People are GOING there in January? Or people are INTERVIEWING there in January?
Huge difference.

They are interviewing. However, they are spending time this year with a UPS mentor and doing things that UPS asks of them. So it's not like a walk in off the street, even with an internal rec. From what UPS has told us, if they get to that point it is pretty much theirs to lose.

The first UPS program had nothing to do with pilots hired direct to AMF. It was interns that were already UPS employees. And still ARE UPS employees, as far as I know. So those ones pretty much are guaranteed to go unless they screw something up while they are here.

The program for AMF pilots was announced officially last November.

It’s a good incentive program for sure. And an excellent foot in the door for the interview. But every interview is the applicants to lose. If the 3,000 hour AMF pilot is getting compared against the 6,000 hour military pilot, hows that gonna go? So you waste 3 years at AMF only to be told you aren’t as qualified as the other applicants?

It’s a long process just for an interview.

So far these preferred interview programs have had less than stellar success, even with internal recs, "mentoring" and so on.
We'll just wait until next year to see the results. Somehow I think these pilots will be very much disliked at UPS if they really get hired. An average new hire at UPS seems to have a lot of heavy international time. Something that's much more relevant to their operation than Amflight cargo hopping.

UPS has ALWAYS hired a few feeder pilots...going back to the late 98's to early 03 or so when I was flying for a different (much smaller, but now gone) feeder operator, and they usually had 1-2 SA-227 pilots per year go directly to UPS from that company, no program (I was a floater, and would cover for their interviews, then when they left for class, I often knew more than management about WHY the sick days occurred)....there was always talk of a similar program like Ameriflight, and even negotiations, but it never happened.
And yes...the pilots moving up succeeded...I have seen them on the ramps.
If you say making others jealous is a reason for not moving up....think there other issues.
The current UPS program at Ameriflight has several stages to help fill in the perceived weakness of hiring a feeder pilot. It seems to be a VERY well thought out program where UPS invests lots of time into candidates....

UPS isn’t hiring feeder pilots in any measurable capacity right now, and hasn’t for years. When they were, it was when turboprops were widely used in commuter ops.

The running saying is that AMF isn’t there to teach you to fly instruments right? Well UPS isnt there to teach you to fly jets. It can find an endless supply of guys with international, heavy jet time. It’s nothing against AMF specifically, but why would UPS take lower time turboprop pilots when the average applicant is still so highly qualified? The answer is they wouldn’t. Time will tell to see how many of those that choose the UPS gateway and stick it out, and actually get hired.

Ahh, the good old "this is what they did 20 years ago"-argument.

K so the realistic path for someone going to AMF would be: CFI/some other op until 500-800 hrs, then AMF, then a regional after being with AMF for a few years?
I'm confused as to why someone would go to AMF then instead of doing CFI/whatever until they get their ATP mins and then just going to a regional, whats the advantage?

Going to a regional after AMF is the most common path I would say. Honestly the sub 1000 hour demographic is the only real way AMF is getting anyone. That and the retired airline pilot to be a captain. A 1200 hour potential 135 captain would be better off instructing a bit more and going to a regional IMHO but AMF is there if you want it.