Rama04

Exactly, it was DIFFERED!!! LMAO

Machwon

I don't think there is a better regional then another right now. What one person thinks is better another might not. What you really have to ask yourself is what is most important? Quality of life? Pay? Upgrades? Equipment? Find out what is most important and go from there. Quality of life would be working for one that allows you to live in base, decent pay, days off. Pay, well that is obvious. Upgrade times can change on a dime. I came to Eagle 4 years ago knowing upgrades were 10 years while other airlines like Skywest was down to 4. Now look how the tables have changed. It is so hard to pin point quick upgrades these days. You want to fly a shiny CRJ-900 or E-190 go to the regionals that offer them. To sum it up figure out what it is you are looking for and go from there. My personal opinion would be quality of life is key. Without it your hobby will turn into a job you dislike.

Rama04

I would just like to point out that Eagle pays their CRJ-700 CAs more than Pinnacle pays their CRJ-900 CAs. Not to mention that Pinnacles rates were just agreed (no new contract for them for 5 years - which will be more like 9-10 years) and Eagle's was amended to 2013.

sandlapper223

I don't think taking a snapshot of Captain rates for an aircraft category and class this person won't be able to occupy for many many years from now is a legitimate argument. On the face of it, it appears that an Eagle CRJ7 (7yr) CA makes 80, while a Pinnacle CRJ9 (7yr) CA makes 78, but what's the point? Look at the FO rates and make the comparison, something this person will be likely to experience for the next half decade. More importantly, pay rates alone should never be used to determine ones paycheck. Soft money, work rules, and QOL are huge factors. Add in bases and commutes, and you could find yourself in pure disgust at one company versus another.

So Eagle is better? All for 2 bucks an hour on a captain position he will not see anytime soon? You may not be giving out the best advice with this argument, in my opinion.

Banja

If you base it solely on FO payscales: 50-seat jets for instance, Pinnacle actually pays more, with annual contract increases every December. This one is kind-of a toss up these days. If it were up to me, if I had job offers at both airlines I would pick the one that has the base I live in (willing to move to) or has the easiest commute. PNCL has more overall bases to choose from when you include Mesaba/Colgan bases that you could eventually bid into. However if you live near ORD or it is an easy commute for you, go with Eagle.

Go with the one that suits you more personally, there is nothing else to debate.

Rama04

The point wasnt that Eagle is better. The point was anecdotal... Pinnacle struggled for 5 years to get a new contract and it couldnt even MATCH the rates of a smaller aircraft at Eagle.

CRJPlt

What people seem to forget is that unlike most airline contracts of the current day, Pinnacle Corp's has raises every December 1. So actually at the 7 year CRJ900 pay which is currently $78.02, there is a roughly $2 raise every year. So in 2013 when Eagle is negotiating a new contract the pay at Pinnacle will be $82.77 on 12/1/12 increasing to $84.43 on 12/1/13. So we gave bargaining power to Eagle to raise the bar which we will raise again when we do negotiations 2 years later...

On another note, as somebody mentioned, it's not just about the hourly rates which everybody seems to get wrapped up about. It's about the soft pay. I am on 2nd year pay at Pinnacle corps lowest paying aircraft (9L SLAAAAB) I have been flying around 65-70 hours a month on average and crediting 102-106 hours every month since the contract came out with 13-15 days off a month as a reservist! Could it be better? Of course but the work rules and "soft pay" are where we really won with this contract.

AxialFlow

It is very much about the hourly rates, they're what the soft pay is based on. Soft pay on a CRJ is going to be WAY more than soft pay on a Saab due to the fact that a 50 seat jet pays better than a 34 seat turboprop.

Things to consider when deciding between Eagle and Pinnacle: Pinnacle has Saabs (which they're hiring for), and Eagle does not...

Mason32

If I recall correctly from long ago, Eagles annual increase allowance is based on average of what everybody else gets and 1.5% as a minimum.

Which means based on the TSA and Pinnacle new Contracts should combine for a sizable AIA for Eagle.

This is only true if their MEC hasn't given that away yet.

Interesting that Eagles contract is 14 years old and the rest of the regionals are just now catching up and passing. Very telling indeed.

da_flyn_hawyn

Be careful about taking too many interviews in the end it might get ya. I had a friend that had the same dilemna and did both. He turned down the AE job for another job and turned out that he got furloughed in 6 months (I know go figure in this industry). But Eagle's got him on the black list now so he couldn't go back to them. But try them both in my opinion.