Hello all, got an email yesterday that there will not be any January new hire classes. Looking for some insider OPINIONS as to why that MAY be. Additionally, are there any other places I may be able to get information on upcoming classes, is there a group chat for all of those waiting for class? I got a CJO in December of 2024 and was told the company will likely want us trained by summer to utilize the new pilots in busy summer season. Any input on this is appreciated..

if anything, the cartel is hiring.

 

Officially "late spring" and be prepared to possibly be assigned the 737.

 

Planespotters shows allegiant having only four 737 on property with only three more with tail numbers on order. Currently it looks like they have enough typed pilots for ten 737's.
Well at least you got a CJO, I only made it through the first part of the process and couldn't get a time slot for December due to my recurrent training. Then after reaching out for interview time slots in January, they sent me this message. I wouldn't expect to be in a class until either pilots on property leave for other places or they get more than ten 737s.

"Thanks for keeping an eye out and for your continued interest. At this time, interviews are complete, and we have closed our First Officer application. Due to this, we will not be able to consider your application further. Our team is actively working on updating processes and getting everything ready for pilot hiring initiatives in 2025. We cannot say for certain when the application will go live and open back up again, feel free to stay connected with the link below for updates."

 

I was told there’s about 100 737 pilots within the company and most of them sit on their hands at home and receive their minimum guarantee pay.. would they realistically assign more people to the 737 pipeline if they already have so many types pilots not being utilized? My understand is that the Boeing bases are only going to be in Florida of course I’m aware that subject to change. You did mention “officially” late spring, is that from an insider source, are you the insider source? Haha cheers

 

sorry to hear you didn’t get that interview. It’s really hard out here for a future FO :/. I applied back in June and did not get any traction for a long time. Some others I’ve talked to mentioned that they have CJOs with Allegiant but have actually started classes with other carriers just using Allegiant as a safety cushion. Hopefully when they do open the doors back up they’ll give you a call.

with the retention bonus building up to staggering numbers (I estimate), I think apart of the strategy at this point is to wait it out until the majors start hiring again and allegiant pilots make a mass exodus which would then forfeit those retention bonuses. Contract closes and Allegiant avoids a $100m+ bill to pay out to their pilots. This is all theory in my head

 

The 100 number is pretty close if you factor in those that won't fly: sim instructors, chief/mngt pilots. There are 20 flying the line now and that will be up to 40 for Feb. There should be about 11-15 737's in service by year end but the total fleet will only increase by 1 in 2025. Attrition is starting to pick up slightly, 7 last month. They also will keep the 73 overstaffed to include a long multi-year training buffer especially if they take the second option of deliveries after the firm 50, which was modified from an option of 50 to now 80 for a total of 130. Yes only FL for now but depending on the deliveries they should have to go outside of FL bases by next year. The late spring is from our staffing manager and is just a rough estimate as they wait for the latest updated deliverly schedule from Boeing, they are still forecasting and evaluting after the factory strike ended.

 

Thank you for that information. Very, very much appreciated. I will continue to sit and wait.

If you would entertain me, I have another question. Would you wait out a class date for Allegiant or accept
sooner training with another regional owned by a legacy flying CRJs? It seems that if you factor out pay, flying for a stand alone regional with no flow, and flying a bus or Boeing could be more advantageous in terms of TPIC/Type and the weight those carry over crj time. Any biased/non biased opinion there?

 

Take the first available class date you can get, wherever that is.

 

Like many here, I've been "around the block" for over two decades. And like someone just told you, take the first offer you get. Never put your eggs in one basket; especially in this industry. This industry is completely unpredictable and can change in a split second. So if you get a class date elsewhere take it, go earn that paper, and if your ultimate goal is Allegiant...well, when the opportunity arises reasses and make a choice. Any flight time is good flight time, especially if you are "low time". PIC time is PIC time, so if your goal is to upgrade and get PIC to go to a Legacy then do it at the place that offers you that opporunity at the current state and point in time in which you are in.

If your goal is to fly for Allegiant, then you will be able to achieve that even if you go for the CRJ for the time being. Turbine PIC is turbine PIC, regardless of it's an RJ, BUS/Guppy. Unless your goal is to work at a place that has a weight requirement like Emirates or even some cargo carriers. Even then; again... don't pass up a job and don't put your huevos in one canasta .

Good luck brother.

 

Take the first Job available alway. Stuff happens. Many Pilots have seen the offer of a job go away. If your young the RJ world will give you a lot of real life experiance and you will be flying more, especially if your eyes are on a legacy, the FO time in an 737 or A320 is only marginaly better than RJ for the Resume. PIC is still king. Also going through a 121 training program will help if you end up coming to Allegiant.