Apply now. Take the earliest interview possible. Take the first class date available. Give a two weeks notice and go. The only reason you would stay at a current employer any longer than that is if they have you under contract AND they can come after you financially for breaking it. If your current company cannot come after you financially, break it. If you are not under contract leave as fast as you can (when you have another job to go into of course).

You wont miss the hiring boat. Skywest is hiring 100 people a month indefinitely. They have been at that pace for over two years now. So you wont "miss" the boat. However, every class you miss that you could of been in, is thousands of dollars that you are missing out on. It is thousands of hours spent not at home. Seniority is EVERYTHING.

So if your current employer doesn't have a figurative gun up against your head telling you that if you leave we will kill you financially. You leave for the earliest class date.