Originally Posted by
FLY6584
This couldn't be more wrong.
The military background helps you get hired by a Legacy with a lot less hours than straight civilian.
The quickest and more importantly the cheaper way to the airlines is to go to UPT with the guard/reserves which gets you all of your ratings free of charge. Hit 750 hours and get your restricted ATP, also courtesy of having a military background, and then immediately go fly for the regionals. Continue to fly at the regionals and in the Guard until a Legacy calls.
Or you could spend a lot more money getting your ratings, slug it out as a CFI until 1500hrs, go to a regional, and slug it out there even longer because your hour requirement will be higher than a military guy.
IMO this is a no brainer.
Beware the Air Force's golden boys, they like to tell you fairy tales about how great everything is.
If your unit is already jerking you around and putting you on the back burner, they're sending you a message: you aren't a priority and may never be a priority. The people that they care about will be taken care of--you aren't one of those people.
One of my friends spent 10 years flying tankers on active duty, and he still ended up spending about 5 years flying for a regional before getting hired by Alaska Airlines. Fly6584 is correct in saying that a military background can help with hiring, but it's a long way from being anything that resembles a golden ticket.