Originally Posted by
ThePilot007
So I just got an email today saying that I can do my ATP CTP 2 weeks from now but there is no confirmed class date after that my deliema is should I join the ATP class I'm booked in with them and forego another regional interview around the same time that is giving out class dates fairly quickly after interview.
First, learn to put some periods in your post. It’s agonizing for many of us to read a super long run on. No, I don’t like being the grammar and punctuation nazi, but it is painful reading those run on sentences.
Second, go with your gut. Nobody can really answer that question but you. My strongly worded advice is to go with the regional that has bases that are relatively close to where you live so it’s an easier move for you. Or, if you can’t move to base, then at least it will be an easier commute. Next in line in your considerations for a regional would be how long you’ll be on reserve. That means a lot especially for guys that commute.
Go with your gut. Things change constantly in this industry, and it can happen on a whim. You could take the offer that’s on the table right now and go with the ATP-CTP class and get it knocked out, and maybe they will come back with a class date. Be patient with it. Things aren’t happening as fast as they were this time last year. It’s different now. Maybe you just have to follow up with them and nudge them a little bit. Sometimes regionals are like that. They are staffed with fresh college grads working in the HR departments who don’t have a lot of experience and are swamped with applications and paperwork and are overworked. Sometimes they may forget about John or Jane and they didn’t mean to.
Or you could forgo the ATP-CTP with PSA and play your hand on this other interview and take a chance? But would you want to do that in this market? Like I said, go with your gut. Something to consider is that things may all of a sudden come to a screeching halt, too. You can’t be too picky right now. You’ve got to get your foot in the door first. The economy might tank and the industry stops almost completely, and now nobody is hiring. What’s your fall back in that case? I say this because this happened to me in March 2020 right as Covid started. I started class at another regional, and I had already completed my ATP-CTP the week prior. On the 1st day of class at the regional, things were so bad they just sent us all home effective immediately due to the massive Covid scare. I had to fall back on flight instruction until things were looking up again. It took awhile, but it was worth it. The good thing was I had already finished my ATP-CTP and got that checked off. Right now, start planning for when things start to get ugly again.