Pros
The turbine time is valuable, when the airplanes are actually working. The CASS benefits are nice, and it’s 135 operator experience, but it comes at a significant cost to your overall well-being.
Cons
Pilots are grossly underpaid, with widespread maintenance and safety issues and relentless pressure to operate in unsafe conditions. Management and dispatch are notoriously disorganized and often hostile toward pilots. New hires are required to sign a training contract and promissory note during indoc, along with a SkyWest agreement that locks employees into the company for years. The compensation is insufficient to pay off these obligations, effectively trapping employees in a financially exploitative situation.
The training program is severely lacking, and management fosters a culture where pilots feel targeted rather than supported. One alarming example involved a First Officer in Pennsylvania who was forced to sleep on a bench during the winter because he couldn’t afford housing, a situation management was aware of and chose to ignore. While a few bases offer free crew housing for commuters, most do not, leaving pilots to fend for themselves in challenging financial conditions.
Following the merger, the company appears to be phasing out the Southern Airways Express brand in favor of Surf Air. However, it remains the same operation under the same leadership, with the same systemic issues.