I’ve been doing a lot of research on here and I’ve got a few questions still left unanswered regarding the transition from student to CFI for ATP and then the flow to Regionals. First, does ATP offer insurance (Health, dental, etc) while you’re working as a CFI? Secondly, there are several regional partnerships with ATP and it seems that the partnership with Envoy seems to be the most popular, and the pathway to American seems the most lucrative, however, looks may be deceiving so do any of you have any advice on which regional airlines are the best to transition to considering salary potential, retirement, insurance, and opportunity. Lastly, I currently live in the Charlotte (CLT) area and would prefer to eventually work for a regional or major that bases here. Are there any regionals in this area currently? I assumed Envoy would be because of their connection with American, however, from what I can tell they aren’t. Thanks!
When you flight instruct for ATP you’re an independent contractor and as such there are no benefits from ATP. However, some of the Regional partners will extend benefits to instructors who sign a conditional letter of employment.
As for which partnership is best this industry is incredibly dynamic. The Regional offering the best opportunities today might not be the best when you’re ready. Further there’s really no such thing as “best” as what’s highest on my list of priorities might not be yours. Alot can change between now and the time you’re actually ready. Until then it’s all just speculation and it may be the best Regional is the one that offers you a position depending on how you do in training.
While ATP does not offer their CFIs insurance, the Envoy cadet program you speak of does. Full medical and dental, if I’m not mistaken. Standby travel benefits with American as well, however you won’t have many opportunities to use them as a CFI.
Piedmont and PSA are two very well paying regionals with large crew bases in CLT, and I believe it is a growing hub for both majors and regionals. I’m sure someone will correct me if I’m wrong about that.
Piedmont and PSA pay well, however you will do a lot of flying to the same cities over and over, and they’re named things like Shreveport, Akron, Peoria, Evansville etc. Then there is SkyWest that flies to 250 destinations all over North America, but pay is considerably less to start off. So it all depends on what you’re looking for and what suits your lifestyle in choosing a regional.
Adam, I see you posting on these forums often and I just want to tell you that I, along with many others I’m sure, appreciate your attentiveness to these forums. Thank you for the information. I’ve got a little one due in 7-months so insurance is a big deal, and with my government job right now my family has a lot of financial security with insurance, but the growth potential is stagnate and I love flying (I have three hours, not much but enough for me to know) of PIC time in a Cessna, coupled with growth potential. So 401K, retirement, and insurance are big deals to me when looking at potential regionals to work for. I already have my Master’s in Business so I’m hoping that gives me an extra competitive edge. Thanks again for your advice.
Thank you for telling me about PSA, Piedmont, an SkyWest. I knew there had to be at last one regional based out of Charlotte. There is a lot that the marketing materials on the websites don’t tell you so I’m thankful for these forums to be able to get an insiders point of view on it. Thank you again!
ATP instructors are independent contractors, so there are no benefits offered. There are benefits offered through the Envoy Cadet program, which I highly recommend doing.
The best airline is the one who hires you Beyond that though, there are many factors to consider when looking at airlines. What may be important to you, might not be to somebody else.
As for the Master’s degree, while it will be a nice thing to put on your resume, do not expect it to give you much of an edge. The airlines are hiring pilots and that means flight time and flight experience. At some point, everything else is ancillary to that.
Beyond that though, there are many factors to consider when looking at airlines. What may be important to you, might not be to somebody else.