Good evening everyone,
I have a question concerning airline interviews. I see that a lot of major airlines want 3 letters of recommendation from pilots who can attest to the appplicant’s flying skill. Who are some people that you could ask? What exactly do they need to write and how do they go about submitting it? Finally, I see that some airlines want internal recommendations. What are internal recommendations? How do you go about getting those?
Thanks,
Wyatt
Wyatt,
Typically letters of recommendation are written by pilots that you have flown with or pilots at the airline that you are applying to, which are considered internal recommendations because they come from somebody inside the company. A letter typically attests to your flying skills and is submitted along with your resume.
Chris
Wyatt,
Letters of Recommendation are indeed an important part of the application process and depending on the airline, could make the difference whether you get an interview or even hired. Throughout the different stages of your career you’ll obtain letters from different sources. When I first applied to ExpressJet (my first Regional job) I received letters from the 2 FAA examiners we worked with as well as one of my instructors who had been hired there. When I applied to Hawaiian I got them from my Chief Pilots and the Director of Training from ExpressJet. Ideally the letters will talk about your skills, work ethic and professionalism. As Chris said Internal Recs are often the most valuable but if you don’t know anyone at the airline you’re applying to can be difficult to obtain. The good thing is the airlines are actually a pretty small community and as you’re building time at a Regional you will meet pilots from various Majors (jumpseating, union events etc). There are always opportunities to network which is one more reason (as if you need another) to ALWAYS be courteous and professional to everyone you meet and fly with. Quick story: When I applied to Hawaiian I really didn’t know anyone here and had no Internal Recs but I did get the interview and subsequently the job. After I started training I met one of the Flight Op Directors and he asked me if I knew a certain individual. I did but barely. The name was familiar, I recalled this was an FO I flew a few trips with years before when he was first hired, nothing particularly interesting. Anyway the Director knew this FO from another organization and since the FO had been at ExpressJet he asked if he knew me?Apparently the FO not only did but recounted that I had been very helpful to him when he was new and recommended me highly. The Director told me I owed the FO dinner because of his glowing recommendation. Moral of the story, be nice to everyone!
Adam
Adam’s right. Try to think of everything you do from the moment you start flight training as your “Professional Pilot Career”. It is a very small community and you will no doubt see your fellow students and instructors again. What adjectives do you want them to use when they describe their time with you?
Chris,
Thank you so much for the information. I was just wanting some insight into what that meant. Many thanks.
Thanks,
Wyatt
Adam,
That is very good information. And thank you for sharing your story. I always try to be polite and courteous to everyone. I will continue to employ that in my aviation career.
Thanks,
Wyatt
Zac,
I agree with you that Adam is right. He presented a good story. I will always strive to make positive connections with everyone, as it is a small world. Thank you for your input and time.
Thanks,
Wyatt
Zac,
Excellent point. When I went through ATP the instructor position was not guaranteed, in fact it was sometimes difficult to get a position at that time. I treated the Career Pilot Program like an extended interview. I dressed in khakis and a polo or button down shirt everyday and always made sure to let everybody I met know that I wanted to work for the company. I will never know what effect that had on my being hired, but I am sure it didn’t hurt.
When I got hired on at ExpressJet I made sure to let every Continental pilot that I met know that I wanted to work at CAL. I even carried extra copies of my resume with me, just in case somebody offered to help me out. One day the captain and I handled an inflight emergency, we happened to have a CAL jumpseater on board at the time. When we landed he complimented us on how we handled the emergency and asked if either of us had applied to Continental. The captain hadn’t, but I had. The jumpseater offered to write me a letter of recommendation and then personally walked one of my resumes that I had on me into the chief pilot’s office.
One more example, on the day I interviewed with Continental I was getting on the bus from my hotel to the airport when I realized that a pilot inside the hotel was going to miss the bus as he was a bit lost on the business center computer and the bus was running off schedule. He was very appreciative and we talked the whole way to the airport. When I told him that I was interviewing that day he told me to wait ten minutes before I went down to the chief pilot’s office as he was going to go down ahead of me and put in a good word with the guys that were interviewing me, which he did. Again, I will never know what actual affect this had, but I have to think that it helped me get the job.
Chris
Khakis and polo but no socks right? 
Adam
No socks, no matter how cold it is.
Does an internal recommendation from someone in airline ops or management have the same weight as a pilot? In my present line of work I collaborate with airline staff responsible for a/c performance management, route planning, SOP development, etc. What’s their place in the corporate hierarchy?
Sergey,
It may vary from airline to airline and of course how high up the food chain the individual is but in my experience they want to hear from pilots, particularly those who you’ve flown with. At Hawaiian they’re actually very specific and ask us to only write LORs from pilot’s who’s abilities we can attest to. That said a letter from the CEO or Director of Flight Ops can’t hurt.
Adam
At my airline, an internal recommendation is great, but ones from pilots, especially Captains, count the most.
Hi Adam,
I plan on applying to Hawaiian once the window opens. I understand Hawaiian asks applicants to e-mail their resume along with letters of recommendation. To whom should these letters be addressed?
Also, I know you didn’t have any internal recommendations when you applied to Hawaiian. Would you know how common or uncommon it is for a person without internal recs to be invited to interview?
Thank you!
Isa,
Once the window opens a link will appear on the Hawaiian Airlines website with instructions on submitting letters etc. As far as “to whom” they should be addressed they don’t expect you to know anyone so a generic “Recruiting Committee”, “Hiring Panel” or even “To whom it may concern” will be fine. While HAL definitely likes internal Letter of Rec I’d say a good number of applicants don’t have them. As I’ve said often there is no proven method, all you can do is try.
Adam
Adam, what was the furthest you’ve known someone at HAL to commute from? I expect everyone likely lives on the islands but I figured I’d ask.
Sergey,
We actually have quite a few commuters, mostly from the West Coast. We also have pilots who commute from Japan and Australia but in actual mileage I think Portland Maine is the furthest.
Adam
PWN to HNL sounds like an absolutely awful commute. I have no idea why somebody would subject themselves to that.
I hear Portland is lovely? 
Adam
Adam,
Thank you! You’ve been very helpful! Most if not all of my questions on this forum have been addressed to and answered by you.
Isa