Is it only a few regionals? What about spirit/frontier

Atlas is hiring 737 FO's w/ ATP mins.

https://pilotcareers-atlasair.icims.com/jobs/4515/pathway-to-success--first-officer-737/job?mobile=true&width=375&height=556&bga=true&needsRedirect=false&jan1offset=-360&jun1offset=-300

Pay-scale:

https://www.airlinepilotcentral.com/airlines/cargo/atlas_air

Seems that program still requires you to have 1000 hours airplane or 500 121 before hiring 737, not sure how they expect you to get more hours. Do you work as a cfi for a bit?

 careful W/Spirit. Frontier just bought them, so it could get ugly during transition ???? JMHO.

I know I'm just a dumb helicopter pilot but can someone please explain the pay scale on the second link?  I get "pay rate" obviously but what are the other three? "Credit Time", "Bid Periods" and "Percentage".  Can some airline guy explain this?

Credit time is pay per flight hour. Airlines, depending on their union contract, pay a minimum of 65-75 hours of credit time each month, even if you fly less. 

The bid period slider is for calculating 1-12 months.

% slider is for deducting income tax, or calculating overtime pay.

Pilot endused "dumb helicopter pilot syndrome".

Ah, yes, I remember it well.  

In the '70s with many exmilitary fixed wing jet pilots on the market the large scale exclusion of originally trained helicopter pilots, particularly Army with its high school to flight school program, sporting a thousand hours, or so, of airplane time from consideration as applicants to all 121 carriers is legendary to we who were there.

Some indeed did make it to the majors but way fewer than even the civil trained youngsters of the day striving through the commuter airlines for a move upwards to larger equipment.

Helicopter pilots are N O T dumb, not even close.  

Helicopter pilots exercise a much more alert and effective presence of situational awareness than any fixed wing pilot I've ever flown with in airplanes, jets, or helicopters.  Did it for almost 55 years and I guarantee helicopter pilots are just as fine a group of pilots as airplane ones.

Generally speaking the current lot of US airline pilots tend to have a higher number of years of education which is valuable in all respects but outside the US education is not nearly largely recognized as a preliminary applicant filter as is interview content of the individual's aviation training, experience, desire, attitude, demonstrated skills and overall useful character.  In the US the education bias filter is just an HR lazy way to cut the number of applicants down to an easier and more manageable lot, which is not necessarily correct but the good airline safety record is notable; but all they do is operate from very good environments, helicopter pilots deal with the opposite.  

How to overcome the bias?  Go to a bachelor's degree online ticket mill and get your degree in basket weaving or whatever suits your intellect, no matter, it works and has been proven a valid pathway.

Of course right now with the demand for airline pilots so high this education thing here in the US doesn't matter a whole lot, for now.

Remember:  Helicopter pilots are N O T dumb.  

have to go overseas.

737 is domestic only. 747/767/777 fly international trips, but are still US based. Atlas pays for your commute both ways, so you can live anywhere.

So what does a RTAger make (roughly) as a first year at say skywest or similar?

You could probably plan on approximately $60k give or take as a first year FO. Captian upgrade at three years and you make ~$100k plus profit sharing bonus etc.