Legacy Carriers: Number Applications on File
 

Anyone have the latest number of applications on file with American, United, and Delta?

Last I was told by a recruiter, it was about 9000 each, but that doesn't take into account hired at another carrier or overlap.

Nine thousand applications shotgunned out by 9000 applicants to fedex, ups, AA, UAL, Delta, SWA, Alaska, Hawaiian, SWA, Jet Blue, Spirit, and Frontier. Half of those are from FOs who barely have the posted minimums to apply or people who have never bothered to get that college degree or have multiple serious training failures or other potential disqualifiers.

The other 4500 are all competing for one of the 2700 slots being opened up by age mandated retirement at the legacies (+fedex, UPS, and SWA) in the next 12 months, or one of the 1700 new positions caused by growth at SWA (once the MAX gets flying again and they can get their Hawai’i flights going), the expansion at fedex and ups, the expansion at UAL, and the growth at Frontier, Spirit, and Jet Blue.

Partially offsetting that is the 1000 or so military FW aviators who will be getting out and who may not have YET put in their applications.

So most of the FOs are going to have to wait another year or two for their 1000 TPIC before they are truly competitive. And some people are going to remain at regionals until they get that degree or live down their disqualified. Either that or go work for Moxy, Kalitta, or (gulp) Atlas.

Of course in the next several years the number of retirements will continue to rise

What do you mean by "live down their disqualified"?

Sorry, should have been “live down their disqualifieR”. That is, whatever incident, accident, busted training event, history of bankruptcy, ugly divorce or domestic violence ,or DUI or whatever else that is causing them to NOT be selected. Time often does heal old wounds, even the self inflicted ones.

An "Ugly divorce" counting against you? YGBSM!

Unless it spills over into a legal event that is reportable (alcohol, battery, etc) how the hell is that anyones business?

Heck....more and more states are even outlawing employers from running simple credit checks, let alone prying into someones marriage.

There has to be a limit what they can find out. Criminal matters, training records, education, tickets, FAA violations and accidents, absolutely fair game.......... but strictly civil matters between private individuals, cmonnn.

Who is saying it’s fair? But you gotta be an idiot to think it’s not done. And with half the people in the world putting their life on social media, he said-she saids, everything else, is often readily available. And all the OTHER states outlawing background investigations don’t mean a damn thing if the HQ for the airline you want to be hired by is headquartered in one of those OTHER states that DOESNT prohibit it.

And seriously, if some airlines are using volunteer work and showing up at WAI and NGPA functions as a discriminator FOR YOU do you think they WOULDN’T discriminate against you if your divorce made the media? Even if it was just a he said/she said?

If so, I think you are naive.

Excargodog is correct... if it's on social media or public records it will be scrutinized. I would not want even vague innuendos of abuse (mental or physical) tossed around. Arrests or restraining orders (based on false accusations) are even worse.

LCC/ULCC are probably less thorough in that regard.

We always hoped to reach full retirement age and hear the CP say: “Congratulations, Captain....uh....what was that name again?” :D

Restraining orders are not uncommon in my area, if the attorney has the slightest idea that it’s a negotiating tool. Own guns and the likelihood of an order increases rapidly

Then again, there was the DL Pilot that made the front page of the WSJ—Witt, I think it was.

Now that’s funny!!! And so true

The old version of that saying had an element of truth to it:

"You know you've had a successful career as an Airline Pilot when you stop by the Chief Pilot's office to submit retirement papers and no one there knows who you are" :p