Moving to the USA

[Flyrr100]

I'm a JAA/EASA ATP holder, and I live in the UK, problem is I have an American girlfriend who lives in Michigan, and i'm wondering how easy it is to move over to the USA for a flying career?!

After you marry the girl and with your JAA ATP converted to FAA you shouldn't have any problems getting a job here. The majors are hiring and the regionals are begging pilots to work there.

Major... around 30k-40k first year. On reserve for a few years. Get used to working on weekends. But after a year or two pay will dramatically increase.

Regionals... around 30k-40k first year. But expect to top out at around 40k as a FO. Captains can earn into six figures but only after ten years or so.

Good luck.

[locblue]

Hi,

I am based outside the US and have in excess of 12,000 TT on widebodies with 9,000+ hrs on B777 variants including 3,000+ hrs PIC and instructional experience, and 3,000+ hrs on A340s. My wife is American, and i foresee no problems obtaining a Green Card. With my experience, will i be able to get in with the Majors, and if so, will i start as an FO and have to work my way up to command again? Any of the majors hiring?

Appreciate any guidance.

[MarkerInbound]

Every American airline you've heard the name of operates by seniority. So yes, you'll start in the right seat of the lowest paying aircraft with the worst schedules. United will be hiring but still have 1400 out on the street. Their furloughees still have 7 or 8 years of recall rights. Many of them have found something to pay their bills so they may pass on the recall for a few years to see how things shake out. Which means the people hired off the street will be at the bottom of the list for a long time. Delta is probably 50/50, their new contract ups their hours some which may negate the need to hire. I think US Air is hiring. American may hire, or they may be rolled into US Air.

[locblue]

Tks, Claybird and MarkerInbound. I'm presently earning beyond the top scale of a UAL Captain, with no complaints whatsoever with my present airline beyond the hard slog of organizing my days off and vacation days to get stateside, if the wife relocates to the US. I don't mind taking a pay cut, but RHS at the bottom would mean lousy pay and schedules for many years.

The sandpit doesn't appeal to me unless they commence basing crew in the US. Also not keen on a commuting contract with KAL, given the mixed feedback on working conditions there.

So, it appears there is no painless way of living and working in the US for me...

Merry X-Mas!

[Check Airman]

If you're already doing better than a united 777 captain, stay where you are. If united is anything like the other 777 operators in the us, that seat is likely to be over 15-20 years away. FedEx won't be an option either right now. Unfortunately, they currently require you to live in the us for 5 years before starting your employment.

[locblue]

Tks, Claybird and CA. Status quo it is....

[sonicguy]

what airline is recruting in the US? (except regionals...)

[galaxy flyer]

None, except for a very few CO new hires, but that is in the middle of the UA/CO SLI. No one sees hiring on a major scale here for 2013.

GF

[MarkerInbound]

Alaska will most likely be hiring next year. US Air and Hawaiian have been taking apps this fall.

[oompa loompa]

Similar query; I married an American, and we're thinking of a move stateside at some point. I've 3000h, 2500h on 40T Jet (BAe 146), all of it as an FO (so only about 250h true P1).

After getting a green card and converting the licence:

- would I be able to look at regionals or at majors?
- reading Flyrr100's post about 30-40k starting, going up after the first year or two; what does it go up to? what does the salary profile look like over say a 5-10 year period?
- I know this is a really, really broad question, but what sort of rosters are there? trips? fixed days off? bid system?

Thanks in advance.

[oompa loompa]

Oh - and how does the whole type rating thing work in the US? is it paid by the pilot, airline, or an intermediate arrangement (bonding, loan)?

thanks again.

[MarkerInbound]

The airline types you, no money out of your pocket. Some of the smaller operators will want you to sign a training contract saying you'll stay a year or two afterwards or pay back a pro rata share but none of the majors do this. I've always worked the dark side of the ramp so I've got no experience with pax schedules. I've heard pilots talking about 3 on/4 off and 4 on/3 off but I know some folks can get day turns - fly out in the morning and be back at night. EVERYTHING at US airlines depends on your senority based on date of hire. What equipment you fly, schedules, vacations.

And I'd say Flyrr100 is a bit high for starting regional pay, more like $25,000. The web site Airline Pilot Central has most US airline pay scales in the "Profile" section on their home page. Looks like a Delta or United 747 Captain is over 200k after 10 years.

[MarkerInbound]

Forgot, you meet the posted mins for hiring at US Airways and United. But minimums and what's competitive are two different things. Most people say 1000 turbine PIC makes you much more likely to be hired. Which is why many pilots went the regional route, figuring they'd be in and out in 4 or 5 year. That hasn't been working too well since 2001.

[oompa loompa]

Thanks guys - that's really (really) useful.

Here's a (somewhat) theoretical question: which would have me in a better position in mid 2015:

1/ Stay here, get command, get 1000h PIC (which takes 2.5yrs), and be in a better position to apply directly to the majors in mid 2015.
OR
2/ Join a regional now and work up from there.


Also, a completely separate question: what about LCC's? same story?

[MarkerInbound]

The problem is the RVR in everyone's crystal ball is <300. If you know that the present job will lead to command in a year and you'll log 700 hours a year I'd say stay. If you show up here, first you have to be hired. Yeah, yeah, I know we're going to have a pilot shortage. From what I've heard, Delta won't be hiring this year, American still has pilots on the street from 2001, so does United. So no one has been leaving the regionals. We have a whole generation of pilots who spent 60,000-90,000 thousand getting their ratings, thinking they'd suffer through a couple years at the regionals and hit the gravy train now on fifth year FO pay. Comair, one of the older and larger regionals, shut down last year and put over 800 pilots on the street. I've heard Eagle, American's regional code share, will be hiring this year but they've got 7 year FOs as does Air Wisconsin.

I don't have any connections in the LCC world. Sprint appears to be hiring, Frontier and Virgin are not. And Virgin does say "1000 hours turbine PIC preferred." And unless you're going to stay there, they seem to be running 6 years to upgrade.

[Check Airman]

Oompa,

I'd go with option 1. Unless you're friends with the Chief Pilot, it will be exceedingly difficult to get into a major without turbine PIC (TPIC) time.

[oompa loompa]

Thanks guys, again.

I thought that would be the case; Option 1 works better anyway as the practicalities of getting a green card, licence conversion, etc. will probably take a while anyway.

[MarkerInbound]

That should work. I've got a friend at Eagle, 15 Captain, lives in base (DFW) so no commuting to work, bids what he wants and gets it and makes about 100k. He's not going anywhere.

[zondaracer]

The hard part of jumping to the regionals is their instability. I know some guys who are on their 3rd regional in 5 years due to furloughs and companies closing shop. These guys are perpetually stuck on the bottom of their seniority lists and can't move up due to all the whipsawing.

[PCLCREW]

Guys/Girls if your thinking about coming to the USA in search of a major airline job I would just stay where your at (for now).
Many airlines are laying pilots off right now... North American, Evergreen, World, USA Jet, Ryan International... just to name a few. Plus all the people at the regionals are trying to move on.
Very few airlines are hiring execpt regionals (which all now require 1500tt).
Just to give an example im at: 6800tt / 5000 jet / ATP and TR in the CRJ/A320 and have about 600PIC... I work for Pinnacle Airlines which is about to lay off 1000-1500 pilots.
I've applied at about 30 companies from the USA to Hong Kong... I have not recieved one phone call back from any of the companies in the USA I've applied at... Not to say just because I can't get a call back doesnt mean you cant either, I just wanted to point out how crappy it is in the USA right now.
Good Luck