Originally Posted by
Swear_in_GIN
There are a couple of things to consider before coming here. Keep your eyes wide open.
Compared to Oz, many things are different:
13. As a new hire, you may find yourself sitting on reserve for quite some time - maybe several months, from 5am to 7pm. This does not count as duty. After 1 to 4 months you'll "hold a line", in other words bid for, and get a regular series of flights.
I don't know which company you work for, but calling in sick where I used to work in the USA wasn't a problem. Lots of people I knew did and didn't have any issues. Seems like a safety culture issue where you are. Reserve time does infact count as duty time as I experienced for myself when I started out.
There was also a uniform allowance that was paid to us after the first year, and the company contributed to $70 for our medical so not all US regionals are the same. I'd have to say, pay and conditions are still not the best, but they have improved a lot over the years, but then again, US regionals are seen as a stepping stone to the majors and everyone in the industry understands that. That's why you'll never see mainline conditions at a US regional.