Originally Posted by Confusedaviator

Then I have thought of becoming a pilot in the US or Canada. Issue is the amount of hours one requires before moving to the majors.

Originally Posted by Confusedaviator

Another thing which annoys me, is the emphasis on seniority. In Europe, you can have a 25 year old flying an A380.

Originally Posted by Confusedaviator

You can also have a first year CRJ pilot earning a great amount of money (like at LH cityline)

Originally Posted by Confusedaviator

My questions are:

Is becoming a pilot in North America worth it?
You're going to get a huge variety of answers depending on who answers. Everyone's goals and situations are different. Generally speaking, if a pilot can land a job at a US major airline, they'll probably say it was worth it (until they get furloughed, their airline gets bought by another, goes bankrupt, liquidates, etc.) There are also some great non-airline flying jobs as well. My guess is that your odds of finding a flying job you would consider "worth" the effort are much higher in North America than elsewhere.
Is staying at the regionals worth it if you build seniority?
Again - it depends. It's not the final stop everyone wants, but some are quite content. Maybe they have great seniority and schedule control, live in their domicile and have found their niche. Max money may not be the measure they use and appreciate their quality of life far more.
Do North American carriers offer part-time work like European carriers? Or is the only way to work part-time is to build seniority and fly high credit trips? I don't really understand this question. Most US airlines allow trip drops and if you can handle losing the pay, you can work as little as you can afford. There is usually an annual minimum that a pilot needs to work in order to officially be considered a full-time employee. I've never heard of pilots being hired in a true part time status.

If I had the opportunity to become a pilot in the US, would commuting from Australia be possible, as a short-haul pilot with seniority? Most short haul schedules have just a few days in between trips. I seriously doubt you would want to commute back and forth from Australia for that. Even the long haul operations at US major airlines would make that commute pretty difficult. Not impossible but certainly not easy either. Lots of long haul ACMI operators and even FedEx have schedules with 2-ish weeks on and the rest of the month off. That would be the only option I would consider. Also, does anyone know whether one would be able to live in Australia(under immigration laws) but receive earnings from a US carrier and pay Australian tax? No idea.

Does one have to go through the regionals to make it to the majors? Would suffient amount of flight hours as an instructor or another type of pilot (such as bush flying) be adequate? Regionals are not a requirement. Most majors want turbine experience, so flight instructing usually doesn't fulfill that requirement. Bush flying might depending on the equipment. Typical routes to the majors besides RJs for US pilots are military, corporate or ACMI.

Sorry for the childish questions

Originally Posted by Adlerdriver

You see US major airline requirements to hire highly experienced pilots as an "issue"? That's an interesting perspective. Most new hires at the majors in the US are hired with previous command experience and are evaluated for their potential as future Captains when they go through the interview process. US major airlines don't bring in 250 hour minimally trained "cadets" and stick them in the right seat to learn as they go (as is done in other countries).

Well, I don't really see the problem with this. However, being hired with only 250 hours hasn't caused issues so far here in Europe nor in other countries, and I've spoken to a few pilots who agree with this sentiment. Nor does having a degree make you a well suited pilot.

First, there are no A380 operators in the US. If you're just using that to mean "big, international jet" - then let's use the 747. Second, you must be talking co-pilot of an A380. I seriously doubt there are many (if any) 25 year olds in command of an A380 in Europe.

From what I understand, British Airways uses a seniority system, does it not? Which highly desired European airlines don't use some form of seniority system? I wasn't aware that was a common thing. One minor point - age and seniority have nothing to do with each other. If a pilot was hired at a US major airline at a young age, they could be flying a 747 shortly after they were hired. The fact is, that most pilots hired at US major airlines are over 30 years old because they spend years attaining the qualifications necessary to be hired in the first place. Newly hired major airline pilots willing to sacrifice schedule control for pay can most likely fly any aircraft the airline operates after a very short time (assuming the airline is hiring and movement isn't stagnant).
There are plenty of young pilots flying 747s in the U.S. They just aren't doing it for a major airline. Major airlines in the US require pilots they hire to possess an Airline Transport Pilot's license. That has age limit of 23. So, it's possible for a newly minted 23 year old ATP holder who had the mins and knew the right people to get hired at a major. They could find themselves in the right seat of a 747 - however, there probably aren't many in that situation.

Yes, I understand that the 747 is the largest aircraft that are currently used by DL and UA. I was just using the A380 as an example. And I was also talking about being a FO I also understand there is no correlation between age and seniority, however, there is no denying that those with greater seniority at North American carriers, may tend to be older...

As for seniority within European carriers... It does certainly exist! However, I find that it doesn't dictate inequality when it comes to areas, such as where pilots bid to fly etc.. (Too much!)


That's great if a first year pilot can make a good wage. Perhaps that's because non-US airlines have to pay a premium to attract pilots. Simple supply and demand. Since flight training is so expensive in the UK and elsewhere, the availability of pilots isn't the same as the U.S.

Originally Posted by Adlerdriver

You see US major airline requirements to hire highly experienced pilots as an "issue"? That's an interesting perspective. Most new hires at the majors in the US are hired with previous command experience and are evaluated for their potential as future Captains when they go through the interview process. US major airlines don't bring in 250 hour minimally trained "cadets" and stick them in the right seat to learn as they go (as is done in other countries).

First, there are no A380 operators in the US. If you're just using that to mean "big, international jet" - then let's use the 747. Second, you must be talking co-pilot of an A380. I seriously doubt there are many (if any) 25 year olds in command of an A380 in Europe.

From what I understand, British Airways uses a seniority system, does it not? Which highly desired European airlines don't use some form of seniority system? I wasn't aware that was a common thing. One minor point - age and seniority have nothing to do with each other. If a pilot was hired at a US major airline at a young age, they could be flying a 747 shortly after they were hired. The fact is, that most pilots hired at US major airlines are over 30 years old because they spend years attaining the qualifications necessary to be hired in the first place. Newly hired major airline pilots willing to sacrifice schedule control for pay can most likely fly any aircraft the airline operates after a very short time (assuming the airline is hiring and movement isn't stagnant).
There are plenty of young pilots flying 747s in the U.S. They just aren't doing it for a major airline. Major airlines in the US require pilots they hire to possess an Airline Transport Pilot's license. That has age limit of 23. So, it's possible for a newly minted 23 year old ATP holder who had the mins and knew the right people to get hired at a major. They could find themselves in the right seat of a 747 - however, there probably aren't many in that situation.


That's great if a first year pilot can make a good wage. Perhaps that's because non-US airlines have to pay a premium to attract pilots. Simple supply and demand. Since flight training is so expensive in the UK and elsewhere, the availability of pilots isn't the same as the U.S.

Originally Posted by Confusedaviator

Regardless, whether you pay £84+ for your training or $50k+, I'm sure many would want a suitable starting salary...

Originally Posted by Confusedaviator

I always thought there was the opportunity to group trips together, thus, making commuting from a distance possible. I've heard of some UA pilots and cabin crew based in EWR doing this, when commuting from Europe for example.

Grouping trips is also possible at EU carriers.

Originally Posted by Kenny

You DO NOT want to pay Australian taxes, if you're working and being paid in the US. Firstly, Australian taxes are some of the highest in the world but also, as an American Citizen, you'll be required to file yearly tax returns and in addition, you'll pay US tax on anything over $93k.