I am quite aware how you gain seniority at an airline. It is a no brainer that in order to gain a line or move up you either need people senior to you to leave or for the airline to gain flying and aircraft so there is an increase in lines. Pre covid there was tons of movement at PSA. In a covid environment where there are few regionals hiring, and hiring industry wide being stagnant with a surplus of pilots, are you really going to tell a CFI that its a bad idea to get on a seniority list sooner rather than later if given that opportunity? Regardless of the fact they will be on reserve which is going to be anywhere they go right now.

Look at companies like Envoy or even here at PSA in regards to furloughs. The quicker you get on and the quicker you get people under you the higher your position in case furloughs happen again. I have a buddy who took a sooner class date at Envoy when he was offered it instead of his original one. He took it to get more people underneath him and guess what he barely made the cut of not being furloughed. So yes I stick by the get on where you can and get people underneath you mindset even more so with as many regionals that have gone under and pilots looking for gigs . Especially as a CFI if given the opportunity to get a type rating instead of burning laps in the pattern. A 121 pilot with a type even sitting reserve with little 121 time is a better position to be than flying GA in a pattern where the hours are useless if your end goal is airlines.

 

Folks who are trying to avoid being furlough fodders. Regards to seniority the movement above you and numbers below you both matter.

 

I get getting on a seniority list is great, but again it has nothing to do with how many are below you but how many are above you. If an airline only has flying for 300 people they will furlough everyone after 300, it makes no difference whether they have 301 or 2000 pilots, they will furlough everyone but the top 300. The only way to get to the top 300 is if everyone above you cycles out and you get into the top 300. Look at expressjet, compass and tsa. Everyone was furloughed because they had no flying. Seniority is always relative to how long you have been there. It’s all a crapshoot, yes you want to get in as seniority is everything, but in general 3 years of seniority is the same regardless of when you join when there is constant steady movement.

 

Buddy of mine did his HR interview last Friday and he applied off the street. Only update I’ve heard for street applicants.

 

I applied 3/12 and received the email asking for additional info (flight time) this morning. I don't have ATP/CTP completed, 1530 hours TT.

 

I received the same email. I have 1540 hours TT. Over 700 hours as an instructor and over 400 hours Part 135 PIC. No ATP/CTP and applied the same time as you. What does this mean? Hopefully getting closer to the next steps? 🙏🏼

update:

my app status is under review in the ICIMS portal.

 

If you compare two random groups of a thousand pilots with three years seniority, yes their experiences will be the same.

individual careers live and die over random, arbitrary, capricious events. For every pilot with a story about how a little bit more seniority helped them, there are zero pilots with a story about how having a little less seniority prevented a disaster. Should you skip your sister’s wedding for a class two weeks earlier? No. Should you skip you buddies wedding for a class two months earlier? Yes.

 

For the folks to took the first class offered a major/legacy, pre covid, that will yield them 1-2 extra years of longevity pay and counting. 1-2 years more at top of pay scale, 401k DC, vacation, etc. Not hard to make the math work that it could end up being close to a $1m swing all inclusive if you put them in a widebody for two more years at the end of their career. They stressed the last year, as everybody did, but they’ve got a number and with the way things are turning around, probably safe. Never pass a class up, anywhere, unless you have an extremely good reason.

 

you are correct, getting into any field as soon as possible will increase your chances of making it to the top. The longer you are anywhere the higher chance you have of moving up.

 

Thats if you are only concerned with the income you make from being a pilot. If this event teaches pilots anything, it should be that you need to diversify. Start a business. Get into real estate. Who cares about 1 or 2 years more longevity if you can grow a business that earns as much or more revenue than flying airplanes.