Hey everyone, I'm brand new to APF so I apologize if this has been posted about before but I'm looking for some career advice. To give some background, I'm a 19 year old freshman with my PPL attending a part 141 university and am currently working towards my instrument rating. The two majors I really want to fly for are Delta and United. There's a career fair coming up on campus and I know for a fact Republic recruiters will be there. Here's my question(s): Would it be worth my time to talk with these recruiters? Obviously I'm just a freshman with very little in terms of a resume, but I have heard it would be beneficial to get my name in with local recruiters as early as possible. And looking towards the future, would it be worth it to join a regional cadet program? I've heard a lot of horror stories regarding these programs (especially Republic's), and people seem pretty divided on whether or not you should go with a cadet program or apply as soon as you reach R-ATP mins. I have also heard that if I want to ultimately fly for either United or Delta, I should apply to an American Eagle regional and then transition from a captain from an American WO instead of trying to fly for a United/Delta WO and wait for them to automatically transition me to United/Delta. Is this still the best course of action? I guess the crux of my question is for someone in my position with the goal of getting to the majors as fast as possible, what would you do if you could start over? Obviously I know so much can and will change in the next 4 years for when I start my applications but I know that there are some cadet programs that you can apply to as early as a PPL and I'm wondering if the lure of a CJO is a little too good to be true at this point in my career. Thanks!

 

It never hurts to talk to a recruiter. I'll let others weigh in on the merits of various cadet programs, as they will have much more current info on that than I do.

As far as going to a non branded WO (like Endeavor if you want to get to DL), that was true during the post-Covid hiring surge. It's not nearly as true today. I think that's some stale/old info.

If you really want to get to DL, shoot for the Propel program. I'm sure UA has something similar. It's a fantastic path which is assured once you get in. But you have to be attending a participating university.

Best advice on getting to a Legacy ASAP, is to grind as hard as you can. Don't take the summer off. Get your ratings and 1500 hours as quickly as humanly possible. Continue to ask questions here, or elsewhere, as information changes over time. Find a wise mentor if you can, who can help guide you as you progress. There will be some lackluster advice here, but also some really good advice. Be discerning in that... Best of Luck!

 

Yes, talk to the recruiter. If nothing else that will give YOU experience interacting with piloting hiring people. At this point in your training you probably can't hurt your future prospects, but you can at least speak the lingo.

Later on, when you're getting closer to competitive for employment, you'll want to ensure that you're well-prepared before engaging with recruiters... treat all such engagements like a job interview.

Also, philosophically long-term, DL and UA are great goals. But don't fixate on them to the exclusion of all other career options...

1. Recent insane hiring aside, for most of my time in the industry your major airline picked you, and if you got called you took the first offer because there was no telling when or if you'd get another call from another major.

2. Desirability of majors from a pilot employment perspective has changed over the years and might change again. SWA and FDX were the hot tickets for many years, with UPS not far behind.

 

Gotcha. I've just been hearing a lot of people say that if you're going through branded programs, even though they claim you are eligible to transition after 24 months of being a captain, the flow of seniority can make it take 7+ years. Obviously I don't want to stick it out a regional for 7 years if it would be faster to ditch the program altogether and apply off the street to UA/DL. Thanks for your help!

 

Gotta reiterate Fangs’ comment:

Probably in no other field of endeavor is there more return on initial deferred gratification and initial investment than airline flying. Getting to a legacy one year earlier is good for (in 2026 dollars) about $25-30K a year from that day until you turn 65 and about $500k that last year. Your ticket to the majors is 121 hours and in particular 121 PIC. If that’s important to you you’ll forgo “gap years”, Spring Breaks, and similar nonsense and get a degree, your ratings, and ATP eligibility as soon as possible. Is that necessary? Of course not, but if you don’t you will always be trapped in lag behind those who do, barring marrying the airline CEOs daughter or some such 😉.

 

Don’t assume career progression will be nearly as fast in the future as it has been in the immediate past. Yeah, lots of people will still be retiring - that wave hasn’t completely crested - but the 2022-2023 major airline hiring was three to four times the annual amount of the average of the last quarter century and three times current major hiring. Please don’t assume that will be the norm, you are setting yourself up for disappointment.

https://www.fapa.aero/pilot-hiring-history

 

Just a friendly reminder to keep your peripherals clean, I’m pretty sure you know this. I’m talking about drinking, DUIs and the driving record in general. It doesn’t mean you can’t have fun, just put a small amount of thought into it first.