The other program UAL has is the Lufthansa flight instructor program. If you are a CFI, you apply to be a CFI at the LH flight training school in AZ. If selected, then after you get your 1500/ATP, you flow to UAL narrow body...you don't go to a regional at all. I don't know all the details. The program was announced in Aug 2016 and has already started.

(Cape Air has flow through to Jet Blue...not a major, but you may want them...)

Do you recommend ExpressJet or CommutAir? The CPP gets seniority up from the get go I'm sure.

Wow I had no idea of this. I'll look into it. Thanks!

Any regional without a training contract... And the highest bonus without a hiring clause.

So full disclosure, I got most of my time and ratings thru the military. It seems now, with the state of the industry, that your biggest decision would be how (& who) could get you the most flight time the quickest. I realize there are other considerations of course, but the choice of which regional should perhaps be tempered with the idea that you don't plan to be there for very long. Don't agonize about which rental car to take for the weekend.

Good luck, hang in there, get your time and most Captains at UA buy for half-wingers.

I am not previous military and I never worked for a regional/commuter airline.

Flight instructor, jump pilot, air tours over the Grand Canyon, bush pilot in Ak, fire fighting pilot, corporate, international freight, major airline #1, and finally UAL 19+ years ago.

Do yourself a favor and take the road most traveled nowadays. Flight school, instructor, 1500 hours, regional, the one that gets you an upgrade and turbine PIC the fastest, major airline. BUT don't forget that you need to have a four year degree as well. I did all of my ratings and got a CFI prior to college, I worked as an instructor/ jump pilot/ tour pilot during college. When I graduated college I already had almost 2,000 hours flight time. That worked out really well for me.

XJT isn't a "full interview", no TSA.

I know you had a that longer road

But for A LOT of pilots now, it's almost like there's an intermediate stop requires after the magical TPIC is met at the regional. A tour at a ULCC/LCC/ACMI carrier.

From what I know I would go to CommutAir over Xjet...CommutAir is going from a small prop outfit to a major regional in a very short time...more movement and quicker upgrade. There are also fewer pilots "ahead" of you with the flow through carrot...

The reason fewer took the CommuteAir route vs Xjet is because the pay and quality of life at one has been much worse than the other.

Its a brand new world at the regionals these days with big signing bonuses and flow through agreements. So YMMV. Do your homework, see who has the big paydays, see who had the fast upgrades, see who doesn't treat their pilots like trash. Everything is subject to change, with no prior notice.

Good luck!

I'm sorry...what is a training contract? I'm new to this.