Pump The Brakes!!!

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As the news reports, there is an airline pilot shortage.  This shortage has been going on for years.  Due to this, regional airlines visit university and college campuses (another perk of going to a education institution instead of just flight training) weekly.  During these visits, their recruiting teams provide formal briefs to students in attempt to offer conditional employment.

Don't fall for it!!! If the military taught me anything, its that a recruiters job is to lie... I mean recruit.  These recruiters will tell you the good, never the bad.  They will tell you "figures" but they are not completely correct or not the latest figures for their airlines.  So here is what I always advise...

Selecting a regional is hard.  Regionals are not all the same. Here is (in this order) how I tell people to pick:

  1. What bases do they have and what will I be able to hold out of training? Airlines have many bases, so do the regionals.  But bases are awarded by seniority like everything at the airlines (how long you have been there compared to others).  For my airline, we have Chicago, Dallas, and Miami.  I am based in Chicago by choice, but could not hold that right out of training.  I had to wait a few months.  However, Miami takes years to get to.  So if you wanted Miami, you will be waiting a while.
  2. Will you commute to work or live in base?  Hands-down, living in base is the best.  I have done both.  Commuting means you ride on a plane to work.  You fly standby and only get on if there is a seat. This can cause stress.  Additionally, commuting eats up some of your off time, for mean it was an entire day to get to work and entire day home.  At the airlines, we have a lot of opportunity to pick up OT or Open Time.  This is paid at 150%, 200% or even 300% your hourly wage.  Living in base allows you to pick up that easier.  Also, depending on the airline, you will have a harder time on standby than others.  For example, Envoy is owned by American Airlines.  Therefore, we have the same standby priority as AA pilots on AA flights.  But another airline like SkyWest, they can fly standby on our planes but have the lowest priority there is, making their chances of getting a ride a lot lower.
  3. Pay.  Regionals mostly pay around the same.  However, some pay 10-15/hour less than others.  Take a look at the current pay.  https://www.airlinepilotcentral.com/airlines/regional/ is a great way to see the most updated pay scales for airlines.
  4. Contract.  Every airline has a union contract with their pilots.  Finding out the pro's/con's of this contract is something you need to look into.  I mention a Facebook page below, and that's a great way to find out some of these rules in the contract.  One regional doesn't have a union and that spells disaster.
Here is what I tell people NOT to use in their decision:
  1. Aircraft type.  A jet is a jet.  Whether large or small, old or new, it doesn't matter.  When you apply to the major carrier later, they don't care what type of plane you flew, they care about how many hours you have as a captain and first officer at the airlines.
  2. Bonuses.  Bonuses change.  When I was hired at my airline, there was a pretty check for $22,500 sitting on the desk with my name on it.  When we signed for the check, they said "you all are lucky, you are the last class of new hires getting this check."  It was announced that day the bonus was done.  The same thing happens all the time.  Never let the "promise" of a bonus lead you to an airline.
  3. Time til training (kinda).  Unless the airline tells you the first class date they can offer you is next year, don't let a few months stand between you and the airline you really want.  Meaning, don't settle for your second choice just because your first choice is a few months later.  Regional work is hard.  Make sure you are going somewhere you will be happy, not just somewhere willing to train you starting tomorrow.

Freshman year-

Go to EVERY single regional airline brief held at your school.  Listen, ask questions, take notes.  Do NOT sign up for any cadet program, aviator program, or field trip.  Just listen, ask, and leave.  Even if the airline returns, attend the brief again.

Sophomore year-

Go to EVERY single regional airline brief again.  Notice the changes.  Bonuses change (or disappear), pay changes, bases change, time to upgrade for captain changes.  You can start to see trends in airlines.  When I was in my undergrad, I attended every brief including TranStates Airlines, Compass Airlines, and ExpressJet.  I saw that the trend of these airlines was rapid changes, almost struggling to stay afloat.  Two years later, these three airlines went out of business.

Junior Year-

Select the top three airlines you are interested in.  Contact these airlines and see if you can visit their HQ.  Meanwhile, use sites like Facebook's "Aviation Career Mentorship" page to search for those airlines and read from pilots there what is going on.  Follow trends, ask questions, make contact with pilots actually working there to get REAL information from them.

Senior Year-

Select your airline from your top three.  It never hurts to apply to all three then select one once you have conditional offers from them.  You are NOT locked into employment with any airline until either you take a bonus check form them or day one of training.  Join their cadet or aviator program if they have one.



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