Sometimes they need to deadhead pilots quickly.

 

It seems these days that there are FO's are getting hired straight to majors, meanwhile there are CA's are getting TBNT emails. Obviously upgrading isn't a bad career move and is certainly better for the pocketbook, but what do all of your various crystal balls say about the value of a quicker upgrade in the current hiring environment? A two year quicker upgrade doesn't directly equate to a two year earlier class date at a major.

That being said I've noticed the golden ticket at Horizon to getting a CJO at Alaska is being a CA for 15 minutes so...

 

It just depends on what your goals are really. Sure it is true that majors have been hiring FOs from regionals at an increasing rate. However if you look at the statistics for those hired over the past year at any of the 3 legacies, you will see that the overwhelming majority of them had TPIC. It isn't the golden ticket some claim it to be, but it does help to check one more box, and make you some more money at the same time.

The fact is, whether you want to go to a legacy, LCC, ULCC, or whatever from a regional, TPIC is going to make you a more attractive candidate.

 

GoJet is at 11 months right now I believe (if you have the 1000 hrs 121 time by then). It took me two years, which is pretty much the historical average at GoJet.

 

Good luck with that. You don't necessarily need to be a CA, but you have to sell your soul to the air group. At least 3 job fairs, women in aviation, volunteer at the soup kitchen, help build the gay pride parade float etc. You also had to work in training department, but they don't allow pilots to train other pilots in ground school anymore. Pretty sure this only applies to Horizon guys, i haven't heard of other regional pilots having to do this crap.

 

You are better off not upgrading, those with 1000 TPIC won't be hired at a LCC for fear they will leave and go the legacy.

If you have 2000 TPIC, you can't be hired at a legacy because they figure something is wrong with you since you haven't been hired yet.

 

This couldn't be farther from the truth. The numbers are out there for anyone to see.

 

I kid - I kid....

 

Had a QX guy in the jumpseat a few months ago who was heading to Alaska. 8 years as an FO, 6 months as a CA, SPT instructor, no recs, went to the NW job fair, applied for the first time, interviewed, hired within 3 months of the fair. Not just a line CA that applied when the window was open, but not exactly an astronaut either. Just another anecdote I know, but I've heard more stories like that recently.

It seems not so much that there are disadvantages to being at Horizon in getting hired at Alaska, rather that there just are not any advantages, which itself is surprising. Some people come here hoping to make a good impression with Alaska, but at best that goes unnoticed, at worst they see that you aren't a good employee and don't hire you even though they'll hire bad employees from other companies because they don't know they're bad employees...which I guess is a disadvantage for working at Horizon. Hmm.

 

lol I'm exhausted after reading that.