International Airlines with Outport Bases in the United States
 

My husband is about to receive a United States green card. He holds an EASA ATPL with Class A medical certificate and an FAA PPL. He is instrument trained for Airbus 330 type rating.

We are currently looking into all of the steps he must take to convert his licenses according to FAA requirements. This process is long and complicated and may last longer than the 6 month green card window provides before we must permanently immigrate to the United States.

He is also considering applying to airlines with outport bases stationed in the United States. For example, Korean Air has one in LA and he did see something concerning Fiji Air. So far, this is all we could find in our research. Does anyone know of any other international airlines that allow for domicile in a USA outport base? Any help (or advice) in this matter would be greatly appreciated.

Recommendations for Recruiters that Work with Major US Airlines
 

My husband is about to get his United States green card. We are currently looking through the detailed process of converting his EASA ATPL licenses (and everything else) according to FAA regulations so that he may work for an american airline.

I have also been in communication with a former FAA employee. He mentioned that some american airlines provide in-house license conversion and training for pilots with experience. Most of the job postings (on PCC and other websites for example) require the applicant to already have their licenses converted, etc. However, the recommendation of this FAA employee was to get into direct contact with recruiters who work with the major US airlines (the big 3 and others). My Google search for this is rather overwhelming.

I'm hoping for some specific advice. Has anyone on this forum worked directly with a recruiter--and have positive experiences to recommend?

My husband is about to experience a pretty tight timeframe--from the time he will receive his green card to the point that we have to permanently immigrate to the United States (about 6 months in total). He is going to try to accomplish all of this while still working full-time with his current employer. I'm really looking for efficiency here--a recruiter with a strong reputation and effective results. I appreciate any help you may offer in this matter.

Thank you for your recommendations zondaracer. My husband actually flies for Turkish Airlines, so he is not really interested in the regionals at this time. There is no pressing reason for him to leave his current employer without a competitive (or at least comparable) job offer from one of the majors in the US.

Concerning your question, he has a bachelor's degree in business administration (from a foreign institution, so I'm pretty sure he needs to get his diploma accredited), holds an FAA PPL, EASA ATPL with Class A medical certificate, EASA instrumental rating, Airbus A330 type rating, with 2000+ flying hours.

The top tier airlines your husband is targeting don't use recruiting agencies in the ordinary sense. Their recruiters are their own HR employees and communicating with them may be difficult. I'm not sure what the former FAA employee was suggesting. As far as I know, none of these carriers will convert a foreign license...they just don't mess with that stuff...because they don't have to. Legions of qualified pilots are storming the front gates.

I do know Delta will sell your husband an ATP-CTP course allowing him to take the FAA ATP written exam...for about $5K. That's about as far as they'll go to my knowledge. It may get his application reviewed but without an FAA license, that's about all one can expect. If I'm mistaken about this, someone will correct me.

You might check to see if each airline has a Facebook recruiting page where people like your husband ask questions. I know Delta has one...not sure about all the others.

As others have suggested, checking the regionals to see if they'll help your husband is a reasonable option.

Good luck with your efforts.

IllinoisDavidson,

aviator35 is a fellow Turk with a remarkably similar story to your husband's. He posted about it in this sub-forum. I followed it for a while but have lost track of his status. He hasn't posted for a while.

Maybe he could offer some insight ?

Your husband may not be interested in Regionals at this time but without an FAA licence and no recognised part 121 time they are the only airlines that will be interested in him.
That may not be what you want to hear but unfortunately thats the way it is.

Korean Air
Fiji Airways
AJX
Eva Air

All these companies allow you to live in the USA and commute to work.
Fiji air will "base" you in the USA I believe.
None require an FAA licence.

these companies will base you in the USA as per your request, the immigration requirements for you to remain in the USA are up to you...most require the type rating to be on your licence of country of citizenship (passport) in his case EASA ATPL with 330 TYPE RATING, no need for any conversion to FAA.

go to any school, enroll in an ATP course, take the exam,flight check,.. get the licence...many non-citizens flying for major carriers, some specify citizenship, others dont..UPS for example...Ethiopian former colleague still non-USA working there,previously with American Airlines one of many different nationalities flying in the USA, and unless its required by a prospective employer, dont waste his money converting the 330 rating...

Thanks to everyone for the advice and information. There are a few non-US airlines that allow for outport base stationing (and commuting) in the US. For now my husband is actively pursuing that direction.

Most of what everyone is saying is correct; I have also tried to confirm this information through my extensive research for the past few days. It looks like my husband will have to convert his licenses through ATP-CTP flight school training before even considering applying to any airline above the regionals. We are also pursuing extending the timeframe for when we would need to permanently relocate to the United States (to keep his permanent residence visa valid while abroad). This will give him more time to convert his licenses and aggressively pursue the majors, if, of course, they consider his application.

Thanks for this information bafanguy. I will look into aviator35's profile. Perhaps he may be able to help us for our specific situation. Thanks!

Thanks to both ironbutt57 and pilotchute. It looks like AJX isn't an option for my husband (their fleet is entirely Boeing and he is Airbus 330 type rated). However, we were unaware of Eva Air as an option. He will definitely look into this. Thanks!

ID,

With an FAA ATP, his heavy experience and a green card, they'll consider him. That's where the next round of frustration begins ! Just getting an interview, particularly at a career-destination airline here, is a major accomplishment in itself.

Check out those Facebook recruiting pages. I'm not on Facebook but have seen some of the pages and questions do get answered now and then. Hang in there...

https://www.pprune.org/north-america...ight=aviator35

You dont need boeing time to fly for AJX. It helps but isnt essential.