Does American or any other major have an age cut off for new hires? I’ll be around 51yrs old when I start applying to the majors. Am I foolish to believe I have a chance of getting hired with a major?

65 is the cutoff. Seriously though, the majors seem to be spreading out the age of new pilots. In the past they hired in waves and hired the same cookie cutter type pilots. Now those pilots are retiring in big waves and causing staffing problems. The majority will probably fall into the usual 30-45 year group, but they seem to be hiring all ages to try to spread out future retirements. Just try to guess what your career path would be at a given airline. If it’s worth it then throw your name in the hat and hope for the best.

I have seen from age 23 to age 62. At age 51 you might be the oldest in your class, but there certainly will be older new hires during the course of the year.

That gives me hope! Which major(s) would you think older pilots have the best shot at?

Apply to all of them like you really mean it, take the best or first offer you get, and keep applying to all the rest until you are stuck or find a home.

IOW... Don't limit yourself based on what you or anyone else "thinks" that "they" might do. Apply to the ones you want to work for. Make themtell you no.

This sums it up. Well said.

A 64 year old flowed through from Envoy last year, he said he wanted to retire as an AA pilot. FWIW, his wife was not pleased.

That’s awesome! I love it.

True. Very true. Thanks for your response.

That was what the old man told me thirty-ish years ago