Hi, so I just recently committed to ExpressJet and have a class date in February. But I was speaking with a relative who is a captain at Delta and I became curious as to the relationship between ExpressJet and Delta. ExpressJet now only flies United tails and with the Aviate program, United is very appealing. But I do want to try and keep my options open. I’d like to know if being at ExpressJet would in any way hinder my chances to get hired by majors other than United, specifically Delta.

Thanks for any insight or advice anyone has.

 

No. Majors don’t care which regional you fly for. Your time at ExpressJet will be looked at the same way as if you were at Endeavor, Republic, Envoy, etc etc etc.

 

No. Go to a regional airline. Get your time. Apply.

I interviewed at multiple airlines and almost none of them cared about the quality of my regional airline. We had some guys from GoJet, some from big sky (defunct b1900 operator), etc.

Then when you get to Delta you will say “I flew for expressjet.” And the guy 36” to your left will say “what did they fly? I don’t know anything about them.”

Nobody will care in the long run which regional you came from. Just keep your nose clean so to speak when you’re at your regional. The RJ outfit I worked for was a ton of fun. We had a blast just about every week at work. Enjoy the journey.

 

Like others have said; it won’t matter. The only thing I can add is that Endeavor does have a guaranteed Delta interview after serving 18 months as a captain. The pass rate so far is questionable, but still worth considering seeing as getting the interview is a huge deal. Good luck!

 

Express jet unlike some other regionals is known to have a solid training program. Flying for Express jet with a good training record will be a plus when interviewing with any other airline.

 

I personally know two pilots that went from Express Jet to Delta. Both flew the CRJ, one never flew captain. Today they're both on the 7ER. One based in ATL, the other in LAX.

 

Upgrade to captain asap. Become a line check airman if possible. An advanced degree would be helpful (MBA, JD, etc). Get super involved in volunteer work in your community, preferably one that posts lots of pictures of you doing great things for popular causes. Join every professional pilot organization that will take your money, no matter how ridiculous your affiliation with it might seem. Apply early and often to every major you’d ever consider working for. Don’t get a speeding ticket, and keep your credit score up.

For gods sake, scrub every social media post you’ve ever put up that you wouldn’t feel comfortable showing your great grandmother, on a huge screen, in church on Easter Sunday with a huge congregation of ultra judgmental prudes.

Above all, don’t believe the hype about the “looming pilot shortage.” It’ll never happen. I’ve heard that old chestnut for 25 years now. Robots will be flying the planes before we ever return to the days when majors were hiring private pilots with single engine only time.

(Only partly TIC. There’s a reason seasoned pilots tell the youngsters not to put everything in the “airline pilot” career basket)

 

Only thing I’d add to the above is apply as soon as you meet the minimums.

I have known plenty of pilots that took themselves out of the running by saying things like “Delta would never look at me with my experience” or “I’ll apply just as soon as...”

If you want to work here, meet the minimums, apply and then update your app regularly (while building your resume and following the advice above). Don’t let your own doubts be the reason they don’t call you for an interview. Good luck!

 

What's the upgrade time like at XJT these days? I truly loved working there, but upgrade time was not even in the ball park compared to other places. I know they've got 175s now, and the United flow is working, but I feel like it would still be a long upgrade.

 

Now upgrade time is around 3 years after next bid, it’s should be about 1,5-2 years.