barabek

1. If you get the ERJ, you and your family get to fly on United only. The flights are free and there is no yearly fee. You pay international taxes on the return flights to the US. The boarding priority is very low so expect to be the last on the list every time. Even on our own flights we get bumped by any United rider who uses a vacation pass (very unfair in my opinion). I'd not recommended using it for your family during the high season, you'll never get anywhere. Now, the CRJ side has Delta, United and American benefits but I really don't know too much about that.

2. ORD is going to be a senior base for FOs after all the bases open. Don't expect it right after class, but trading bases is easy and you'll get what you want if you're patient (there is no base lock and you can trade between bases every month). ORD is only an ERJ base. Now it looks like they're hiring mostly for the ERJ side since the CRJ is loosing 19 CRJ200s by the end of the year so if there are going to be classes for the CRJ, they are going to be small and announced not far in advance. ERJ is supposed to have 2 classes a month with 24 openings per class, but I highly doubt they'll be able to fill them up (last class on July 22 had only 8 new hires!). All ERJ bases will be open by October: DEN, ORD, IAH, CLE, EWR, IAD, MCI - in order from the most senior to most junior for FOs (in my private opinion). CRJ has ATL, IAD, DTW but again I'm not familiar with it at all. You can't transfer between ERJ and CRJ so if you wanna be in ORD you have to bid all the ERJ bases first and transfer later. If you end up on the CRJ side you'll not be able to get to ORD at all.

3. Reserve is not fun, but that can be said about any reserve in any company. I know the ERJ side has better reserve rules that the CRJ (max. 4 hours airport reserve and no consecutive days, no airport reserve after the trip, you can pick up from open time between 9-10 am day ahead) to name a few rules that I remember standing out. Now, a lot might have changed since I was on reserve so I may be wrong on some of that. It definitely helps to be based at home when you're on reserve...

4. Don't listen to the voices of grumpy malcontents that tend to be on those forums all the time and always respond to questions first with cynical remarks. There are plenty of those and they are not helpful. I'm not trying to glorify ExpressJet at all, but there are worse regionals to work for. I also understand the frustration that comes with the current contract negotiation that has been dragging for 2.5 years and is not going the way both the pilot groups would like to see.

I hope it helps, PM me if you have any specific questions. Sorry I didn't include CRJ side but so far we are separate and it feels like a different company from my perspective.

Jughead135

Thanks, AtlCSIP, IDIOTPILOT, ross9238, & Captain Tony for the responses.


That's opposite what I've heard (but I'm an outsider looking in, still). Can anyone comment more directly on CRJ vs ERJ assignments? What, if any, maneuvering room does a new hire have to get one or the other?


Can you elaborate, please? Are you referring to QOL due to living in base (or not), which is my point for wanting MCI (thus ERJs); or is there more to it, and which is better, etc? I value your (or anyone with experience) opinion....

Thanks!

Pancake

Does XJT provide headsets?

AnchorDown

Yes, David Clark's in the individual airplanes, at least on the CRJ side. Just don't go taking them and trying to sell them on eBay like one moron did ;-).

AnchorDown

IDIOTPILOT

On the ERJ side, there's David Clarks on each plane.

Jughead135

Seriously?!? Gotta be more to that story...!

ross9238

Oh there are plenty more. I'm sure they will share some with you during indoc.

Redbird611

From what I've been hearing the CRJ hiring is done for the year. That is always subject to change.

spud

So, no new classes with crj drops or nobody will be able to get crj in any upcoming classes already scheduled?

RunwayOneSix

What's the DOH for the most junior FO holding a line CRJ IAD? Also, how many hours per month are CRJ reserves in IAD flying per month?