Fortunately, there are enough people in the hiring pool that those two options aren't the only options.

I'll take option 3: the 12,000 hour pilot with a degree and tons of turbine time.

Getting a degree these days is about as easy as it ever has been.

Actually, I applied in 1985, still had military time to go, got hired in 1987. College degree was not required even then. I believe the official min was 350 hrs, Inst, Comm, Multi. Kind of ridiculous. Shorty after that UAL got nailed by an EEOC law suit for minority and female hiring. In my class one got hired with 550 hrs. She had a tough time but we got her through. At best, 727 FE was a difficult course if you knew what you were doing.

It was not a nice place to work after the strike, Ferris was there but on his way out. Lots of things different, but no requirement to have the degree, BUT, still, everyone had one.

"Chagrin"?? Not even close. I do however have a very low tolerance for dumbpoos frequently asking this question.

You are correct that it does not state "required" on the hiring requirements.... that is a head scratcher.

Pest

I just have a incredibly hard time believing this. I know there are some unicorns in our mix but to be selected from the applicant pool without a degree should not be a possibility.

Now, if you were hired at CAL and then subsequently merged with UAL that would make sense. Or perhaps you were a ramp employee with a guaranteed interview.... that might make sense.

But to be plucked from the pool or applicants without a degree is not possible (or shouldn't be).

Pest

I believe CAL was even more strict regarding the degree. Recommended a guy who had an engineering degree from France. He completed it in 3 years and they only wanted to give him credit for having an associate degree. He had to have the university send a certified letter with his credit hours and the equivalence to U.S engineering degree etc. He ended up at Delta.

If you surveyed the number of CAL guys without a degree vs UAL..I think CAL would win hands down. Not sure where you could find that info...purely anecdotal.

Probably for the people who were hired before the late 1990’s, but not after that. I knew a 747 pilot with multiple type ratings and only an associates degree. The IAH chief pilot told the guy trying to recommend him that they would look at him when he had a 4 year degree. I was told the same thing about a high time jet captain that I tried to help. I’m a post 9/11 CAL hire and I haven’t ran into a single person in my seniority range without the degree. I have flown with plenty of senior captains without one though. Right now the pool is still fairly deep and they want the degree, so just get one.

What 20-something year old would go to United with an attitude? What a dumb@ss, blowing a 35+ yr career away.

Yup.

And it's not that far removed from a ATP aged 23-65 that is shocked and upset that major airlines very strongly prefer 4-year college degrees.

Who ever heard of such a thing and why didn't anybody ever tell them?

Independently wealthy?