Question about AE & SJU

[PGT]

Why does everyone dislike the ATR & the rock?

The weather is nice and the flying isn't too bad. I think it would be great for a young and single guy.

[zmiller4]

Originally Posted by PGT

The weather is nice and the flying isn't too bad. I think it would be great for a young and single guy.

You're right--the young single guys generally like it a lot better. Anyone who isn't willing to drop connections to the mainland, though, is eventually going to get sick of it. Your friends are generally the people you work with, and unless you put a lot of effort into commuting you're not going to see family/friends on the continent very much.

If I had been single and not commuting during my time there, there's a good chance I'd still be with Eagle. It can be a lot of fun down there for sure--you just have to be in a better position to enjoy it than most of the pilots that were getting sent down there.

[Seggy]

If you have an attraction to Latin girls, you would be absolutely insane not to go down there and fly.

[zmiller4]

Originally Posted by Seggy

If you have an attraction to Latin girls, you would be absolutely insane not to go down there and fly.

That too! The flight attendants in SJU are a lot better looking that Colgan's 1900 FA's, that's for sure.

[Teller1900]

Originally Posted by zmiller4

That too! The flight attendants in SJU are a lot better looking that Colgan's 1900 FA's, that's for sure.

Hey, I resemble that remark!

[MQAAord]

It's not that guys dislike the ATR, the ATR is thought of pretty fondly in a lot of Eagle guys' minds. Though not quite so much as the Shorts is

People don't want to go to the rock because:

-It's expensive to commute there, especially if you're not 5 years yet and have to pay for your D2s.
-It's a long (time-consuming) trip to work, and loads are usually fairly full
-If I remember right, there's a lot of day trips and short overnights. (Could be dated info there though.)
-Time at home can be limited because of the long commute.

It's not a bad gig for someone willing to put up with the above. For someone not so willing it would be rather unpleasant. I would almost give my right boob for the chance to fly the ATR. However, I'm not willing to commute to the rock for it.

[SmoothLanderJ]

Originally Posted by MQAAord

It's not that guys dislike the ATR, the ATR is thought of pretty fondly in a lot of Eagle guys' minds. Though not quite so much as the Shorts is

People don't want to go to the rock because:

-It's expensive to commute there, especially if you're not 5 years yet and have to pay for your D2s.
-It's a long (time-consuming) trip to work, and loads are usually fairly full
-If I remember right, there's a lot of day trips and short overnights. (Could be dated info there though.)
-Time at home can be limited because of the long commute.

It's not a bad gig for someone willing to put up with the above. For someone not so willing it would be rather unpleasant. I would almost give my right boob for the chance to fly the ATR. However, I'm not willing to commute to the rock for it.

WOW!!!.............the ATR must be THE plane to be on then.........

[abrutus]

or you can just move up to San Juan! and avoid the hassels of commuting

[welle036]

Originally Posted by abrutus

or you can just move up to San Juan! and avoid the hassels of commuting

Are there any AE pilots on here based in SJU that can comment on cost of living, qol, buying a car there, and if the upgrade still looks like it might drop down to 3-4 years?

[777forever]

They fly to St. Maarten, I know that for sure!

[crashmbern]

I was based in SJU for a year and enjoyed my time down there. That being said I didn't stay down there longer than I had too. The flying is fun but you don't get to enjoy any of the overnights. Only 2 of them are longer than 10 hours. A typical 4 day for me was an afternoon start with 3 legs, followed by 6 legs day 2 and 3, and then either 1,2, or 3 legs on day 4 with a morning or early afternoon finish. Then you have to go through customs about 3 times a day which is a pain because its such a long walk and then your outside security. I had a crashpad when I was down there and I commuted from NY. I didn't stay down there on my days off or anything. Most crashpads if you can find one is going to run you about $300-$400 a month. But you have to watch out because its a group effort for a crashpad. I had 6 guys in a 3 bedroom and it was about $350 a month. But then a couple of guys transfered to the ERJ and it fell apart. Then I went into a studio with 5 other guys but we were mostly line holders and I only needed it once a week when I was doing 2 days back to back. That one was only $185, but thats rare.

The upgrade time is still about 7 years. It may come down. We didn't hire anyone from 9/11 until 2004 so there is a big hiring gap. There is also some arbitration hearing going on concerning Eagle Captains flowing through to AA. If that works out than the upgrade time will continue to be lowered. I just passed 2 years and I am closer to upgrading then I am to being furloughed, for what is worth.