Being new to the 121 world, does anyone know if bad credit or bankruptcy have an affect for the day I try to get hired with a major. Do they run credit checks as part of the whole backround check?

 

Ha, if that was the case I would not have a job!!! Don't sweat it!!!

 

Ha! I sweated bullets on my first two airlines when I filled out credit authorizations. They could care less how bad your credit is (mine is TERRIBLE!!). I think they just do credit checks as another means to see you are who you are.

 

Netjets is quite strict on your credit standing from what I've heard. I think this has something to do with requiring a company credit card, etc.

 

Some majors will certainly take that into account. The good news is that it gets better with time (as long as you don't screw it up).

I think bad stuff goes away after 7 years, which is about how long you will be waiting for a major anyway with oil and age 65. You can also protest any adverse records which are not correct and hopefully get them removed.

In addition to getting rid of bad reports, you want to improve your credit by obtaining and using some credit (conservatively).

Get a credit card (even with a low limit) and use it instead of cash or checks as much as possible. This will show a cash flow in and out of your account, but you are really just using money wou would have spent anyway. After you show some history of using and paying off your credit they will raise your limit.

Buy a car or house on credit (within your means)...this will show long-term stability (assuming you make payments on time).

 

Considering the financial history of most majors, your credit record is probably much, much better then theirs. If you get an interview with a major one day, it would probably be more prudent for you to run a credit check on them.

 

As funny as this sounds, its actually true!