Well 7777, it's not like I'm alone in that sentiment. I don't know how much time the readers here spend stateside, but most of the GJ boys and girls have trouble leaving their hole in STL without getting a few S-bombs thrown at them. malc4d, here's
all the research you need to do on that operation:
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Gojet
As for your question on Mesa, I would have loved to help you in my first post, but my hands were tied. Alphabetical order is a cruel mistress. Here's part two:
Horizon: This is one of those places that's more of a career choice than a stepping stone. Currently running a seven-ish year upgrade. Their captain payscale is pretty impressive, but you'll be spending a
lot of time on the slightly less impressive FO side. QOL is good, by all accounts. If you like Seattle and have no intentions of going to mainline anytime soon, check these guys out.
...What's that, they aren't hiring now? Never mind.
Island Air: Mmmm, driving a turboprop between the Hawaiian islands. Isn't that what we
really got into this job for? The pay would be decent, if HI wasn't so freakin' expensive. Fairly quick upgrade, too. I don't know if they complain about QOL over there, and if they do, I'm sure as Hell not listening. They like hiring locals, so run-of-the-mill Haoles need not apply.
...You mean
they're not hiring, either? Goddamn it!
Lynx Aviation: After a million delays, they're finally off the ground. The street captains have already left for greener pastures, so no more free Q400 type. I know it's not a jet, but the payscale really ought to be better for a plane that big. Still a lot of movement, but not the easiest place to get an interview. I'd also be concerned about flying for the biggest albatross around Frontier's already overloaded neck. Another wild card.
Mesa Airlines: Dude, you've got to be ****ting me. You want to go to
Mesa? The unholy cluster**** that is the Mesa group (Mesa, Air Midwest, Freedom, go!) is finally coming apart at the seams. Pilots are jumping ship left and right (mostly to other regionals), and they can't hire enough warm bodies to keep up. Proud owners of the worst work rules in the industry, they regularly put pilots on schedules with eight days off a month. In case you haven't been following the news, these are the poor guys who have been falling asleep at the controls lately. Pay tops out on the high side, but I'm not sure how someone could get that far up on their seniority list without French-kissing a .45 first. Upgrade is chaotic, as they just seem to grab the first guy they can find when another seat opens. This is the kind of place that drags all of us down, and they've finally hit the bottom of the barrel in terms of applicants. There are pilots who can put up with a lot of crap to make it to the majors, but some of these guys seem to think they can sell their souls to Ornstein and come out unscathed. Oh, and did I mention all of the red ink, dropped flying and impending lawsuits on the financial side? Stay away.
Mesaba: Don't let the name fool you, they've got nothing to do with Mesa. Pay and QOL are not too bad (if only by comparison). They're done hiring street captains for now, and probably won't be doing it again for a while. Upgrade is still fast. The single biggest problem with Mesaba (aside from those assholes at MAIR holdings) is that, with Compass and Pinnacle already vying for NWA's attention, somebody's bound to get screwed. This is not a place to go and get comfortable, but a lot of people who went there seem to be happy with their choice. Your mileage may vary.
Piedmont: This could be one to watch for those looking to do their time in the regionals and get out quick. Between people going up to mainline and regular attrition, things are about to start moving fast at this sleepy little Dash-8 operator. Work rules suck, but the pay is decent. I'd also be a little worried about being wholly owned by a major airline (USAir) that is even further from having its **** together than the rest of them.
Pinnacle: Who wants to fly a CRJ-900 for 21 bucks an hour? Not these guys, apparently; they voted 99% in favor of a strike. Attrition is lightning-fast. They fly for Delta and Northwest, so I'd expect to see them lose some flying when those two merge, as ASA/Compass/Republic all seem to be building up steam. I've heard some horror stories about incompetence in the training department, and if you can't trust secondhand rumors and hearsay in this industry, then what
can you trust? You get a monetary bonus if you can wrangle one of your friends into a newhire class, which speaks volumes about their QOL.
Well, that does it for my second installment. I'll finish up next time. Stay tuned, because part three includes what are probably the BEST regionals to work for. Of course, that distinction is kind of like being the least ugly chick in the bar at closing time, but that's neither here nor there...