Is TSA the best airline for me?
 

I’m currently about 5 months from reaching ATP Mins. I’m looking to reach 1,000 turbine PIC as quickly as possible, regardless of QOL/pay. I’m single and have no family/financial obligations other than rent/food. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make it to a Legacy carrier within the next 3-6 years. Is TSA the best airline to work for if career progression is my main priority? I currently have offers from EDV/PSA/REPUBLIC.

My recommendation is PSA. You’ll have flow in your back pocket and you can apply everywhere while waiting for the flow. If you go to TSA, you can all but scratch AA off your list.

Not dissing PSA, but there may be some "things" happening over the next few months at TSA and TS Holdings that could prove quite interesting in terms of career progression. Currently we have the Frontier flow, and there may be some other opportunities in the future once UAL gets its pilot contract sorted out. I'd keep my powder dry as long as possible until this gets resolved in the next couple of months.

The answer to your question is YES. Even better if you can find someone you know who works here and see if they will split the referral bonus with you...

Can you expand on what some of these upcoming “things” are? :)

Decide in 5 months. Things change quick in this industry.

Why’s that?

I believe he's referring to the minimal chance that a pilot at a non-WO (not just TSA) has at landing a job at AA. I believe the last figure I saw was 5% that weren't rated military aviators or WO. Less than half of that 5% were pure civilian. Granted this is from another post on these forums so take it with a massive grain of salt but it lines up with everything else I've read.

Gotcha. So are people going to WO as a street captain or CQFO then moving to majors like AA?

AA claims that in the future is is only hiring pilots from the military and its affiliates with a flow. We'll see if that happens in reality.

Better opportunities....

Okay, let’s do a little math here....if you go the PSA route.

-5 months before an airline will even hire you.
-3 months before you’re even qualified to fly on the line.
-Currently, new hires on property are looking at 10-12 months on Reserve, flying maybe an average of 50 hours a month while on reserve. 2.5 years is a pretty fair estimate at the moment before you have your 1000 hours 121 time before you’re eligible to upgrade. A little less by a few months if Scheduling keeps you busy.
- Upgrade takes around 2 months for the whole process.
- 1000 hours of Turbine PIC time will take you right around 2 years. In order to flow here, you must be a Captain for 2 years.
- Legacies like to see that you’re doing more than just flying an airplane to distinguish yourself from everybody else. So, plan on doing things like serving on a union committee or recruiting. The downside is that while you’re doing that, you’re not flying building those hours. So, add maybe 6 months on for fudge factor to account for doing union or company business where flying isn’t part of what you’re doing at that moment.

PSA- Just to get that 1000 hours of TPIC time you want, 5 years and change is a ballpark estimate. Chances are pretty good that within that 5 years, more and more airlines are not going to require 1000 hours of TPIC to get hired on. That’s not saying for certain, but the winds seem to be blowing in that direction.

Hope that helps.

From 1 Jan 19 - 1 Aug 19, AA had 593 total new hires, of which 33 were not military nor flows.