Originally Posted by
N711HK
I am a Cadet. Accepted CJO late October 2023. Was originally given 1/15 for class. Went to CTP 1/3.
Weekend before Christmas, I get a call from recruiting stating they are about 30 applicants fat, and will have to move me to 2/26. No big deal.
2/1 I get the automated email saying I'll be pushed to April 2024.
I'm pretty confused by the situation. Talked to recruiting last week and said they were looking good for Feb.
My honest opinion is that HR and the training department are not on the same page. HR may have taken on more candiates than training wanted, and now they're trying to work things out. What's weird is that Cadets are still being given CJOS and CRBs though.
I think people who get delayed are random. It does not matter if you were RTAG, Cadet, etc. The only people I have talked to with minimal delays are Cadets who bugged PSA enough to get their cadet bonuses.
From experience working at another carrier's training department I think you hit the nail in the head. Usually, delays like this is a result of a missing link between the training department and HR, planners come out with numbers HR gets the people and then something along the way happens and they have a "pants on fire" moment and re-do their original plan to meet the new issue until the other comes up (swing the pendulum the opposite way in the same chaotic fashion) off course leaving a trail of confusion and broken timelines for everyone who is involved in the process. My take is that they are still FO heavy and want to get as many Captains as possible and High Time FOs (which they can upgrade as quickly as possible) which in their own words is their focus. From an operational planning stand point a Cadet and off the street hire have no quantifiable value to the operation.
In my case, I was asked if I could do my CRB in December and be ready for ATP-CTP in January and if I could meet my hours by then (which I could if I did some flying at my expense via credit line and I did) meet their timeline. Come December I come up to the CRB they off course say, things have changed get a TBD and I am sitting here wondering what to do with some of my finances. I think it would have been better if they had just stuck to the whole "you call us when you have your hours" affair and gotten a bit of a more realistic expectations. Lesson learned I guess, it is just a bit discouraging. Doesn't help when even some of the mentors don't know what is going on and they are left to take the questions from the cadets (tough spot for them).