Airfix

I'm not looking to leave my good quality regional life for an intermediate step up to Spirit, Virgin, Jet Blue or Frontier. I want to make one big jump to Delta, American, Alaska or United. The job fair companies seem to keep the list of airlines that will attend tight to their chest and most of my target airlines are not attending fairs. Is it worth pitching up to a job fair in the hopes that one of target companies will attend last minute. In short are job fairs worth it?

Airfix

ShyGuy

It sounds like you are above flying for a LCC. The legacies do job fairs like WAI or OBAP. Are you a part of those groups? There is also the FAPA or Aero crew job fairs, but Delta and AA haven't been at those. US Airways and United have done them, and from what I know from a couple friends who attended you spend hours and hours standing around for about 2-5 minute face time. US Airways doesn't even collect a resume at a job fair (it's apparently their policy). Hopefully you can get picked up at Delta/American/Alaska/United before your good quality regional life turns into a bad one.

JoeyMeatballs

Obviously the OP is joking, there is no such thing as "good quality regional".....

Qotsaautopilot

Or Joey since he threw in Alaska and may actually believe he has a good quality regional job, I'm going to guess Skywest. Don't worry delta has your number and will calling you for the first SLC vacancy.

Airfix

No, not above flying for a LCC, I've considered many of the LCC's. If I lived in a domicile for any of the LCC's I would go there in a heart beat. I know what I'm talking about when it comes to a good quality regional life which is a statement relative to other regionals. Being furlough fodder from my first I know the regionals are not the place for a career.

Where I work affords me the opportunity to work a second job pulling in good money. I wouldn't be able to do that commuting. I want my move up from the regionals to be to a place with good long term financial possibilities and movement opportunity. For the most part LCC's do not offer the good movement. Although the financials of LCC's are a hell of a lot better than the regionals except when combined with my loss of second job income it's just not worth it in the long term.

The question was directed at mainly at the FAPA or Aero Crew job fairs. On the surface it seems like a money making scam for the organizers. I don't like the idea of paying to have your resume float to the surface but I suppose this kind of thing is to be expected given how the rest of this industry works: They dangle carrot - we pay money - they make money - we anticipate worthy job - we get turd sandwich.

Airfix
****ing into the wind.

ghilis101

Job fairs are pretty much a must for Spirit.

My buddy who just got hired at DAL went to obap and he thinks that helped him out big time (we have similar qualifications, he went to obap and got the call. I didn't go to obap and I haven't gotten a call).

JetBlue values face time at job fairs as well, or so I was told at WAI this year. I didn't meet their TT requirement so I didn't get a call, but my buddy who did go to a job fair did get a call.

Your mileage may vary. I'd say for sure go to the next WAI if you can. The FAPA fairs are ok but the majors don't always show up.

MikeF16

I don't know the financials of either of the job fair companies you listed, and I don't think anybody knows for sure if attending a job fair helps at all; and if so, how much it helps except the hiring agents so this is my gut feeling.

When I looked at the Aerocrew Solutions job fair page, the only LCC or higher airline listed was Spirit which you have said you are not interested in (but AFAIK, the ONLY way to get a Spirit interview is strong internals or attend a job fair). While I'm sure it's possible the FAPA job fair gave a magical bump to somebody to get an interview with UAL I felt like all that fair really did was enrich the airlines by making me buy a round trip ticket (obviously doesn't apply to jump seaters) and FAPA who was too cheap to provide any coffee at all and enough water to last the day. The presentations were interesting, but you only needed to surf this board the following day to get the 90% solution of what the presenters said.

If you were interested in Spirit I would recommend one of their events, I would not attend a FAPA event, which as you so eloquently put tasted like a turd sandwich.