Going to a US regional?! Career advice.

[subsidence]

Hello,

I would like to get a career advice. I recently gained permanent residency (greencard lottery) and always wanted to live and work in the U.S.. I played the lottery the last 12 years and finally got selected last year.

I have flown for a european LCC on B737 and A320 the last 8 years. Currently I'm flying the A320 as a First Officer but no career prospects in sight.
I have more than 6000 hrs total time, FAA ATP with A320PIC rating, CFI, CFII, MEI but no turbine PIC and no college degree.
I applied to all A320 operators but no response at all. I even went to a job fair. I really thought it would be much easier but nobody cares about my experience on type. I have now done two interviews with regional airlines and could start with Skywest or TSA.

I must be crazy to give up a rather good paid A320 job to fly a CRJ or ERJ for less than $30.000? What do you think? Do you think it would help me to eventually get hired with a major or ULCC like Frontier or Spirit? Any advice?

[paokara]

Get credit for your aviation experience , look to a college cheap enough to afford obviously and finish your 4 year Bachelors degree.

In the mean time pic is a must but I see that gone


However a 4 year degree highly doubt it.

98.6 per cent have a 4 year if not better at UAL and AMR

Delta and FedEx will not accept anyone to apply without a 4 year degree

[zondaracer]

You are thinking in the European mentality. You have to change to the US mentality.

1. Get a 4 year degree
2. Your type doesn't matter like it does in Europe. What matters is:
a. Turbine time? yes or no (you've got that box checked)
b. Quality of said time? (You were flying airline ops so you have that going for you)
The point is that it doesn't matter if you were flying a CRJ, Ejet, Q400, A330, A320, or B737 etc. Don't limit yourself to A320 carriers. In the US, your chances of getting hired by a company that only flies only B737s is the same regardless if your previous time was on an A320, B737, or CRJ.
3. You probably have to attend more than one job fair
4. Update your application once or month. If you do not update your application at least once a month, the airlines do not think that you are interested
5. Network network network
6. Get some volunteer work on your résumé.
7. Get your 4 year degree
8. Get your 4 year degree

Look at it this way... you have the required flying experience necessary to get hired at the majors and the LCCs. You may be lacking in TPIC which might hurt you, but there are plenty of guys from my company (a regional) leaving with little to no TPIC so that isn't the show stopper. Get a 4 year degree, any degree. Do some networking (working at a regional is a good way to network, as you will meet guys from everywhere and you will know lots of guys who will leave and move on to a major and LCC). All majors/legacies have 12000 applications on file. You have to make your application stand out. There are almost 20,000 regional pilots, and over half of them have their applications out there. The majors combined are not hiring 12,000 pilots are year, so it could be awhile before they get to your application. Keep in mind, there are also filters before getting to the interview level which kicks out applications for whatever reason. The 4 year degree is a common filter. That's just the way it goes. Having the A320 type on your certificate is nice, but almost every company will pay for your training in type regardless.

Having said that, first year pay at the regionals sucks but companies like Skywest have good career progression and you can actually make a career out of a company like Skywest. As far as TSA, you probably would not qualify for CQFO due to not having 121 or 135 time, which is unfortunate because your time in Europe is certainly equivalent to 121 time but doesn't count as far as the regs are concerned. TSA flies a lot of oooooold ERJs, and you better jump on quick or you will miss the quick upgrade if you haven't already. Skywest has a 4 year upgrade and it is coming down. Skywest is also voting on a new pay package right now.

Good luck with whatever you choose, and feel free to ask more questions.

[misd-agin]

Some U.S. colleges will give you professional credit that will reduce the amount of classes you have to take. Trying to get hired without a college degree is VERY tough.


Get on with a regional that offers a fairly quick upgrade. 1000 hrs of TPIC was, and still might be, considered a major improvement in your resume.


Without a 4 yr degree the 1000 hrs TPIC is almost worthless.


Major airlines don't care about your time in type. It counts towards overall experience but it's not like Europe/Asia where time is type is a requirement. You could get hired by a company that has A320's and get assigned to 737's if that's what your seniority holds.

[EMB-145LR]

Have you tried Allegiant? They are crying out for experienced guys and they don't require a four year degree. They operate the A320, as well as the MD80 and 757. However, it's not a great company and employee relations seem strained.

JetBlue, Virgin America and Spirit will also hire without a four year degree. You're definitely competitive for all three, but you need someone to get your resume in front of the right person.

I did the US regional thing for four years, it's unlike anything else I've ever done in my career and I was ecstatic to leave for a much better job in Europe earlier this year. Avoid it if at all possible.

[flyboyike]

I agree that it mostly takes a lot of persistence, and yes, probably more than one job fair as well. I did the regional thing for over seven years prior to being picked up by my current employer (an A320 operator). I don't have a 4-year degree and my TPIC is for all purposes zero.

[Hagop]

Do you have an EU passport? If yes, why to look somewhere in the US just because of the lottery? The majority of the airlines in Europe don't require a 4 year degree, so it opens up a lot more doors to you I guess. Ryanair, Flybe, Easyjet... all of them hire experienced first officers. Actually, with 6000TT you are qualified to apply to Emirates, Qatar, Turkish Airlines and stand a greater chance against the 1500 hour applicants.

[fuelsurvey]

Your story sounds very similar to mine. Two years ago I received a green card after a 12 year wait. Like you, I was stuck in the right seat with no upgrade in sight, over 7000 hours and no 4 year degree.
I decided against going to a regional and applied for a re-entry permit so I could beef up my resume a bit in my home country. I quit my job and was lucky enough to get a direct entry captain job on a regional jet. That wouldn't have been possible in the U.S. because of the 1000hr 121 requirement. I also enrolled in an accredited school in the U.S. and manged to finish a 4 year degree in 18 months (I had previous foreign credits I was able to transfer)
It's been about a year and a half since I received my green card and I just started job hunting again this week. I can now check the degree box and have 1000 hours in the left seat of a regional jet. I'll be attending a few job fairs this fall and winter.
Have a look at Thomas Edison State College, it's fully accredited and they accept credit from many sources. I was able to shop around for less expensive courses and transfer them in. I spent about $6000 total. It was nice to see the school listed on all the drop down menus at the airlines I've applied to.
On another topic, I got a couple of secured credit cards right away to start building my credit rating as soon as I got my SSN. If you haven't done that already you should.
Good Luck!

[James331]

Not sure if anyone asked, how much PIC time?

That might be a reason for the lack of interest.

[7Q Off]

Just curious, if you have let say 3000 hs PIC jet on a foreign Airline does or does not count as 121 time if you apply for let say PSA DEC or something similar?

[zondaracer]

Just curious, if you have let say 3000 hs PIC jet on a foreign Airline does or does not count as 121 time if you apply for let say PSA DEC or something similar?


Does not count. The reg says 135 or 121. A foreign airline is neither. If the foreign company flies to the US, then they may be 129, which is still not 135 or 121.

[tom775257]

Quick question. Would a US airline recognize a UK 3 year BSc with honors degree (in the UK bachelor degrees are 3 years)? Currently I'm captain at a UK airline / US citizen / looking at my options. Thanks.

[zondaracer]

@tom775257,

Since this is a thread about the regionals, I don't know of any regional asking for a college degree.

If you are wondering about the majors, they typically require the foreign degree to be evaluated for equivalency via NACES Home (http://www.naces.org) .

[tom775257]

Thanks for the info Zondaracer, much appreciated.

[jsfboat]

I got hired to haul freight in MD-11s, without my 4 year finished, no PIC, and 2600TT. There are other options aside from the regionals, if go you the regional route, be prepared for low pay ($19.5k my first year) and lots of frustration.