BE PREPARED

Q. I have an interview next week, and have been asked to bring a copy of my FAA ATP Written results, which I cannot find. The FAA claims that they have no way of expediting my request to accommodate my interview. Should I delay my appointment, or show up without the requested document?

A. In our business, seniority is king. Before delaying an opportunity anywhere, I would have to be convinced beyond any doubt that the delayed paperwork would necessarily cause a problem. Frankly, I would expect that your ATP Written results are something the company could live without during this portion of your candidacy. However, you have failed the 48-hour preparedness rule!

The dynamics of airline businesses, create an atmosphere where marketing and management decisions lead to frantic action at the operations level. Smaller, niche airlines may close a deal to provide air service between cities in less than 30 days with an aircraft it does not currently possess to be flown by crews it does not yet employ. In my own experience, I have been called to interviews on three occasions requesting my presence within 24 hours. Another time, a major airline offered me an interview within three business days.

The lesson here is that you must be ready—all of the time! The objective below is to create the “mother of all checklists.”

I. Documents

• 10-20 copies of your résumé
• 5-10 original letters of recommendation
• Copies of all FAA licenses
• FCC Radio Telephone Operator’s Permit
• Current Passport
• Birth Certificate
• Current drivers license
• Social Security Card
• Marriage Certificate
• Current Class I Medical issued within six calendar months
• Sealed college transcripts
• Any FAA accident or incident reports
• Any FAA letters of investigation and any related correspondence
• Original and electronic logbooks
• Military flying history report
• Military separation papers
• Driver’s records for at least the past 10 years from each state where you have possessed a drivers license
• FAA Written results for ATP and F/E (if applicable)
• Credit history

II. Information to have at your fingertips

• Complete address history
• Names and addresses of schools attended since elementary
• Complete employment history including company names, addresses, supervisors’ names and telephone numbers. If the company no longer exists, current contact information for individuals who can verify you employment information
• Military Flight Records, Performance Reports, and verifying information for courses completed, commendations, awards, and designations
• Documentation related to any criminal violations or civil judgments
• Dates and locations of all traffic violations
• Current addresses and telephone numbers for those providing personal or professional recommendations
• Copies of applications sent to every airline
• Copies of cover letters sent to every airline
• Personal business cards

III. Recommendations

• Request a copy of your credit report once per year from each of the reporting agencies.

There are Web sites that facilitate this process, or you may request reports directly from the agencies (http://www.credit.equifax.com, http://www.experian.com, and http://www.transunion.com). Most states require one of more free credit report requests per year, which may only be obtained by mail. One per year should be sufficient unless you suspect identity theft, fraud or errors.

• Request a copy of your National Drivers Registrar history
  This request is similar to your credit reports in that you are sifting for errors, which do occur. Only significant traffic violations (Driving Under the Influence and reckless driving), suspensions and revocations are maintained in this government database. (202) 366-2743.
• Review your logbook(s) thoroughly for errors and omissions
• Complete the AIR, APPS online application completely at www.airapps.com
  This will assist you greatly, as nearly every possible expression of your flight experience will be at your fingertips, even if your airline does not yet subscribe to the service.
• Contact previous employers, supervisors and authors of your letters of recommendation to confirm your information is current
• Request your entire record from the FAA.
  This will include every FAA checkride and medical application. This request must be made by mail directly to Oklahoma City. The records are public, though not often sought by employers. Definitely worth $10 for the peace of mind knowing that the date information you provide is accurate.
• Obtain your FBI background check.

You will receive information identical to that received by prospective FAR 121 employers. This requires that you prepare a written request for your FBI record that includes your complete name, address, and date of birth, copy of your passport or other government identification, set of rolled-ink fingerprints, and an $18 certified check payable to the U.S. Treasury. Send all these materials to:

FBI – CJIS Division SCU-MOD-D2 1000 Custer Hollow Road, Clarksburg, WV 26306

For many, this may seem to be an overwhelming undertaking. While there may be some overkill, there is not a document or any information listed above that has not been requested by interviewing companies at some point. Once gathered, keeping these documents current is not overwhelming, and the entire packet will probably consume only a small portion of an office file drawer. The peace of mind obtained when entering an interview setting knowing that you are prepared to provide any document requested is difficult to measure.

Documents from the first group are commonly requested. Keeping ready-to-distribute copies of these will prove helpful to you. Items from the second group may be requested or may assist you in responding to background questions. If you notice an omission based on your experience, please let us know!

RETURN TO HIRING?

Q. I have read several accounts recently that indicate the airline industry may be on the road to recovery. If true, how long before the big airlines begin to bring pilots back and hire?

A. There are some encouraging signs. Of course, everything is relative. Investors desperately want to believe that recovery looms. Major airline stock prices plummeted 50 percent in the days after 9/11. By March 2002, values were restored to pre-9/11 levels. Six months later, prices dropped by more than 75 percent—even more for airlines that fell into bankruptcy. Now, prices have doubled, but still linger at less than one-half August 2001 levels. This crazy ride demonstrates the incredible volatility of the industry, and hammers the important point home that our focus must be on preserving and advancing our career, not waiting for analysts and investors to magically transform our professional lives.

That said, one cannot help but appreciate the positive trends of late. Load factors (percentage of total available seat-miles filled) began a trend upward in late April, and seems to be strengthening through the summer. Revenue per available seat mile, down close to 20 percent since 2000, has improved by a percentage point or two at Continental Airlines, one of the few carriers that discloses monthly revenue numbers rather than waiting for quarterly results. Executives from Continental, Northwest, Lufthansa, Southwest, United, and Delta have all indicated that traffic and revenue may have “bottomed out,” which, strangely, is profoundly optimistic for this era.

In fact, after 17 months with absolutely nothing to celebrate at the major airlines, let’s enjoy some refreshingly positive quotes:

“We’re finally starting to generate some revenue, and our recent performance in May is looking strong.” — Bill Arpey, CEO American Airlines.

“Things have stabilized. Things are not getting worse.” — Jim Parker, CEO Southwest Airlines.

“I think the very worst is over.” — Leo Mullin, CEO Delta Air Lines.

The economy, while sluggish in its recovery, seems to have weathered the ominous threat of dipping back into recession. The major combat campaign in Iraq was mercifully short. The effects of SARS, more dramatic than the war in the Middle East to worldwide airline traffic, is abating. The scope of cost-cutting initiatives has been identified and, in some cases, implemented at the major network airlines. Final furlough numbers have been announced by most carriers.

Most agree, however, that the current recovery is modest, and full recovery likely will not occur before 2005, and then only because airlines will have realized the benefits of lower cost structures, lower industry capacity, and modest upward pressure on revenues.

The reality for those pilots seeking new or restored employment at one of the large airlines is not dramatic. Demand for the air travel services provided by traditional hub- and-spoke airlines needs to increase considerably to fall in line with current, reduced capacity. Once that is accomplished, airlines will be extremely conservative with capital expenditures on new routes, equipment, and payroll. Instead, most will concentrate on reducing debt. For most airlines, it will take a good five years of performance matching the record years of 1998-2000 to get back on track. The operating performance by the airlines that typically yielded a $1 billion profit in 2000 would translate into a profit in 2005, for instance, of less than one-half that. The reason, of course, is the incredible debt loads now faced by most of the airlines.

Please do not construe this information as negative. Current traffic and revenue trends offer the most reason for optimism in a very long time. The improvement came at a crucially important time, and very well could form the basis of a sustained recovery. However, it is important to understand that the foundation for recovery is a relatively small but necessary first step of many. Unlike previous decades where famine gave way to feast by the middle years, expecting more than sustenance adequate for survival may be too much this go round.

PRIA CHECKS

Q. My current company is quite sensitive to pilots seeking jobs elsewhere. Some prospective airlines seek permission to correspond with my employer during the screening phase of my candidacy. Would it look bad for me to request that airlines wait until I am hired to conduct this portion of the process?

A. The Pilot Record Improvement Act of 1996 requires that airlines gather information related to your employment during the five years leading up to your application. Requests for training information is mandated by the government, and receipt of the information is required prior to your first flight with the new company. Many airlines offer the option to refrain from contacting your current employer until a conditional offer of employment is extended. There should be no penalty for requesting this option.

The fact is that most airlines will not submit these requests until a conditional offer of employment has been accepted. This leaves the highly unusual circumstance where a prospective airline does not offer the option to delay notification to your current employer and processes your application immediately. For these few instances, it is probably not worth taking any action or losing any sleep. If the issue is extraordinarily sensitive, you could include the request with your application paperwork. Simply include a brief note indicating that you would prefer that correspondence with your current valued employer not occur until an offer for employment is imminent.