywest. The next level would be led by the ExpressJet types and bleed all the way down to some no namers.

 

[ATRCA]

MMMMMMM???

I'll take my 17 day off schedule at ExpressJet any day over the "super senior" 14 day off scheduel that the ACA folks fall over themselves to get anyday. Got freinds at ACA, not sure I would put them above us. Comair, ASA, SkyWest, ok maybee. We are negotiating a new contract, we'll see where we fall after that. I don't think 5 jets a month (8 in OCT) is a bad place to be. 3000 pilolts by end of 03. The hiring will begin soon.

Sure we have CAL folks flying here, but thats the breaks. We also had 929 Express pilots get free jobs at CAL in the last 4 yrs. Got to take the good with the bad I guess.

 

[DarnNearaJet]

MMMMMMM???

"I'll take my 17 day off schedule at ExpressJet any day over the "super senior" 14 day off scheduel that the ACA folks fall over themselves to get anyday."

Care to compare W-2's?

If you quality of life, don't work for ACA. If you want money, work for ACA.

 

[ATRCA]

Sure, I'll compare.

At 13 months I made ATR Capt. That was 2nd year pay, $46.06 an hr. Granted, things have changed a bit, but with deliveries we will soon find ourselves back in that type of situation. We have 168 ERJ"s and taking 5 a month for the next two years. Its only a matter of time.

I have nothing against ACA, its a good company, I just don't like working more than 4 days at a time. A good freind of mine at ACA just went back to the training dept. because she hates the line schedules. I guess it depends on what your looking for, I'm personally all about days off. See yah.

 

[NDPILOT]

ATRCA -
How many pilots are still on furlough? You mentioned the "hiring will begin soon" Do you have any idea on what will be competitive?

Thanks

 

[mckpickle]

Im at COEX and granted im pretty senior but i gotta tell ya, this is the best managment group i seen. Everyone gets along for the most part. I've seen Mng, cave on a lot of issues and do the right thing. But well see how this contract gos! I'm all about quality of life. The pay will come but as a ATR captain/check airman, i was taking home around 4k a month. The key is finding a good accountant to get back what the GOV takes. As far as growth..wow i've seen this company double in the 5 1/2 years i've been here and from projections are supposed to actually triple. We'll see. The only think i've learned in the airlines is that I know nothing and i dont believe anything until 3 months after its already happened.

 

[Cornelius]

My top three:

1- Air Wisconsin
2- Horizon
3- Express Jet
4- Skywest
5- ASA

That's funny, the regional that I work for didn't make the list. Hmmmmm.

 

[Beavis]

Piedmont!!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[MartinFierro]

It's always interesting to see how things change. And fast too. Three years ago I doubt many people would have put Comair as one of the top to work for (low paying contract, and one of the last to drop pay-for-training for all new hires). Before Delta bought ASA, who would have listed them? Just drives home the point that the "best" may change as fast as who signs a new contract.

 

[wackford]

My top three:

1- Air Wisconsin
2- Horizon
3- Express Jet
4- Skywest
5- ASA

That's funny, the regional that I work for didn't make the list. Hmmmmm.

Hey Cornelius,

Is that the Spanish Inquisition style of listing your top three? LOL

Our chief weapon is surprise...surprise and fear...fear and surprise.... Our two weapons are fear and surprise...and ruthless efficiency.... Our *three* weapons are fear, surprise, and ruthless efficiency...and an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope.... Our *four*...no... *Amongst* our weapons.... Amongst our weaponry...are such elements as fear, surprise.... I'll come in again.


Seriously though, I would say it depends on many factors. Such as where do you want to live? Do you want to commute? How much can you afford to front for training and housing expenses? How long do you intend to work for the regional? Is a career possible?

For me ACA is my first choice because of the following:
-I live 30 minutes from IAD and the training center, so crash pad expenses are of no concern.
-I have money saved so low pay during the first year and nearly no pay during training are of little concern.
-I may never get to a major and I feel ACA has a bright future where I could have a comfortable flying career.
-Soon to be all jet fleet.
-Offered a class in the CRJ.
-Current growth so I should build seniority fairly quickly. Upgrade is not fast but I already have 1,000 hours PIC MEFW turbine from the military.
-If I have to commute to ORD it should be relatively easy and short lived.

If I had not been offered a class with ACA I would place the following in order of preference (for today’s environment):
-ASA
-Air Wisconsin
-Comair
-Pinnacle (possible quick upgrade in CRJ)
-????????

The above list is highly subjective, just my two cents.

 

[mckpickle]

It's always interesting to see how things change. And fast too. Three years ago I doubt many people would have put Comair as one of the top to work for (low paying contract, and one of the last to drop pay-for-training for all new hires). Before Delta bought ASA, who would have listed them? Just drives home the point that the "best" may change as fast as who signs a new contract.

You are so correct. 5 1/2 years ago all my friends were going to commute air,(now refered to affectionatley as commode air) They were the best. Huge profit sharing checks fast upgrade and everyone really respected and loved the company. I went to COEX, had to pay for training, started making 13.49/hr. (Commute air had just dropped their pay for training about 3 months later). Anyway, COEX was high spirited but unhappy group. Now holey cow. I moved up to be #300 in a company of over 2200 (prior to the 11th). Times are hard but thats still the best 10 K i ever spent.

 

[Pileit]

Thanks for all the response.

Those names are some of the ones I expected. Being on furlough, I place a lot of stock in a stable airline that will be around for a while. After that my priorities are location and quality of life issues like pay/benefits, schedules/timeoff.

I was just curious what you folks thought since at some point I'll have to decide whether to go back or take a new job (currently in the pool). I'd give my left one for a crystal ball to see the future of both companies.

 

[I.P. Freley]

Poo Poo fixation

>>>commute air,(now refered to affectionatley (sic.) as commode air<<<

Okay, Pickle, so we're now up to at least two threads in which you have made disparaging comments about CommutAir by way of stupidly toying with the name. Toilet fixation on your part, perhaps?

And let me help you out here... It's CommutAir, or even Commutair, not "commute air."

I'm not sure what your beef is with CommutAir, or why you insist on slamming them, but whatever points you try to make (and some of them are even well-reasoned) are obscured by your pointless name-calling.

I am also at a loss to understand why so many ExpressJet types are borderline hostile to CommutAir, seemingly feeling that they are taking "your" flying. Well you need look no further than your own management (or former management in the case of Continental), who decided to dump all your 1900's and other props to go all-jet.

So which is it, are you happy to have the bragging rights of being an all-jet carrier and leaving the lesser-served markets to Continental Connection, or are you going to insist upon feeling like you are being rooked by a gang of Beech drivers?

FWIW, I would rank CommutAir as one of the better places to work. You aren't going to get rich there, but the working conditions were good and the pilots and flight ops people are top-notch. yes, things were very bad for a while but they are coming back strong... And on balance I heard much less complaining coming from CommutAir pilots than the pilots from nearly every other airline I happen to see on a regular basis. I can think of much worse places to work, and some of those are the bigger and "better" airlines.

 

[mckpickle]

Re: Poo Poo fixation

>>>commute air,(now refered to affectionatley (sic.) as commode air<<<

Okay, Pickle, so we're now up to at least two threads in which you have made disparaging comments about CommutAir by way of stupidly toying with the name. Toilet fixation on your part, perhaps?

And let me help you out here... It's CommutAir, or even Commutair, not "commute air."

I'm not sure what your beef is with CommutAir, or why you insist on slamming them, but whatever points you try to make (and some of them are even well-reasoned) are obscured by your pointless name-calling.

I am also at a loss to understand why so many ExpressJet types are borderline hostile to CommutAir, seemingly feeling that they are taking "your" flying. Well you need look no further than your own management (or former management in the case of Continental), who decided to dump all your 1900's and other props to go all-jet.

So which is it, are you happy to have the bragging rights of being an all-jet carrier and leaving the lesser-served markets to Continental Connection, or are you going to insist upon feeling like you are being rooked by a gang of Beech drivers?

FWIW, I would rank CommutAir as one of the better places to work. You aren't going to get rich there, but the working conditions were good and the pilots and flight ops people are top-notch. yes, things were very bad for a while but they are coming back strong... And on balance I heard much less complaining coming from CommutAir pilots than the pilots from nearly every other airline I happen to see on a regular basis. I can think of much worse places to work, and some of those are the bigger and "better" airlines.

Well first let me thank you for the editing, i am eternally greatfull. I do apologize that i do not have better spelling and phonics. Second let me say the the guys working for COMMUTAIR would find no better friend than myself as many have been in my jumpseat and are allways welcome. This is also where I have learned the term COMMODE AIR. Now In my previous post I do believe that i recommended commutair to the person asking the question. SO im not sure that I know what you mean. If you had read this post then maybe you would have seen how I stated that 5 1/2 years ago commutair was the place to be. I think you might be hard pressed to find anyone there currently that feels safe about thier job. I get this information from the people on the front lines themselves. I also think you are uneducated about the express jet types disliking commutair. We do have a problem with the whole connection phylosophy in that some of that flying might be done by ourselves........HOWEVER this is not directed at commutair, (and it is not for us to question why. Mngt says we go all jet......I guess we go all jet, there are worse fates.) It is more directed at gulfstream. And airline that exploits pilots by selling the right seat and is also run by a scab. I think most guys would gladly give up a few pax right now in the hopes that they may fill commutairs seats thereby keeping the company solvent. Like I said many of my friends went there and some still are.

Now i have tried so hard to discuss this with you in a frank manner however i just can not resist the urge to point out that i really believe in my heart that you sir are a j@ckass. I bid you good day.

 

[Dieterly]

My top five:

1- Air Wisconsin
2- Southwest
3- Express Jet
4- Skywest
5- ASA

 

[RichO]

can you really put southwest in the same catagory? How about replacing that with Comair?

 

[mckpickle]

My top five:

1- Air Wisconsin
2- Southwest
3- Express Jet
4- Skywest
5- ASA

Its an interesting perspective that you put southwest as a regional. I guess when you really think about it, and compared to the type of flying that the 50 seat jet operators ae doing, southwest really IS a regoinal.

 

[KFFA]

It depends on what your top priority is? Pay, bases, equipment, cash on hand to help through tough times, relations with the papa carrier, routes, schedules, work rules, attitude at company. You have to look at all these questions to get an honnest answear. And to each pilot, one may put upgrade as #1, another pay, and another, scedule? I can only be up front with the airline that I work for, SkyWest.

EMB FO 1st yr 2ndyr max CPT 2ndyr 5yr max
Pay- $19.02 $27 $31 $45 $50 $68

 

[~~~^~~~]

If the current plans pan out ASA would have to once again be at the top of the list. We are supposed to hire another 1,500 by 2004 - 2005 and are getting a steady flow of CRJ700's which pulls pilots up from the smaller aircraft. After all, each 700 creates as many as 8 openings as pilots upgrade.

(As everyone who reads this board with any frequency knows - I believe ALPA will do everything in their power to stop this growth, or take the jets to mainline. Our growth while mainline furloughs in untenable to ALPA.)

Combine this with industry leading pay rates (even as our contract expires in the next few weeks) and the expected benefits in our new contract - this is a good place to be. Expecially if you can be number 1,500 on the list with another 1,500 coming behind you.

Aside from the numbers we have a good management team & good local ALPA folks - it is pleasant working environment.

ASA is at the top of my list again....until the Empire Strikes Back...

 

[KFFA]

It depends on what your top priority is? Pay, bases, benefits, equipment, cash on hand to help through tough times, relations with the papa carrier, routes, schedules, work rules, attitude at company. You have to look at all these questions to get an honnest answear. And to each pilot, one may put upgrade as #1, another pay, and another, schedule? I can only be up front with the airline that I work for, SkyWest.

EMB FO 1st yr 2ndyr max CPT 2ndyr 5yr max
Pay- $19.02 $27 $31 $45 $50 $68

RJ FO 2nd 5th max CPT 2nd 5yth max

$34 $37 $41 $56 $62 $90

Bases-EMB-Salt Lake City, Denver, Portland, Fresno, Santa Barbra, Sacramento, Monterey, Palm Springs, San Diego and one or two more I missed in CA.
RJ-Salt Lake, Fresno, Tuscon, and I am guessing down the road Denver and/or LA just depends what will happen with United???

Benifits-Your normal health, dental, vision, 401k, stock options, etc. For travel-free on United(what good this will be in a few months???) and ID100's on Delta for you your family and your folks but they only get ID 90's on Delta.

Cash on hand-$350mil in the bank with $150mil at a bank in Canada for down payments for RJs.

Relations with Papa carriers-Delta side strong. They would like to have us get 70 seat RJs for next year but that could change. United-Strong also my guess is that we will get more of there routes if the file.

Routes-From San Diego to Vancuver Canada to Fargo ND(starting in Oct.) to Dallas up to Memphis over to Greensboro NC and Pensacola FL. Go to the web site for it all.


Schedules-EMB for Sept. highest pay 100 hours, lowest line, 80hr. This month about half are three day trips with four off. we have two day back-to-backs, locals, standups and a handfull of four day trips. RJ-Mostly 4 day and 5 day trips with 4 or 5 days off. Things will get better when Tuscon opens in Nov.

Upgrade-Thats a tough one things have been slow the last six months, but on the books there will be 3 new hire classes by the end of the year, two upgrade classes and 5 RJ classes. So things are picking back up in this department.

Overall attitude-Very positive, you ask any SkyWest employee, they will tell you that they would rather be here then anywhere except maybe that United 747-400 Capt. that retires today!!! Managment is fair and honnest, with a well defined business plan for the future. As of today 15 RJs for the end of 2002 and 35 for next year with a retirment of about 8-10 EMBs by end of next year. 15 new destinations out of Denver by Nov. 1 along with the new base out of Tuscon. Again this is of today, next week it could change. A CEO that loves his job and smiles while walking around the company. Yes there are some things that go wrong, but overall SkyWest is number one on the list!

I hope this helps. I am not trying to come across as aragent(SP) at all. Just when you look for your future in this company and you want to go after one airline as your top pick then you need to look at the whole picture. I have friends at Eagle, COEX, TSA, ACA, ASA, and Mesaba. Almost all of them wanted or have tried to get on with SkyWest. Who knows maybe they wanted to live closer to there family's for all I know. Things will get brighter this industry goes in phases. You like wild rides well come aboard!

 

[cheezpilot]

"15 new destinations out of Denver by Nov."

Could you clarify this a little more. Is this supposed to be by this year, or next, or by 2004? Also, another thread no too long ago said no new class dates till January, so some people would be in the pool for over a year. I am confused.

 

[Freight Dog]

Gotta hand it down to the above mentioned top 5, but personally... I couldn't be happier anywhere but here at Island Air.

Here's why:

- home every night, makes it a very family-friendly job (weird for an airline).
- duty day is rarely over 9 hours
- had a line almost immediately out of training (right around 9/11).
- upgraded to captain in 14 months (awarded the bid as I was getting off probation) in the post-9/11 era.
- can't beat living in Hawaii though as the cost of living is actually very similar to California.
- can't beat the year-around 78-80 degree ocean water temperature.
- can't beat the surf when it hits.

Sure, there are things to improve, but I am ONE happy camper here. Many of my friends who went elsewhere at about the same time I came here are still furloughed. The few that got recalled are still looking at years to upgrade.

Livin' the dream.........

 

[KFFA]

Cheezhead,

Here are most of the destinations I think I am missing 1 or two.
All by Oct 31, 2002

Hayden CO
Springfield MO
El Paso TX
Pasco WA
Santa Barbara CA
Austin TX
Ontario CA
St Lousie MO
Tucson AZ
Nashville TN
Bozmam MT

and yes to the training questions. As of Tuesday they are planning on 2 upgrade classes, 5 transition classes and 3 newhire classes by Dec 31, 2002

 

[I.P. Freley]

Pickle, you are quite a riot.

Let me get this straight... You heard a CommutAir pilot refer to his own company as Commodeair and that makes it alright for you to spout off with the term on your own and not have anyone call you to the carpet for it? Without getting into specific examples, I guess this means it would be okay for you to use any of the well-known ethnic slurs when referring to certain minorities since you may have heard them used by members of those minorites? Not too much of a stretch of the imagination using your skewed logic. You may not like the point, but wrap your mind around that one a little bit and think about it.

Thank you for pointing out how uneducated I am as pertains to the collective psyches of CommutAir pilots and ExpressJet pilots. I guess the half-dozen close personal friends of mine at CommutAir with whom I speak on a regular basis are totally different people than the hundreds of CommutAir jumpseaters you've had are on completely different wavelengths. I worked there for a year and a half, was there when the blood started flowing, and practically noone ever used the term "commodeair" and they STILL don't. If you choose to extrapolate one person saying that to you into "they all call it that", well, I could point you in the direction of a number of textbooks that explain logical thought processes... It seems you might have something to learn in this area.

You say I still have something to learn about ExpressJet pilots' "true" attitude towards CommutAir pilots, yet where do you think it is that I got the impression that EJ pilots are browned off that CA is doing "their" flying? Well in the same manner that it is that you decided that all CA pilots fear for their jobs... By talking to and having interactions with the other pilot group. I was treated far, far better by Continental's mainline pilots than CoEx pilots when I was jumpseating, I talked to CoEx pilots in breakrooms, in passing at lunch, while having a cigarette break, in the cabin while non-revving. Do you think I just made it up?

You still didn't answer the question... Do you want to be smug about your hundreds-strong all-jet fleet and concede that some flying must be outsourced to prop operators, or do you want to dump on 1900 drivers? You say you don't have anything against CommutAir since you so graciously offer the jumpseat (and you really WOULD be supremely arrogant if you didn't allow a suitably dressed individual with a Continental ID that seat), yet you call the company names?

You can get all blue in the face about Gulfstream, but to what end? Why are you so personally offended by someone who has the means and is willing to pay for that right seat? Didn't YOU pay for training at CoEx way-back-when?

The point was, and still IS, that you chose to stoop to the lowest level and make grade-school level "jokes" about a company just for the sake of drawing a few dimwits into fits of giggling. To me, as a former employee of the company (with fond memories of "the way things used to be"), this is insulting adds nothing to the discussion. To anyone else? Well THEY can be the judge.

I guess I also shouldn't have been too surprised that you chose to call me names. I thought maybe you could rein yourself in and attack concepts and words without resorting to name-calling... Your ridiculously fake magnanimousness in "attempting to resist the urge" to lash out with a personal attack (and accept absolutely no complicity in the fact that the only reason I was calling you on any of this was a direct result of your being deliberately insulting to start with) really is quite funny.

Thank you for the laugh.

 

[cheezpilot]

"Here are most of the destinations I think I am missing 1 or two.
All by Oct 31, 2002

Hayden CO
Springfield MO
El Paso TX
Pasco WA
Santa Barbara CA
Austin TX
Ontario CA
St Lousie MO
Tucson AZ
Nashville TN
Bozmam MT "

KFFA,
At least five of those destinations are Air Wisconsin destinations out of Denver. I dont think we are pulling out of them but we could be sharing them like we just started doing with you in Durango, Montrose, and Grand Junction. I think United has some sort of plan to overlap express carriers so that if one of us for some reason strikes then coverage is not lost. That is a lot of destinations for only getting a few RJ's a month? We usually only get about one new destination per airplane. We start Winnipeg out of DEN and ORD to COS in Oct. No news of losing Hayden, Pasco, Nashville, Springfield,MO or Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara is our bridge city for some of the stuff we do out of LAX, like SLC, San Jose, so I think if might be a slim chance of totally losing it. Maybe you know something I don't know. Cheez

 

[cheezpilot]

I missed El Paso.We fly to El Paso also. Who knows? I had heard we were going to strengthen ORD some more but that would mean moving 6 rj's to ORD and we don't have the staffing for that. We just had a huge RJ realignment and not too many ORD spots opened up. However, we had a gob of DEN RJ spots open.

 

[rightrudder]

I've never heard of St. Lousie or Bozmam before. Are those new cities?

 

[cheezpilot]

KFFA,
It looks like we are sharing the load with you to SBA, SGF, ELP, HDN, FAR , and Nashville out of Denver. I guess you are sharing the load with us out of LAX to COS and from DEN-TUS. Those are the ones I can remember but maybe United is trying to cover all its express destinations with two carriers?