This forum post, originating from a pilot in training for the Embraer regional jet (ERJ) at SkyWest Airlines, raises a practical question familiar to nearly every new-hire regional first officer: how likely is it to secure a specific base—in this case, San Francisco (SFO)—straight out of initial operating experience (IOE). SkyWest, as the largest regional carrier in the United States and a contract operator for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle, and Alaska Airlines, flies the ERJ family (E175) out of several West Coast and Midwest bases, including SFO and Chicago O'Hare (ORD). The poster's dilemma—choosing between a Bay Area base near home and a Chicago hub—reflects the seniority-driven bidding realities that govern virtually all base and equipment assignments at U.S. regional carriers.
For working pilots, this question underscores one of the most persistent friction points in regional airline life: new-hire base assignments are dictated almost entirely by seniority number and bid-period timing, not personal preference. SFO is historically one of the more competitive and senior bases in the SkyWest system, given its high cost of living, desirability for pilots who want to commute to major West Coast markets, and its role as a flow-through gateway to United mainline. Junior pilots fresh out of training are typically awarded whatever base has open slots at the moment of class graduation, and SFO often carries a premium seniority requirement compared to less popular bases in the Midwest or Mountain West. Chicago, by contrast, tends to have more throughput and turnover, making it a more attainable initial base for a brand-new FO, even if it's a less desirable long-term domicile for lifestyle reasons.
This dynamic matters broadly across the regional airline sector because base and fleet assignment volatility has become a defining feature of the current hiring environment. With the pilot shortage of 2021-2023 easing into a more balanced supply-demand picture by 2025-2026, regional carriers like SkyWest have seen bidding for premium bases tighten as attrition to mainline carriers (United, Delta, American) slows slightly and more pilots stay longer at the regional level to build turbine PIC time or wait out mainline hiring freezes. This means new-hire class dates, base seniority lists, and commuting logistics carry more weight than ever in a pilot's early career planning. Pilots entering the regionals now must weigterhouse quality-of-life factors—commutability, cost of living, flow-through agreements to specific mainline partners—against the reality that initial base assignments are rarely guaranteed and often require patience, commuting, or even a first assignment at a less-preferred domicile before bidding into a target city like SFO.
More broadly, this kind of question reflects a maturing regional pipeline where career-minded pilots are thinking several moves ahead: not just which regional to join, but which base offers the best flow path to a specific mainline carrier and hub. SFO's appeal is tied directly to United's growing West Coast international operations, making it attractive to pilots eyeing eventual flow-through to United mainline widebody flying. As mainline hiring stabilizes and regional seat time requirements lengthen, questions like this one—base attainability, seniority thresholds, and equipment-specific bidding—will remain a central planning consideration for new-hire FOs navigating the early years of an airline career.