Best path CFI to Airlines?
 

I am a CFI in Seattle with 1300 SEL hours and working on my MEL rating. What is the best path for me to take to get me to an airline from where I am now?

get your MEI and build multi time.

And fly a lot.

Thank you for the advice

And be prepared to wait a few more years.

Go through with the CFI/CFII/MEI and instruct as much as you are comfortable with. If you want to get to an airline asap, then work your rear end off. If you aren't in a hurry, take your time. Either way, be in it for your students and their success. Don't instruct to put hours in your logbook, you will be doing yourself, and more importantly your students a disservice.

For the multi, find someone to split time with, beg borrow and steal multi students, at least where I am, they are hard to come by. Most of mine have been previous students who were on the fence about it, so I had to convince them to go through with it. I fly a twin out of a small local airport now and then for a small business, and when I can afford it, will split an hour or two with a friend either going somewhere, or shooting approaches.

well, your high horse must be a shetland pony, cuz it didn't take you long to come off of it.

I was in about the same position about 7 years ago. I took a trip to Anchorage and ended up with a job teaching at the Elmendorf Aero Club. Teaching in Alaska gave me the experience and the contacts to get a part 135 job in Anchorage. It is great flying, and some of the best experience I have had.

I was able to get the flight time needed to be competitive with the airlines when they began to hire after 9/11. I was hired at American Eagle in the 4th new class in March of 2004.

Stunami -
Like the others here have said, fly as much as you can. You will be competing with folks who have a lot more time and experience than you so it is so so so important for you to stay flying. Focus on a job, any job, flight instructing, fire patrol, VFR 135, anything. It is much more important to an airline if your hours are built through a job than splitting time with someone and just buzzing around the patch. Have patience - lots of it - get your ME rating and MEI, if possible, and stay in the air!

Good luck
Lori

Once you get your mel rating try applying at a 135 carrier. most of them fly light twins and only require around 50 multi to get hired. The mel time really builds fast.