Wholly-owned companys vs. contract regional. long term.

[atr42flyer]

so what are your thoughts on working at a wholly-owned regional vs. a contract regional. im talking about long term.

 

[Berry McCockner]

they both suck

 

[WSurf]

True!

 

[doh]

Niether one has a long term future! You need to spread the fixed costs of the operation over a lot of planes (economies of scale). The system in place now does not allow you to do that. No advantage if everyone has the same scale! So you are screwed either way. Happy new year. Get a job with an independant operater.

 

[WhiteCloud]

Comair's situation with Delta doesn't seem to be much better than Atlantic Coast's was with UAL. You'll get screwed either way...just differently.

 

[JetPilot_Mike]

No matter which one you are at you will hate Mesa. If you are at Mesa, you will just hate yourself, and be poor.

 

[Propsync]

Kind of a good question. My thoughts.....

Wholly-owned-

There's few of us left. I'm at Skyway and looking back at six years, I made the right choice. Well, I only interviewed once, too. I look out at what everybody else has had to do and I can't think any of it would be fun. And that's not to say things have been better here than anywhere else. I have realized that we are very small, insulated, and for the most part, safe. Little growth (if any, ever), but not extremely worried Mesa will take over. Good pilot group where you're a pilot/person, not a number. Larger W/O may have more to lose, ex. Comair. I want to say Horizon is W/O too. They seem like a good outfit. You still have PSA and Piedmont/ALG as well. Can't think of any others.

Contract carriers-

Abundant. Out for blood. The difference here is they always seem to have work, but it seems to keep changing. If you want to change base every once-in-a-while, get displaced every so often, fly for a different codeshare three times a year, and never fly with the same person twice, contractors are for you. Keep in mind, that's a view from a very sheltered W/O pilot, except for the crap I read on this site.

It's all what you want. I took less money to not have to f around with what everyone else seems to be dealing with. Maybe my time will come, too. Good luck in this great job and horrible career.

 

[LearLove]

Hmmm... have worked for a WO (5 years) then flowed to a pseudo "mainline" (about 2 years) now furloughed mainline and flowed to J4J at a contract carrier (1 month) I can say the diff is basically where the money goes. At a WO'd the $$ go into the same pot as the mainline, at a contract carrier they go to someone else.


Another diff I saw at ALG is the fact that when momma mainline has no cash that means you get no new shiny aircraft, jets or turboprop. A contract carrier making cash because of fee for departure have been in the past better positioned to get financing to buy aircraft to contract back to the mainline.

Pass privleges for you and your family are better at a WO. My furlough non-rev privleges have a higher boarding priority than my contract carrier pass.

Other than that its the same, many great people and pilots at both WO and contract carriers along with occasional a-hole tossed into both as well.

 

[PHXFLYR]

I think if I were just starting out in the industry today,I would look real carefully at Net Jets and the other Frac operators or if you already have a jet background flying PT135 Lears around the non-scheduled air carriers such as World,Polar,ATI etc.I would steer way clear of anything with the word "Airline" painted on the side be it jets, props mainline or regionals. Just way too much uncertantity out there which will take years to fully play out. Good luck to all.


PHXFLYR

 

[atr42flyer]

Well im about to apply at PSA or should i wait for skywest or chautaqua?

 

[GINCHBLASTER]

I wouldn't wait around for anybody. I would also go with the place that has a base where you want to live.