Hi.
Is age a factor to get hired at a major?
Consider this : 40 years of age
Around 6000 hrs total time and/or
6 yrs at a regional.
4 yrs bachelor degree from a
foreign university.
Now with all other factors held constant(including citizenship), is the above person a good candidate for a pilot position for say Delta/United/American/Hawaiian/SWA?
Ammi,
On paper sure. The above all looks pretty good and def exceeds the min requirements (provided thereās no other blaring issues, police record, DUIs, checkride failures). The nebulas factor is how does the above person interview?
EVERYONE that gets an interview at a Major looks good on paper and exceeds the min requirements other wise they wouldnāt get the interview BUT obviously not everyone gets hired. Why? Some people simply interview poorly. After all the boxes have been checked itās often simply a matter of is this someone Iād like to be locked up in a cockpit with for 6hrs? If the answer is no then you need to work on that.
Adam
Ammi,
I need more info. Total time, age, and a degree isnāt enough in my opinion. That may get you a job at an LCC, but the other airlines you mentioned like to see more than that.
Of those 6000 hours, how much of that is turbine PIC time?
Are you currently flying for a regional? How many hours have you flown in the last 6 months?
What did you do before that?
Have you been involved in some other capacity at your airline besides flying?
Do you have any training failures?
Tory
The mentioned subject is currently at a regional with 2500 PIC turbine time.Previously worked as a Pharmacist, no criminal record (2 parking tickets) and no training and check ride failures.
They havenāt been involved in any capacity besides flying at their current company.
Also note that their CRM is okay.
Just as a general overview, would they be an ideal candidate for the pilot position at the mentioned majors?
Youāre being curiously coy about the identity of this āsubject.ā Care to speak to that?
Why would you say that their CRM is okay? Have you flown with this person? Do you mean āokayā in a good or bad way?
From what youāve described I see no reason why the person youāve described shouldnāt apply to the previously mentioned airlines. If they can get some internal recommendations that would help. If they have some volunteer experience to make up for their lack of involvement at their current airline that would help too.
Tory
I mean good CRM. Iām calling them a subject but rest assured thatās not meš.
And do you guys get paid for the other capacities you assume at your company besides flying?
Iām sorry for being coy, See Iām a chemist and we call test substances āsubjectsā.
Thanks.
Fair enough. Weāre not familiar with chemistry lingo here. Makes sense now that you mention it.
For the most part, yes. Conducting interviews, working for the flight training department, being part of safety boards, being a union rep, etc.
Tory
Iāve been a Rep and MEC member since March and I havenāt seen a dime! Do they owe me money? 
Adam
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Does anyone that works for the union get paid? Or just not you? 
What are union dues used for then?
When I say we donāt get paid what I mean is thereās no additional pay. All union work is done by volunteers and thereās no compensation above your normal pay. What that means is next week we have meetings for 3 days. In order for me to attend the meetings the union ābuysā my trips or the flying I would/could be doing. Itās called FPL (Flight Pay Loss). In this way weāre not getting paid anything additional but weāre also not losing any income either. The thing is thatās only for meetings or representations but all the other work (which is considerable) is done on your own time.
Iām not complaining and actually find the work very rewarding but when I do the math I wonder what I was thinking? Union dues cover all the FPL and also training for the various committees, newhire lunches, etc.
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Ammi,
This is such a tough question to answer because there are so many variables outside of what just looks good on paper. Sure, it sounds like the person is a good candidate, but what really matters is how well they interview and if the people on the other side of the table think they would want to spend a four day trip flying with them.
Chris
@Tory
@Adam
It seems like a pretty good tradeoff but what happens when the meetings are on your off days.Will you lose some off days and still not get paid or some form of reimbursement?
You receive a ācompensatoryā (aka replacement) day(s) off.
Adam