Contract Airline Services


"We are the protagonists of our stories called life, and there is no limit to how high we can fly."


PHD. MBA. MHS. Type rated on A350, A330, B777, B747-400, B747-200, B757, B767, B737, B727. International Airline Pilot / Author / Speaker. Dedicated to giving the gift of wings to anyone following their dreams. Supporting Aviation Safety through training, writing, and inspiration. Fighting for Aviation Safety and Airline Employee Advocacy. Safety Culture and SMS change agent.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Monday Motivation... It's all about Delta Air Lines


“We have forty million reasons for failure, but not a single excuse.”
Rudyard Kipling


How to get hired by Delta Airlines week
But first, what’s on the horizon….


Delta is in the process of working more closely with regional carriers and, in the very near future, we'll see an alignment of the Regional’s interview process with that of Delta’s. What a relief that will be— If you’ve seen it once, you’ll know what to expect. But what this also tells us is that the Delta will be using the Regional Carriers as the first gateway enroute to a position with Delta. What a great opportunity for Delta to see the strength of their candidates before they hire them. Does this mean you won't be hired if you don't work for a Regional carrier? Of course not. But your resume must be really strong.


In the past, if you interviewed at Delta and failed one of the tests, you could come back for a second try. But if you failed the interview, which is far more subjective than the tests... someone just didn’t think you were right for whatever reason... you could not reapply. That has changed. Now, if you are not accepted because the interviewer didn’t feel you were right, you can come back for another chance. Just because you may not be ready now, that doesn’t mean in a year you won’t be ready to be a Delta pilot in the future. 


MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:  Please click HERE and all those questions will be answered.

COLLEGE:

How important is the college you attend?  Extremely—If you want to be at the top of the hiring list.  

Delta weighs heavily on the Ab-initio schools. These are aviation universities such at Embry Riddle or North Dakota University, for example, where aviation training is built into the school curriculum. The student pops out at the end of their college experience with a four-year college degree and their commercial, instrument, multi-engine and instructor ratings. I suspect most of our next generation pilots will come from these schools. The great news is that when a pilot attends an Abi-initio school the “required” hours to fly for the airlines….per the new and pending regulation… will be reduced. To what? We don’t know yet. But students will receive credit. That 1500 minimum for a first officer won't be applicable to these students.


YOUR FIRST JOB:

Delta is partnering with their Delta Connection carriers in more ways that one. Our connection carriers will be selecting pilots from the Ab-initio schools, too. Pilot’s who have passed the hiring phase at one of these Delta connection airlines, which will be similar to Delta's hiring process, and have successfully passed training, and are flying the line… Yes, that will put push them up the list.


I’m thinking…. Getting a job with one of the following Delta Connection carriers is a GREAT idea!

Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA)
Chautauqua Airlines
Comair
Mesaba
Pinnacle Airlines
Shuttle America
SkyWest

My idea to offer young people who are passionate about their aviation career a guaranteed interview with Delta when they're qualified, well, they will have that opportunity if they attend an Ab-initio school and fly for a Delta connections first. But they must meet the other requirements too.

Delta had 7000 applicants for a couple hundred positions. What will get you noticed above and beyond everyone else?

Tomorrow... How important are grades? What about PIC time... are those hours essential? Is total time the key? What do they mean about diversity?

Enjoy the Journey!

~ Karlene

20 comments:

  1. like like like... soon we shall be flying together Karlene!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Awesome info Karlene! I wish blogging had been around when I was considering a career in aviation. A post like this would've been a life saver. Now, I'm just too old to get started, but I still enjoy watching from the sidelines.

    :-)

    Rafael

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great information, Karlene. This will help so many people!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you very much Karlene san!
    From this information, to become employee at big airline companies like Delta and Delta connection are difficult.That is why life is fun.
    I hope that I can write strong resume and show my passion in interview.:))
    Unfortunately,I am going to go to another flying academy .but If I have chance to apply,I do want to apply for your company in the future:)
    I think that I need to get high standards of aviator skills, safety, professionalism, and customer focus during student life.

    Have a great day,Karlene san!!
    Jun

    ReplyDelete
  5. Rafael, I too wish blogging were around when I was young! Okay... we are young. How old are you? Let me be the judge if you're too old. Trust me, you never are until you think you are!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thank you Linda! And it will get better.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Jun, you go to your flight academy and get excellent grades. You will be surprised what you can do. I am looking forward to flying with you one day too!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love that you're helping so many break into the industry Karlene! This is another great avenue you are providing to people. :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. So... Delta connection carrier: check. Going to school at Embry-Riddle... sort of check. (online classes and not done yet). I wonder if getting ratings in a non-schooling environment will make a difference? I feel like my training was pretty good compared to many folks I've talked to that attended one of these schools, but overall I understand why they would prefer to see that.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Delta is where I would love to be, however there is something that one has to take into consideration- while I dont know the exact numbers, like you eluded to there are a small number of openings and a great deal of applicants- on top of that, there are numerous highly qualified pilots who are currently on furlough from major carriers along with regionals. I also know there are a lot of pilots who have been stuck at regionals for the past few years and are eyeing the majors. There is such a huge applicant pool competing for just a few slots at Delta, which makes me wonder about the chances of actually getting hired there in the next decade or so. Yes there are going to be lots of retirements from DAL, however I can almost guarentee there will be more than enough applicants. So my question is...why would Delta want to hire someone who had just graduated a few years prior and been at a regional for just a few years versus people who have been there building time since 9/11 when everything went downhill?
    Dan
    (sorry, didn't mean to be the debbie downer on all this :) )

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thank you so much Heather. The more information, the better prepared.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hi Danielle, this school advice is for those students heading down the path of wanting to be pilots. Yes, there are many pilots, like yourself, that are outstanding candidates and didn't begin with the ab-initio schools. Your excellence at the connection carrier is great. Read tomorrow about diversity. I'm going to see a check there too. :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hi Debbie Dan Downer... haha. Okay... why? That's an excellent question. And tomorrow I will be able to answer your question...I hope.
    But remember a huge factor you didn't consider: We are headed for a pilot shortage.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Sounds fantastic, but are we really heading for a pilot shortage? Pilot schools all over the world have been saying this for years and years, but far too many newly qualified pilots are not in gainful employment flying planes with huge debts to pay off for their training. The huge cost puts lots of potential pilots off training with no prospects of a job at the end of it :(

    ReplyDelete
  15. YES! We are heading for a pilot shortage. Look at all the seniority lists, and the age of the pilots. There will not be enough to fly for the majors and the commuters. The only determination is whether or not they stay until 65. I think this had a huge role in extending the retirement age. Those in the military are not leaving... the pay and benefits are better. Yes... check out the numbers. I actually posted Delta's on a post. Try the search box and let me know if you find it.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I will do my best to learn how to fly in the near future not to regret future.Thank you for kind word,Karlene san.You have a great day:))take care of you and your family!!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Yes, I certainly believe that there will be a pilot shortage! Many of my friends who are excellent pilots don't want to work for a major airline simply because the pay is too low, and those who do work for a major airline have a second job to compensate for the miserable starting salaries. I'm not sure that the de-regulation of the Airlines, by Ronald Reagan, was a good idea. Any thoughts on that?

    ReplyDelete
  18. Oh Michele, not to go political on my blog...but... While de-regulation was good in theory, there is nothing that has messed our industry up as much as de-regulation has. I could write volumes on how this is not a good thing. Oh...wait... I do, in my novel. :)

    Yeah, not a good thing. We need to re-regulate the industry for sure. I'm just saying...

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for your comment! If your comment doesn't appear immediately, it will after I land. Enjoy the journey!