Originally Posted by
Will JK
Hi everyone! Long time reader first time poster. I'm a student at a college with many regional airlines visiting campus to recruit pilots. Every recruiter I talk to has the ability to make their airline sound like paradise, with crazy benefits and amazing company culture. They promise quick upgrade times, industry leading bonuses, and flow to a major. How do I know when to trust these recruiters, as I feel they are just feeding me blatant lies and not giving the whole picture.
Thanks!
The only three with actual no interview flow to a major are Envoy, PSA & PDT. All owned by AAG, the same parent company that owns American Airlines. Once hired at any of the three, you’re done interviewing and will just go to American when your seniority will hold the inter-company transfer (called flow).
The rest offer guaranteed interviews. Some offer the preferential hiring after working a few years, a few offer the mainline interview as part of the regional hiring process. If you are accepted by the mainline at the regional interview then you get “preferential hiring” which is still not a guarantee.
Honestly, the pilot shortage is just kicking into high gear starting this year. You should be able to get hired through the front door of a major or good LCC or good ACMI long before you’d actually flow to AA with their flow program. Flow is a nice backup policy if you want to be lazy and just wait. Otherwise, after you have 1000 part 121 and upgrade... keep the resume updated, keep attending job fairs, keep doing some volunteer work, become a check airman, keep networking your nuts off and apply.