Pros
There are a lot of people who make this a career, and it's easy to see why. Flight benefits are awesome. But Horizon also has a much better benefits package in general compared with other low wage work...health, dental, vision, commuter benefits, lots of discounts, quarterly bonuses...I'm sure I'm forgetting something. Horizon also has some great people, and management really does try to make it a fun and positive work environment. The paid vacation accrues quickly, and boy, when it's vacation time, the world is your oyster. A little known fact outside the airline industry is that nearly all airlines offer deep discounts to employees of other airlines. Horizon employees travel the world, flying standby and paying peanuts. Like I said, it's easy to see why people make this a career. What's not so easy to see is HOW they make it a career. Read on...
Cons
The vast majority of career Horizon employees have some other source of income. Period. You can't make a living at this job. There are a number of military retirees, young adults who still live with their parents, and people working two, even three jobs. And that's just how it is. In order to keep airfare low and keep the company viable, the airlines have to control costs. So rather than monetary compensation, they offer something that they can give away essentially for free: flying! Kudos to Horizon for not contracting out their customer service and ground service jobs like so many other airlines have done. Still, I would love to see some way for standout employees to boost their income, even just a little. Read on...