Some companies....SWA and FDX come to mind...have had "windows" for applications. I always advocate getting your app in when a window is open, then update update update...
Next--like Rick I think is shows interest. My apps to AAL, DAL, FDX, and others went in 2-3 years before I was available. Geeky? Yeah. But in 2001 I got called 10 months before I could separate by FedEx, and was in class on terminal leave. It was a different era then, but I still see no harm in getting the stuff in the first chance you can and actively updating it along the way.