I’ve heard that having a regional airline pay for one’s ATP incurs a commitment of time at that airline after? Is this a common practice among regional airlines that feed into major airlines?
Aaron,
Tuition Reimbursement and signing bonuses may incur a commitment but not your ATP training. They need you to have it and it’s part of your newhire training.
Adam
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Thanks for the answer, Adam! A few more questions about regional airlines. How easy is it for regional airline pilots to flow into a major if the two companies are affiliated? Does the pilot’s date of hire at the regional airline count as their date of hire at the major or does that start over?
Aaron,
The Regionals are desperate, the Majors are not. While some of the Majors are setting up flows or preferential hiring, those of us who have been doing this a while no it’s not always that simple. There’s fine print in the language, flows can be cancelled, the Majors are also not going to cannibalize their own Regionals and if you suffer an incident or work violation it can very simply be taken away. I’m not trying to paint a bad picture. If you conduct yourself like a professional and things continue as they are you could have a great shot at a flow but there are no guarantees im this industry and its always good to have options (so yes you need a 4yr degree).
Regardless your date of hire is strictly for your Regional. Once you leave you go back to the bottom of the list.
Adam
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Great info to have, Adam! Mahalo 
“Having a regional airline pay for one’s ATP” - we’re talking tuition reimbursement (interview for an airline and be accepted while still building flight hours instructing) correct?
Wanted to make sure I didn’t miss read something in my research.
No Ben,
To earn your ATP cert you need to have 1500 total time (incl many specifics) AND complete an ATP-CTP course. The course requires time in a full motion sim and therefore can be fairly expensive (in the $6-8k range). However once you’re hired by a Regional they will provide the ATP-CTP training as part of your newhire training.
Adam
also, is this a cost not covered with your ATP tuition (seeing that it would be ~2years after graduation that you earn 1500 hours)
Ben,
Not sure where the confusion lies? Should you agree to conditional employment with one of ATPs Regional Partners, you can receive Tuition Reimbursement (ala reimbursement for your tuition) for your flight training as a flight instructor and during your first year at a Regional.
As for the ATP License, no the cost is not included in your tuition nor is it part of the training. After you earn your CFIs the training program is over. While many students remain as instructors for ATP to build their time many do not. Again the training for your ATP cert will be accomplished by the Regional that hires you. If you do not go to a Regional you’d have to get that on your own.
Adam
Understood thanks.
The confusion came from the line that said “Interview with Your Airline Between 300-500 Hours Total Time”.
So you Interview while you still haven’t, met the required mins and can get accepted (for reimbursement and a future regional job) barring that you do complete your 1500 hours?
So this is what I am looking at ATP Timeline
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Achieve private- 3 months
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Achieve instrument- 2.5 to 3 months
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Commercial license- 3 months
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Become a Flight Instructor- during this time you can sign up with a regional that will pay some tuition reimbursement during your 500 to 1500 hours plus one year at regional. 5. At 1500 hours achieve ATP-CTP Cert that the regional will pay for during your new hire training. Once completed become airline pilot with that regional atleast for a year.
Please correct if I am wrong.
Thank you!!
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Think we’re clear now.
With job placement does reimbursement continue after you have 1500 hours (and you start flying for your new airline) or are you capped at $5000 of reimbursement money?
Nik,
ATP lays out the time line very nicely and specifically on the website: https://atpflightschool.com/airline-career-pilot-program/flight-training-timeline.html
As for the rest please all forget this “airline paying for your ATP-CTP training” stuff. The ATP-CTP will be done by the airline that hires you as part of your newhire training. Cool?
Adam
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Ben,
It’s both and it’s the same. The Tuition Reimbursement will continue after you’ve built your 1500hrs into your first year as a Regional pilot AND it’s capped at $5000.
Adam
Adam,
Greatly appreciated! Thank you!!
To clarify, ATP instructors can earn up to $5,000 in tuition reimbursement while instructing, then continue to receive $500 per month for at least twelve months when hired at a regional (another $6,000), for a total of $11,000 in total tuition reimbursement.
This is step 4 on the Tuition Reimbursement timeline:
After about 18 months as a flight instructor and with approximately $5,000 in airline tuition reimbursement received, you start your new hire class with your airline . $500 monthly payments continue to supplement first-year airline pay for at least 12 months.
https://atpflightschool.com/airline-career-pilot-program/tuition-reimbursement.html
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