As a new entrant to this forum and industry, I extend my warmest greetings to all! Very excited to be here. Now to my current point.

Apparently, this is a pretty unprecedented time for those of us that are taking the first step into the 121 arena. If you meet the requirements, you are likely to have offers from an overwhelming number of companies, leaving you faced with "the choice".

Please confirm or correct; research shows that there is no such thing as the "best" regional. One must choose either 1)decent pay and/or QOL and a longer upgrade, or 2)less decent pay and/or QOL and a -possibly- shorter upgrade. Doesn't seem that one can have it all, rather must choose the balance that works best for the individual.

It seems that starting and subsequent pay rates in a given seat are pretty much guaranteed, at least until things change. This is in contrast to what one is told regarding upgrade times: how can anyone say for certain when an upgrade will occur, especially when the reasons given always seem based on what is "projected" to happen, such as the acquisition of new contracts and/or more planes which in some cases have yet to be finalized, delivered and/or built? How often do recruiters simply make it sound like an upgrade is only 12-24 months away just to sway people to join their team? For example, if one were to go to a regional having been told to expect a 2 yr upgrade and 4 years later they are still waiting, how unfortunate would they be, having been stuck with unconscionable pay for longer than planned, versus going to a regional where the upgrade is admittedly longer, but the pay while waiting consistently outperforms lower offerings by a rough average of $6000 more per year?

A huge gamble, but from what I gather that's what the regional level is yes? Personally, I prefer the relative guarantee of better pay while waiting over the more stressful hope for a quick upgrade. Guarantee vs. hope. Play it safe and know what your check is going to look like, or roll the dice and possibly hit big. Only thing, this is not Vegas, and if you crap out, it affects your life quite significantly, to the tune of missing a rough average of $12,000 over 3 years. Younger people may be able to try different regionals a time or two and be okay, older people are more likely to want to get it right the first time.

For example, the difference in second year FO pay between a lower paying regional and a higher paying regional is roughly $9000. (I am purposely not calling company names in an attempt to avoid offending anyone, even though what I am stating are published numbers and not personal musings. Research will show which companies and numbers were used for this example.)

Research shows that larger regionals, along with some of the smaller ones, are working towards better treatment, but apparently that has been tried before and didn't turn out too well (Comair?). However, it seems that there is now more leverage due to the shortage of people that meet the new requirements. Would it make more sense to go with one of the larger regionals, or may that leverage not be as strong as perceived? Is there security in numbers, or is that not applicable to this industry?

This forum seems to be one of the better gatherings of people that are close to the industry, and you already have my respect and likely that of many others. Specifically, I'm looking for those of you that are mature, knowledgeable, and experienced to share your thoughts. I think this conversation will help many newcomers like myself and serve as a great launchpad for research.

I'm trying to keep this first post from going too long, so if it seems that anything was missed or some thought processes omitted, please, respectfully, work them in. Please no flaming or trolling; I and I'm sure many others will get a lot more out of this conversation without all of that.

So please, if you will, share your thoughts. Thanks!

Tempered expectations. Regionals are currently operating under pre-existing contracts, where there really isn't much room to throw more money at the pilots. Sure, some regionals probably have a little more room than others. None of them are going to cut their nose off to spite their face right now. And if one does, those pilots may end up being paid well on their fast-track to the unemployment line. Pay is going to take time, time to negotiate new contracts with the majors or rework pre-existing ones.

One regional that is growing like crazy today is dying on the vine tomorrow. Some have grown to a size that any future growth seems minuscule. Some regionals have a strong track record, while others are considered less than favorable amongst the masses.

The point is, its highly unlikely that you will find one regional that encompasses everything you are looking for. You need to decide what is most important to you, because this is YOUR career, and go from there. Sounds like you've already done some great research, the best advice you can get from the community would be to choose the one that suits your interests and goals best.

Not sure where you are right now (CFI? Military?), but if you are hellbent on the regionals, stick with the "bigger" ones. IMO there will be a merger or three, and it's usually better to be the acquirer. Also check out flow programs - Enveagle is an example of one - they give at least some movement off the top. Ultimately mainline will take back most regional flying once they can no longer be staffed on their own - if you are lucky you could find yourself with a ML number with no interview required. I suppose patience and timing are the key - as always.

Forget pay rates for a second and imagine where you live, or where you want to live. Then do your research and figure out which regional where you can either a) live in base and drive to work, or b) have the least amount of commuting stress possible.

Living in base for a sucky job is a whole lot better than a bad commute to a great job.

Where am I?

This is the best thing to look at. The new duty regs will kill the days off you get and commuting will take the rest off them. If you can live in base or near base is the way to go!

Personal opinion, for the little it's worth, choose a job, or bid seat, equipment and base, with an eye toward being stuck there for awhile. I've been at this for 14 years professionally and have been furloughed and stagnated more than I care to think about.

If luck is with you, the upgrade will be quick and the legacies will be knocking on your door. But be prepared for the next upswing in oil, downturn in housing, plane flying into a building, or whatever the next nonsense is, that causes your career to stall out.

Anything a recruiter tells you is merely a snapshot in time, at that time, meant to make the picture look as good as possible.

Don't goto psa or gojetz

You'll thank yourself for,life.

Or Mesa.....

This really is what it's all about in my opinion. I leave my house one hour before report time. Even in traffic I will arrive with plenty of time to check in, grab a coffee, look at the weather, and relax for a few minutes.

I just finished an unusually brutal 4 day trip last night. I was on the verge of calling in fatigued even. Our last leg was battling a T-storm into DEN, and I was just done at the end. I got in my car, went home, and slept for 9.5 hours. I feel much better now, and am going to go mountain biking. If I had to deal with commuting home last night? Damn, I can't even imagine how defeated I would have felt.