Soverytired
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2006
- Posts
- 1,572
This lame mentality is and has destroyed this industry and has damaged more than just about anyone the airline pilot profession in recent times. Mesa has destroyed ACA, Aloha, and significantly altered Air Wisconsin which barely flies to the state. That's a unethical track record considering they did with a horrendous pilot contract along with illegal practices from their management. Choosing to work there because you want to just "move on to the big time" is terrible and bad karma. This isn't the days of the puddle jumpers anymore. Mesa is doing major airline flying and doing it unethically.
Unfortunately, it was the pilots of the major carriers who should have fought the good fight to keep the 50, 70, and 90 seat jets away from small lift providers. They know it, too.
The traditional route of flying marginal aircraft in bad weather carrying paychecks to build time has pretty much disappeared because of technological advances (electronic banking). This pretty much left three choices to build time for a major: the military, the so-called "regionals", and flight instructing for 10 years.
I don't know of a single "regional" that doesn't routinely get slammed on this website. Mesa gets trashed more than most (deservedly), but the fact remains that all regional flying has "lowered the bar" for legacy/major QOL and pay.
But there's also no other real way for an aspiring pilot to build a resume that will attract a job at that major.