After researching the various partnerships and pathways that ATP has I’m curious which is a faster route to American Airlines. I realize nothing is guaranteed just like anything in life but from the looks of it going the Envoy route is a direct crossover after 4.5 years and holding captain for two years whereas Skywest says 2 years and can interview at any of the major airlines. The way it is presented, in my opinion but not sure if I’m right, it appears you can get to American Airlines quicker through Skywest than their own regional airline through Envoy. Is there some truth to this?
Alex,
Maybe? So here’s the thing. Envoy is a wholly owned subsidiary of AA. While they have a direct flow to AA, AA also has a responsibility to keep Envoy staffed which means they’re not going to canibalize their own feeder. Because of that they’ll only take so many per year. SkyWest is independent so AA is a little less concerned and that could(?) mean you could get there faster than the flow.
In reality there’s literally no way of knowing which path will be faster as there are so many variables. Personally I’d choose the Regional that works best for me based on other priorities (bases, upgrade times, bonuses, etc etc etc). Choosing solely based on timing you could easily be wrong.
Adam
I’m with Adam here. I would pick the regional that you would be most happy spending several years at as y ou never really know how the timing will work out.
Chris
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Alex,
Generally speaking, the flows take longer to come to fruition than if you interviewed when qualified. However, the flow can be a safe backup knowing it will happen eventually.
I think the best bet is to take the regional that works best for you at the time. You never know, another big event could happen and you could be stuck there longer than planned. You want to be happy with your choice. If Envoy and Skywest have the same base and it’s a choice between just the airlines themselves, then think about the aircraft you want to fly, the pay, quality of life protections and then lastly the ease of transitioning to the next airline. If you interview well and, have a college degree and a strong resume you could take your chances and go without the flow.
Hannah
Thank you Hannah, Chris and Adam for your prompt replies. I appreciate your logical feedback that certainly makes sense. Both happen to have a hub in Phoenix, doesn’t necessarily mean that I would get my hub out the gate of course but game planning doesn’t hurt. =)
I started with ATP May 1st 2023 so I’m super green. I have my TOL evaluation tomorrow with my lead. With everything I’m learning I can’t help but keep thinking about the future as well. Even so I still have a very long way to go, the time will be here before ya know it and I want to have my choices pinned down as much as possible.
Thank you for your time and quick replies!
Alex,
We are always happy to help. Right now you focus really should be on your training, there will be time for choices like this later.
Chris
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Alex,
If you go to SkyWest’s home page down by the map you can click the seniority tab and see the most junior pilot to hold each base. That could help give you an idea of how long it could take you to hold phoenix. For example, the most junior CRJ pilot in PHX was hired 4/23 vs 10/22 on the ERJ.
I’m not sure if Envoy has a similar tool or not.
Hannah
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Alex,
Just thought I’d offer the Envoy perspective on this discussion. Firstly, I’d like to echo what the other mentors have discussed. Focus on being successful during training and you will have several options open when the time comes. When I started training, I thought Endeavor was the top regional, but post Covid and with recent pay raises across the country I’ve seen much less ambition to fly for them. I would always advise to avoid any commitment until you have a clear path and timeline to ATP minimums.
For SkyWest vs Envoy, Hannah has already mentioned the SkyWest scenario for bases and aircraft. I don’t think Envoy has a tool for that, but you are guaranteed the E175 (retired the E145 a few days ago) and the base selection will be what the company needs at the time you start. At the moment, the only senior base for Envoy is MIA captain. When I was at Indoc in January, every base was available, but afterwards they were only offering ORD, so it’s just purely what the staffing requires at the time of hire. I can tell you that the PHX base is brand new and I expected it to be senior, but some people from my class were able to transfer into it straight away. So at the moment I don’t see any major trouble holding PHX as a base (things can and will change!).
Which is the quickest route to American? As of right now, you could probably argue that it is any regional that is not wholly owned by American. However, things can change quick and having the flow in your back pocket is always a good safety net. And just because you are at a wholly owned regional (Envoy, PSA, Piedmont), it doesn’t mean that you can’t interview around the flow to get there quicker, it just doesn’t happen very often. American doesn’t want to cause a staffing issue for their own regional. But I’d say to try not to pick the regional you want to fly for by seeing which is the quickest way to a major. If another Covid happens or an economic downturn, would you be happy at your regional for a longer period of time? Bases, pay, bonuses, benefits, and overall quality of life should be a top priority. Pick the regional that works best for you!
Hope this helps,
Roscoe
Awesome. Thank you for your insight as well Roscoe. I’ve been reading the various questions on here since March and finally asked my own. You mentors are on top of it, very cool!
Thank you again All for your input, I’m sure I’ll be asking more and more questions as time goes on.
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