snippercr

I am in a similar situation where I COULD be choosing between Eagle vs ASA/XJT. Yes, I have not had offers from either and could just very well end up with "Thanks but no thanks" emails from both and be stuck where I am at. But in the most optimistic view, I could get offers from both. Both have pretty good pay but here are my views

-Both have ORD bases which are pretty junior (a goal for me)
-Both have roughly the same pay which is some of the higher in the industry sans first year
-I could probably live in all of ASA/XJT bases, but I could not see myself living in SJU with Eagle and its possible I could get stuck with ATR in SJU. Before anyone yells at me for having SJS, it's not, its Shiny Dollar Syndrome... jet at eagle gets paid better and has better bases. If that is still SJS, so be it.
-Eagle seems to be hiring like crazy. If I get picked up, thats more people to be put under me. ASA/XJT seems to be hiring moderately with only moderate future hiring.
-Along with Eagle's hiring, they are (finally) having lots of captains move on. Attrition at ASA/XJT again only seems minimal. Once that majors start hiring though, that could change.
-Eagle's future is unknown. There could just as easily be a divestiture next week which will cause big problems at the bottom of the list.
-ASA/XJTs future is a little more clear given the new contract with United/Continental.

So there are a few of my pros/cons when trying to decide in the perfect world what to do if I get offers from both. Right now my plan is "take the first, if either, that offers a job" and if the stars align and I get both, I'll have some heavy thinking to do.

ScaryKite

Thanks for your comment sniper. Any big qol contract comparisons you can think of? I know xjet s contract is pretty top notch regional wise, for qol with min day guarantee, commuter clause, line bidding/vacation and 401k. Any comments on the pros and cons of eagles contract?

hc0fitted

ORD Base @ ExpressJet is not so Junior any more. The last 3 entire classes all got IAH because of IAH upgrades going to ORD. As for Hiring we are projecting hiring 30/month for the rest of the year and into 2012.

newarkblows

I dont think leaving Republic has to be an issue. Life gets in the way sometimes. You spent 5 yrs flying 121? It is a tough career especially when you are not making a whole lot of dough and you can always say you were looking into other opportunites and the economy crushed those plans as soon as you left republic. I think the key here is to show that you want to be a long term employee, that your willing to suck it up and live on reserve or commuting (even if it is not entirely true), and that you are looking for a good company with a stable future to hire you.

ASA/XJT people are definitely starting to leave. I have ran into quite a few who are going to Jetblue, atlas, corporate,... etc and looks like it is just the beginning. There is a little uncertainty with 16 of our aircraft being extended or dropped by United. They have been extremely quiet about these aircraft that are on a short term deal with United and it is due for renewal or extension. The rest of our airplanes are being tied into a new 10 yr CPA with CAL/UAL that is being negotiated right now. Skywest and ASA have plans to re-fleet us with new possibly larger airplanes but nothing is set in stone. Theres a lot of unknows right now but i think the legacies are set to really ramp up hiring in the next 12 months. Getting hired and on the line ASAP building currency and flight time would be a far better place to be for when you get a shot at a major.

Eagle could be forced to compete with other regionals similar to what happened to us in 2006 and their current block hours could be reduced. Every regional has its downside. SJU isnt always a bad thing either. The pay is lower but it is cheaper to live and could be a rewarding experience if your young and single. Good luck.

FSUpilot

I second this.. Im a feb 28th hire up in ORD and I am pretty near the bottom of the seniority here. I was pretty close to a relief line but then the IAH guys started moving up here and pushed me down a bunch. Hey.. thats the way it goes. Im heading back to IAH in september... easier commute and I will be a above a few folks. Just dont make your choice of airline based on one base alone. In a few months things could change per this example. Good luck!

ScaryKite

thanks for the advice guys....i've been thinking about it a lot here lately and its a hard decision to get back into the ring. Who knows. I'm going to apply and give it a shot.

Cheers

duvie

Scary,

FWIW I think you'll see more attrition at ASA/XJT in the upcoming years than at eagle. Before the falling out with CAL, XJT had a rather high proportion of lifers (similar to SkyWest and Eagle) but things seem to have changed, and I think that pilot group now will see more guys moving on. Good luck

PilotJ3

The next American Eagle flow trough to AA is projected for November. 250 guys... + 824 with preferential hiring starting probably next year = 1074 pilot attrition almost for sure + any other guys leaving to other companies.

Just saying...

Walkeraviator

Are new classes still going to IAH? Houston is my goal as a hub and I have an interview with XJT on 2AUG2011.

hc0fitted

The 2nd class that started after me im not sure what they got, but the the 3 previous classes before that including mine all got IAH. There is a new class that started today also.