For those interested,
I spoke to the recruiter at Skywest today and indicated that they have been accepting applications from Australians for several months now.
They will sponsor the applicant for a visa but they will not pay relocation. To apply, tick yes to the drop down question “do you require sponsorship”.
Its not perfect and the US is more expensive to live in than most Australians realize but if the alternative is bashing around in a Navajo or a Metro as I did, then I know which I would chose to do for a couple of years.
Krusty,
Its great that you have an opinion, it really is.
But comments like these . . . .
“ . . . while pretending to be a highly trained and experienced professional airline pilot.”
. . . . are actually offensive.
There is no pretending. These regional pilots fly high performance jets into some weather, terrain and elevation combinations that have no comparison in Australia.
The training is mandated by the FAA and is the same as a major carrier, as is the safety record.
“All the while the travelling public (up to 75 at a time) are blissfully unaware that at least one of the drivers up front is living below the poverty line whilst desperately building hours . . . .”
Most captains at Skywest would be 4500 hours plus and most FO’s would be 1000 hours plus. Would you level this criticism at airlines such as Dragonair where “at least one of the drivers” has considerably less experience that their Skywest counterpart?