Eagle's new "$10k scholarship stipend"
 

WMU Aviators Will Be First In Nation In American Eagle Hiring Program | FOX17online.com

Though not a "bonus" in the traditional sense, a new hire under this program will receive $10,000 over 2 years.

KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Western Michigan University’s College of Aviation is the first collegiate program in the nation to be part of an American Eagle Airlines pilot-hiring program that will make new WMU graduates American Eagle employees.

The Pilot Pipeline Program agreement, announced April 5 during the college’s annual Aviation Outlook Day, means that American Airlines affiliate American Eagle will identify potential employees as early as their sophomore year in college and work with them through graduation. Once the new pilots have earned their bachelor’s degrees, they will become American Eagle employees with medical and travel benefits while they are on loan to WMU as flight instructors. That will allow them to continue to accrue additional flight hours.

When the new American Eagle employee has reached the flight hours needed to quality for an Airline Transport Pilot rating, the young pilot will step into a new hiring class at American Eagle and begin receiving a $10,000 scholarship paid as a monthly stipend over a two-year period. That young pilot will also be guaranteed an interview with American Airlines.

“We’ve had a wonderful relationship with WMU over the years and have been extraordinarily pleased with the caliber of the graduates we’ve hired from its flight program,” says Nicholas Alford, American Eagle’s manager of pilot recruitment. “This is an important initiative for our company, and we are pleased that WMU will have the opportunity to become the first higher education partner to help fill our pilot pipeline with the best young flight professionals.”

The purpose of the program is to provide American Eagle with a steady supply of airline-qualified pilots through specific recruitment, screening, selection, training and placement strategies for pilots to be employed by the airline.

“This is a phenomenal opportunity for aviation students who meet American Eagle’s demanding standards,” says Steve Jones, executive director of flight operations at WMU’s aviation college. “This will allow graduates to continue refining their skills while they provide an important training resource for the college. And in the end, American will have some of the finest young professionals to fill the company’s future flight needs.”

Once a student is accepted in the program, both the University and American Eagle will monitor their progress and provide mentoring opportunities to ensure they satisfy the requirements of the pipeline program. The student selected must meet the same standards as other American Eagle pilot applicants, and they must earn their commercial, instrument and multi-engine flight ratings at WMU.

Eligible students will have at least sophomore status and have a 2.5 cumulative GPA and a 3.0 GPA in their major, and they must be enrolled in WMU’s professional aviation pilot program. Once selected, both WMU and American Eagle will monitor their attendance records, traffic violation, FAA actions, flight training records and any criminal records. Additional requirements for students must be met at each stage of the pipeline program.

Operating more than 1,800 flights a day to 159 cities across the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean, the American Eagle network is the largest regional airline system in the world. American Eagle operates from four hubs at Chicago O’Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami and New York (at both Kennedy and LaGuardia airports).

Western Michigan University is learner-centered, discovery-driven and globally engaged research university with an enrollment of 25,000. Students in WMU’s College of Aviation, which is based at Battle Creek, Mich.’s W.K. Kellogg Airport, prepare for careers in aviation with a curriculum built around the skills the airline industry knows its future employees should have. They get practical training using the nation’s finest aviation facilities.

That's a way better deal than the Transpac/US Aviation Academy pipeline because they get $10k... The first Pipeline program they announced you get zero bonus.

Yeah, better... Sorta. They are still trying to avoid paying a living wage while getting foolish wide eyed kids to fill seats. Raise pay and you'll get all the pilots you want.

PFT...in reverse, a step in the right direction.

I like the GUARANTEED mainline AA interview! The ULTIMATE carrot.

Management would if they could only raise FO wages. But no union would ever allow such a raise without everybody getting (20 year Capts etc) getting a raise. Management would rather go thru these creative "bonus" schemes because its much cheaper

The little secret in the industry is 1st year pay is as much as Union's fault as it is management. The young in this industry continue to get held hostage while the well paid on both sides play poker

Very true. I would almost wager to say that first year pay is the way it is almost entirely because of ALPA and other pilot unions.

What a joke! Talk about indentured servants.. It's a slave program. What country is this, China? I'm not a regional pilot. if I went to this school i would tell all the potential suckers what a scam this is.

schol·ar·ship
[skol-er-ship]

noun
1.
learning; knowledge acquired by study; the academic attainments of a scholar.
2.
a sum of money or other aid granted to a student, because of merit, need, etc., to pursue his or her studies.
3.
the position or status of such a student.
4.
a foundation to provide financial assistance to students.



How is this whats going on here?

It will help, but not near enough. This "pipeline" will take years and all the legacies should be sucking up regional pilots in 12-18 months and they'll be losing more pilots then they gain. The pay raise(s) required to attract the number of pilots needed for the regionals ruins the economic advantage of the RJ.

Why choose an airline career in college when it costs an additional $75K above tuition, if it still significantly drags other careers in compensation and lifestyle ?

The fact is, managements went too far in gutting this job and the tab for that is almost here and there are no cheap, quick fixes. This band-aid won't stop the arterial spray from jugular that is about to burst.

I hope you are right. I don't know if the majors will be picking up guys as quickly as some think within the next 12 to 18 months though. Delta is overstaffed and American/US Airways will be downsizing by probably about 12%. I think the regionals will be hurting for pilots I just can't put a finger on how bad and when.

As far as the first year pay in the regional airline business goes this is 100% the union and pilot groups fault. What most don't realize is management has figured out how to pen pilots against pilots / top vs bottom etc. and this is how they get what they want. Take a look at ExpressJet and ASA. Look at what they did to pinnacle and Comair. The list goes on and on. The pilot groups listed above are made up of good guys and in no way am I faulting them especially Comair for what they did. At least they tried to take a stand. However, management will always pull the strings until the pilot group as an industry whole takes a stand and cuts those strings. This will never happen so it just is what it is at this point.

Downsizing by 12%? Where are you getting this information?

Yeah, I'm with you and Trip7 here- the glass being half full, not half empty. Negotiating a whole new pay scale might not be in the cards-yet. FlyJSH, I know what you are saying, but this seems to be a good start. I'd like to see the flying taken back by mainline, or stronger career progression language to the parent major airline, but this is a start.

I imagine WMU has some skin in the game here, and by skin I mean money. WMU probably figures this program is a good recruitment tool for the dwindling prospective professional flight majors out there, and catching those folks is worth money. They kick in a little money to seal the deal with Eagle, and therefore secure access to a bunch of regional minded students.

I also wonder if these programs really catch on, what will be the effects? Mom and pop flight schools losing lots of business? A few big and connected universities become an oligopoly that has a strangle hold on the pipeline to the regionals---thus driving prices even higher?

From nowhere...its beer speak.

Don't kid yourself, giving an FO some $ is not going to just make the airplane obsolete. They don't pay the FO because they haven't had to. When the cockpits are empty and they don't have anyone to JM then they will do something about pay but until they can't make ends meet with what they go they will continue to do as they see fit. They can raise pay by 10K for FO at Eagle and cost them 15 mil, that's less that what they give themselves in bonuses so I think they could afford it.

Its not.

If I get a lump sum check (bonus) when I'm hired but have to pay some of it back if I leave before 2 years, or I get paid a "stipend" every month for two years; is there really a difference?
It's semantics. Although not a bonus in the traditional sense and because it's under the auspices of the collegiate requirements, it sounds better to call it a scholarship. Doesn't ruffle the feathers as much.

Probably a little beer speak but also lessons learned over time. All Legacy carrier mergers come with some down sizing. AA / USAir will be no different. The percentage, I can't honestly say, but I believe they will down size slightly more then some previous legacy mergers.

Also do not confuse down sizing with no hiring. These two things are independent. I do believe AA / USAir will down size slightly, however, they will also have to hire just like everyone else due to their large retirement numbers over the next 18 years.

So what happens when a person joins this scam, and wants out at the end?

It's always the young kids that fall for such schemes. Much better just to wait when one has the needed minimums, and THEN make a determination which airline will suit that person best.

Or wait until you have the needed minimus, then chose your scam. Like Republics 24 month $20,000 E-jet trap.

Like you said, plenty of young naive SJS"s out there ready to take the bait.

DAL downsized after their merger...Freedom Airlines, CHQ, Comair, pncl.
True, they are several hundred pilots down from 2008's numbers but, domestic capacity cuts usually hit the regionals harder. AA/US will be no different.

But in comparison to the other airlines AA had by far the smallest feed, in terms of airplane size and overall seats. AA also had shrunk considerably. And after many of the mergers we saw the all Legacy carriers shrink capacity. US and AA both have well over 80% load factors and they have dumped most of the unprofitable routes. With the combined network they will likely have some adjustments that will leads to larger airframes on certain routes and decreased number of airframes but they won't be decreasing capacity much. Most flights are oversold these days, any more capacity that is decreased will be handed to the competition.

Post merger, none of the legacies "involuntay furloughed."

Please see the CAL/UAL merger and the fact that UAL is now HIRING.....:eek:

Why don't they just up their regular bonus to 10k?

I wonder about this program. Let's say a college student signs up for this program now. AE/AA gives the student the money, benefits, and a job at AE. But 2 years after he graduates AE is shrinking as pilots flow to AA. He is used as a body in the FO seat on reserve for life to keep the airline alive till they shut down Eagle. What if AA comes to the student as said you only worked one year of your 2 year contract. You owe us. No way would I ever accept money from a company that is in bankruptcy and can't attract employees. They are forced to this McDonalds approach to ordering a pilot.