ENBN,

Hopefully this will help you see the time frame you are looking at. I've worked at 3 121 carriers, and this is my experience. (I'm sure others can chime in as well for specific airlines)

-It may take time to get an interview. Airlines can take months to get back to you once you submit an application. The quickest I have ever heard back from a place that I applied to was just over 2 weeks. On the other hand American Eagle called me about a year and a half after I submitted a an application.

-Scheduling an interview may take time. Some airlines only interview certain days of the week. The shortest I had was about a week. The longest (more by my choice) was about a month.

-Not all places let you know if you are hired the day of your interview. Both of my regional jobs got back to me in 2 days. The one legacy carrier told me the day of (pending a background check). I have had friends that have waited up to two weeks.

-Your background check (or medical if required) will take time. Even if you do manage to get in class quickly, the background check has to be done. At my current job (legacy carrier) I waited 3 weeks to be cleared for a medical test. If you are hired, it will take time either way for you to actually be on property.

-Some airlines hire into "pools." You will hear people talking about swimming in the pool. It just means, that they have been offered employment, but they haven't been given a class date yet. Airlines can have classes filled for months out.

-Your ground school or home based training can run about a month.

-You will have training breaks between different phases. My first RJ gig gave me a 2 month break between ground school and simulators. Many regionals don't have their own simulators and often use places such as Flight Safety. They don't always have the capacity, or hours needed. This leads to waits.

-Your IOE / OE (initial operating experience) can take a while also. Not only do they have you schedule you flights, but they also have to match you up with an instructor's schedule.

Once you do finish OE, most place I have been put you on the line ASAP. The bad part about this is that since you are now the bottom man (or near the bottom) you won't get much say in your schedule.

I hope this helps. Good luck.