Originally Posted by
Slick111
Now for a contrary opinion, likely to make the flow-aid drinkers heads explode.
If you want to significantly DELAY your employment at a major airline, ...... go ahead and join a regional airline which has a "flow" or other preferential hiring agreement.
For example, if you would like to eventually be employed at American but you don't want to be employed at American for the next 10 - 12 years, join one of their wholey-owned regionals, (PDT, PSA or ENV), knowing that very few pilots who are currently employed at PDT, PSA, or ENV are being hired at mainline AA, outside of the flow. Yes, I know that their recruiters at ENV, PDT, and/or PSA are telling you that you'll flow to mainline inside of 6 years but if you ask any pilot who works at an AA wholey-owned, (and assuming they're willing to be truthful with you and not simply trying to get you in the door so that THEY can eventually upgrade) they will tell you that the 5 - 6 year flow being sold by the recruiters is bullshlt.
Similarly, if you have your sights set on Delta, but want to spend 10 years waiting for your turn to simply *INTERVIEW* at Delta,......... go to Endeavor because when Delta's hiring managers see "Endeavor" on your resume' they're going to set it aside and make you wait your turn..
Same applies to United. Join Commutair and plan to wait 7-10 years for your turn to have that guaranteed INTERVIEW.
Now perhaps the better/quicker route to any three of the majors, is to hire-in at one of the regionals who do NOT have a "waiting list", (PDT, PSA, ENV, Endeavor, or Commutair). Then, in about 2 years, you can move-on to one of the L.C.C.s (Spirit, Frontier, Allegiant, JetBlue) or contract cargo carriers, (ABX, Atlas, Southern, Kalitta, etc.). Then, after a year of proving that you can safely maneuver an airbus around the country or push a 767 around the globe you'll be a competitive and attractive candidate at ANY of the THREE majors. Aaaaaaaaand,........... hiring you won't have a detrimental affect on their own (AA, DL, or UA) regional feed.
A lot of guys will tell you that having a flow or a preferential interviewing arrangement is "nice to have in the back pocket". I happen to think that line of thinking is deeply flawed. In my opinion, getting hired at one of these "flow" or "prefential hiring" airlines severely LIMITS your ability to move-on to one of the three major airlines within 5 - 10 years, if that is, in fact your goal. And think about it; if the flow/SSP is such a great thing,......... why is it always kept in the BACK POCKET?!?!?
And, no I'm not a recruiter for one of the non-flowing/non-S.S.P. airlines. I'm simply a line pilot at one of the wholey-owned airlines.