No one has a definitive answer

Bitter much Lifes not fair get over it

If your friend has completed training at NK, you, er he, shouldn't have a problem getting an interview at United. They recently hired someone with 100 hr turbine time.

I work at UA as a Check Airman and can say that many are hearing very quikly after completing training on the 737 or A320 at all the LCCs or after completing training as a Captain at a regional. Last FO I checked out heard from UA for an interview shortly after completing training at Allegiant and did under 4 months of flying there before starting at UA. Have had several former Spirit folks that were all under a year at Spirit. So, unless you were super low time before getting on at Spirit you will likely hear from UA/DL/AA fairly quickly. If you were super low time before getting hired then maybe it takes a year at the pace things are going now.

Good info. Now the other end of the spectrum: a Spirit captain with 4 years at the company and several thousand hours of 121 turbine?

Been at Spirit for 11 years and applied to a United last week. Received the assessment email yesterday. Seriously considering making the move. If this merger fails, spirit is done.

Sadly I’m feeling the same way. What do you think the timeline would be from application to class date if you get hired? I don’t want to have to make a decision until I know for sure this thing isn’t happening and don’t want to burn a bridge at United if I’m not ready. Also don’t want to wait until everything and their mother floods out of here.

I think this mentality will hurt you in the long run. If you are wanting to go, get out and get a legacy seniority number. If not, stick it out and wait. You don't want to wait too long and have another 1500-2000 people ahead of you, if you decide to leave.

Barring some very serious skeltons in your closet you will hear very quickly. I think they are filling the early January classes right now, so I would figure if the stars completely aligned and you were able to take the first date for interview that is offered you could maybe get a Feb class, but would guess Mar would be more realistic.

Obviously 1st year pay is going to be a pretty big hit, as it is $116/hour starting in January.

2nd year pay will greatly depend on what you want to do with your own pay/quality of life balance. With the 2025 payrates you could stay as an FO on the small narrowbody and you will be $185/hour. Take a WB FO bid ($230/hour) or a NB Cap bid ($345/hr) and your pay can get go way up, but you will almost certainly be on reserve.

With the current vacancies at UA you also could get a NB Captain assignment as a new hire. That would mean you would get trained as an FO on the airplane type of your Cap bid. You would fly that plane as an FO until you have 500 hours at UA then you would go to Captain school. That could allow you to get off of 1st year pay and probation faster.

Define "done". I mean serioulsy when was the last major US airline that just closed up shop and said "thanks everyone you may go now"? Yes Spirit will probably be done but people act like it's JB or we all end up on the street which won't be the case. Planes, pilots, and gates are too valuable.