Getting to a Major Airline
 

Current Situation:

• 24 years old
• 1-2 years of college completed
• 1,400 hours, mostly in Part 135 LR60 and G4 (SIC type ratings on both)
• Potential to upgrade within next 6-12 months

Goal -- major airline, e.g., Delta, AA, UAL

Possible paths:

• Stay put, upgrade, and wait for the major
• Seek an interim position, e.g., Spirit, Frontier, JetBlue
• Move to a regional and work up from there

Thoughts? Recommendation? Suggestions?


Thanks!!

No one can answer this, because no one knows. I'll give you my experience though.

With your jet time I'd apply to an LCC and go from there.

Apply to every major that’s hiring and let their HR departments sort it out. Regionals are still sort of Captain-locked in a lot of cases. Take the first major job you get and use it to leverage where you really want to go.

Do you like your job and the people you work for/with? Do you fly more than 300 hours/year? I’d stay. And I’d network while I was there for better part 91 jobs, just in case I decided to change course and do that route.
Hate the job and are desperate for that 121 gig? Do everything you can to get on at an LCC, while still applying to all legacies. You never know when the music will stop. That “interim” position could always be your final destination. Choose wisely.

Not a regional

Get your atp.

Apply broadly, update monthly, attend events where you can meet recruiters

The lcc vs major question you could argue either way I think. But moot til you have atp