SkyWest or ExpessJet

[Dave Benjamin]

Well, thank you for all the post. I will be going to ExpressJet!

Doh!
Isn't that the airline that just announced a couple of dozen planes going away?
Might be OK if you can live in domicile and there's enough attrition to prevent you from being stuck on reserve forever. Best of luck to ya!

 

[007]

Doh!
Isn't that the airline that just announced a couple of dozen planes going away?
Might be OK if you can live in domicile and there's enough attrition to prevent you from being stuck on reserve forever. Best of luck to ya!

yeez man, it's his decision, don't slam him for it. Doesn't bother you any.

 

[princeton]

Xjt

I don't think you need to be so worried about stability at XJT in spite of 25 aircraft going to mexico. CAL is to keep hiring from XJT at the rate of approx 22 per month for at least the next six months plus all the pilots going everywhere else. The line divisor is at 88 hours, the max contractually permitted, basically we are all flying like crazy; line holders and reserve. Continued upgrade classes will be announced soon and continued hiring into the new year should follow.

Then again, maybe I am too optimistic.

 

[Avpilot]

Give me a call when you need me to walk your resume in at SkyWest to get another interview. I think you just turned left when you should have went right. But who knows really? Best of luck to you though. I have a ton of friends over at XJT and I hope you guys can weather this sh#%.

And to all the "lowering the bar" talkers out there. I'm 4 months into my 2nd year here at SkyWest... on pace to pull in $46,000 (my lines average 13-14 days off) this year. I could make more if I tried to pick up anything. So I would like to know what you made when you were an F/O at the bottom of the industry ladder. If it was comparable then I guess you had already lowered the bar before I got here, so let me say thanks...if you made any more than that at a regional then you may have some ammo to your argument. But this job sure beats the 135 Lear job I had before.

I can't believe I'm jumping in on the "My *&$*'s bigger than your *&$*, My pay is more than your pay" bandwagon....but here I go. Just for comparison sake. Here is why XJT is such a good place to work. You can choose whether you want money and fly your ass off, or you can go for the quality of life...which is what I do. Here are the numbers through the first 9 months of 2006 which will all be 2nd year FO pay. After that it increases.

9 months of pay = $30,420.99 That's an avg. of $3,380.11 per month. Total days off through 9 months = 172 Avg. 19.11 days off per month. Extrapolate to a full year of year 2 pay = $40,561.33 with 230 days off out of 365. 230 days off...that's what I'm talking about. If I wanted to have 13-14 dys off per month like you, I could pull the $46k...but that $5,440 isn't as important to me as those extra 68 days off. That's more than 2 extra months OFF per year.

 

[XJETDriver]

Well, thank you for all the post. I will be going to ExpressJet!

Welcome!

 

[Dave Benjamin]

yeez man, it's his decision, don't slam him for it. Doesn't bother you any.

He needs a thick skin to survive in this business. I'm sure he can handle it. I don't know his particular circumstances but I think he might have been better off going to an airline that is actively growing versus one that is shrinking. That's not to say there isn't movement at X-Jet but it seems to be from attrition as opposed to growth. If CO or other majors stop or slow hiring then the attrition will slow. Then you're looking at the possibility of a furlough. X-Jet is losing 25 planes now and could potentially lose 44 more. Those of us who have been around a while have seen the cycle of "hire til you start furloughing and furlough until you start hiring."

No reflection on the ariline or the pilot group, just stating facts. I hope it works out well for the guy. In a year or two things could look totally different. I don't fault anyone for going to work for X-Jet but given a choice between X-Jet and SkyWest I think he might regret his decision down the road. But if he lives in IAH or another X-Jet domicile he made the right choice. Commuting sucks.