No idea. I haven't had to deal with this nonsense for 6 years now. I'd assume you're not blacklisted.

 

Isn't everyone a person of color ? white , Black and Brown are all colors 😂

 

I keep hearing that opt-ins are getting pushed back behind Aviate interviewees and NK CJOs for class dates? Anybody know whats up?

 

The last class only had four aviate, the rest were all military. Zero off the street hires. With UA having cut their hiring to roughly 925 in 2025, the vast majority of new hires will be UMPP and Aviate. Off the street is going to be extremely difficult unless there is a major change to aircraft deliveries.

 

Yes, I have heard this as well.

I currently have a CJO from a ULCC and an AVIATE 121 partner, both with upcoming class dates. Just about everyone has recommended that I choose the ULCC, that QOL will be much better, with better training, treatment, professionalism etc. But the path to UA seems significantly faster through Aviate than a ULCC (which wasn't true a couple of years ago) and will probably remain that way given all the Aviate pilots coming through the pipeline.

What are your thoughts? Is the risk of getting stuck at a regional (ie upgrade failure) worth the potential time saved? Is life at a regional for 3/4 years that much worse than at ULCC for someone with kids? Appreciate any insight.

 

You were not in Aviate at another carrier? So you will be starting from the very bottom of the list? How long will that be? I would assume more than 3-4 years.

You have a family. What is health insurance like at the regional VS LCC? What about disability insurance? These are the things that matter if you end up there for 10 years. If you were single I'd push career progression chances above all else but you are not.

 

Go to the ULCC without hesitation. Stay there for 6mo to a year and apply at every major. Don’t waste time with the regionals period.

 

go to the regional. You’ll be happier there.

 

This is the correct answer as someone who did get tricked into the worst regional jobs available due to aviate lol.

 

The short window of FO's going straight to Legacies is probably over for good in this hiring wave. The Covid pause, and the Boeing/Airbus/Pratt slowdown have given regionals time to staff up as senior FO's upgrade to make themselves more marketable when the hiring restarts. When the hiring restarts it will be the CA check airmen, then the CA line pilots going to legacies first. they "may" get to super senior FO's again near the end of the big 121 hiring wave (4 to 8 more years depending upon which carrier).... but don't think it will get to that again. We're on the backside of the huge hiring wave and the demand will decrease each year over the next 4-8 years. Then it will just be a normal attrition hiring schedule.

So, I'd plan on upgrading at either the ULCC or the Regional. If everything else is equal, I'd go to the ULCC. A junior Airbus CA will generally get street hired before a Junior RJ Captain. So, what's the upgrade time at the ULCC vs the regional? The regional jobs really aren't as bad as some say. The contracts at the better regionals have changed so much that they look more like the ULCC/LCC contracts from the late teens. So yeah, the wages and work rules are better at a LCC/ULCC but even the regionals are real jobs these days. Finally, where do you live? is the commute the same for the regional as for the ULCC, or do you live in base. I'd take living in base at the regional over commuting to the ULCC all day, every day. It makes it a completely different job. The quality of life improvement cannot be over stressed.

Don't go by who's getting hired right now. Don't let the fact that it's military and aviate mostly right now effect that decision without considerin the big picture. If things do NOT change then yes, go with the aviate program. However, if you believe the hiring will restart in earnest once the Boeing/Airbus/Pratt issues are resolved then they'll be back street hiring just like last time. If you haven't even started yet, your'e a good two years away from being hirable as they're going to go through all the Captains first, plus the military and the Aviate. Making a decision based upon who's being hired now is foolish, as the industry changes very rapidly. We all know the rapid crazy hiring is coming back once the slowdown is resolved.... absent a war or giant economic collapse it's a forgone conclusion.

Lots to consider when looking at the crystal ball. I'd do the ULCC unless you live in the regional base.