Hey everyone, I’m currently not an ATP student but plan on going later this year. Before I start I need to finish my military service. I know you start at Regionals and work your way up to the Majors. What I’ve read it’s very unlikely to get hired by the Majors without a degree. Is this the same for Regionals? If Regionals don’t require college (and I were to get hired) is it plausible to do online college to get a degree in preparation to move up to the Majors? With all that being said, do Regionals/Majors take your prior military service into consideration. I understand everything is situational.
Alison,
You’ve got the right idea… The regionals don’t require a college degree but a degree is still highly preferred for the majors. We recommend you work on an online degree while at the regionals to increase your chances making it to a major. Now just to be clear, hiring requirements are constantly changing based on demand. You’ll probably hear of people getting hired without one but it’s all subjective to the hiring board. The best thing you can do is to make your application as competitive as possible and that includes a degree.
-Hannah
1 Like
Alison,
I’m going to echo what Hannah said. There is no degree requirement for the Regionals but they are most definitely desired by the Majors. Not only can you get an online degree, but you can get credit for your licenses and ratings (should to choose an aviation degree) to expedite the process.
While military service is obviously respected and appreciated, the airlines hire well trained professionals pilots and again, a degree is preferred.
Adam
1 Like
Alison,
The majors mostly require a degree, the regionals do not. Military service looks good on a resume, but it is not a substitute for college. Remember that for a job at a major airline, you will be competing against, amongst other groups, pilots who are military officers, flew fighter jets and of course have degrees.
Getting your degree while you are at the regionals is a great idea and one I would strongly encourage.
Chris
1 Like
After some more research I came to the same conclusions as you all just described. Thanks for the feedback Hannah, Adam, and Chris
Alison,
Anytime, let us know how else we can help you.
Chris
1 Like