Delta TBNT
Posted by notagreatpilot@reddit | flying | View on Reddit | 31 comments
I had an interview at Delta recently and was pulled aside and told it wasn’t my day. I Genuinely really enjoyed the interview process and had a blast getting to know everyone. I really thought the panel interview went quite well, and I emphasized my goals of becoming a Delta pilot. Those that weren’t successful were told 3 month wait to be eligible again for interview. We all received the same email mentioning no such timeline later that night. How long could I expect to wait for my next shot?
2800tt
220tpic
4 year degree
2 checkride fails
I’m a captain on the phenom at a large fractional. I feel as though this is keeping me from going to a legacy. Would it be shooting myself in the foot by going to a place like frontier or breeze to get better experience. Or could I actually expect more legacy interviews as a fractional captain? Would Delta still interview me again if I made a career switch?
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
driving environment sucks right now. The post-Covid hiring boom is gonna mean a really nasty hangover for a lot of people who didn’t get in on it. All of the legacies have more pilots than I’ve ever had ever. And so they’re only hiring to cover retirements right now. All of this stuff with the tariffs and the oil prices are not going to make them want to bump up their numbers either.
BagOfMoneyNoChange@reddit
Delta is absolutely not hiring to cover retirements. Latest projection was almost 2000 pilots, with training going through the summer.
Swimming_Way_7372@reddit
The projection I heard was closer to 800. That was from a recruiter so I don't know what value that holds.
BagOfMoneyNoChange@reddit
We've already hired more than that this year...
Swimming_Way_7372@reddit
Perhaps I was hearing the additional amount they were looking for. Thanks for setting me straight.
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
And what are retirements?
BagOfMoneyNoChange@reddit
Around 500.
SubstantialTry9291@reddit
Most everyone who goes back the second time gets the job.
changgerz@reddit
if you got called with that total time id say thats a good sign even with a tbnt after the interview. 3 months to reapply isnt bad, i think youll have a good chance with more hours
kiwi_love777@reddit
Agreed. And 3 months is great. My buddy got a “please reapply in 6 months” although that was a few years ago.
I think 3 months is a good sign.
OP is there anything else you can do at your fractional? Like be a mentor pilot for new hires or instruct, become a Checkairmen?
notagreatpilot@reddit (OP)
Becoming a check airman at my company is extremely hard. I may be able to become an IOE instructor in about 8 months.
BagOfMoneyNoChange@reddit
Coming from a fractional is fine. If that's what was holding you back, you wouldn't have gotten an interview.
Who did you use for interview prep?
notagreatpilot@reddit (OP)
Emerald coast, although I regret using prep in general as it became apparent throughout the morning that it was going to do more harm than good. Can’t help to feel that if I had just sat back in my chair and didn’t use the STAR format I would’ve done better. They even had a couple cool questions about some of my hobbies and a sport I played in college.
HU_HU_HUMPDAY@reddit
Agree with you there. I’ve flown with guys that do hiring, they can tell when people used emerald coast and they don’t love it. Spitfire was started basically as a direct response to how emerald coast works. At the end of the day the Delta interview is a personality interview, which is why it doesn’t work if you’re too scripted.
Muted-Rhubarb2143@reddit
I just have no idea why you would post this. Talking your career stuff out loud, don’t you have a real mentor? I’m no Delta but I do hire pilots, I don’t really want to bring on people who blab to social media or a forum any time anything happens. You have made yourself instantly identifiable to them and while you’ve not made any sort of objectionable remark you have outed yourself as an active internet user which is a distinction rapidly growing in stigma.
MehCFI@reddit
Your time is just low reapply later
jdubz9999@reddit
I got hired with less than that. It’s all image and personality once you get the AON
Flimsy-Ad-858@reddit
If total time was the issue he wouldn't have been given an interview
andrewrbat@reddit
You are pretty low in terms of total and tpic time. I got hired with about 3500 tt, 2000 121 time, of which about 400 was 121 pic, and that was 4 yrs ago when it was a little less competitive.
Iirc they used to make people wait 6 months or more to reapply so they must have changed it.
Keep on doing your thing, and work on the hours. I know several pilots who were hired on their second or third try.
MenRest@reddit
The time doesn’t matter once you have the interview. It’s about how you answered the questions and carried yourself.
Did you use a prep company?
Murphy0317@reddit
What did you do for prep out of curiosity? Log book review? Prep Service? Thanks
notagreatpilot@reddit (OP)
I used emerald coast. Didn’t get too much out of it. I would just buy airlineinterviews.com and read the question bank. I had been thinking that it could be my logbooks that aren’t great. I still use paper logs, but I printed my company certified times for the interview. What review service would you recommend?
Murphy0317@reddit
Thanks. Yeah, I don’t have a recommendation. I was finally thinking of putting an app in. 121 legacy has never been my goal. But 91 burnout is real. Thanks for the write up.
stuck_inmissouri@reddit
Keep plugging. This is slow but not zero. Large fractional as PIC means you’re making good money and flying enough to move that experience needle.
In the bad times it was no hiring. Then when the hiring started there were people with 15 years at the regionals and 10,000 TPIC being asked “why did you stay at that shit regional for so many years?”
Neither-Way-4889@reddit
220 TPIC is the number to work on. Usually the minimum for Delta is closer to 1,000. The only person I've personally seen get hired with less than that is my buddy who was a former mil pilot, but that's just an anecdote so take that for what it's worth.
sprulz@reddit
They’ve been hiring a lot of folks without TPIC this year.
Neither-Way-4889@reddit
Ah, that is good to know. My knowledge is a few cycles old at this point so glad to see they made that change
BrettSchirley22@reddit
Just not true
notagreatpilot@reddit (OP)
Half my interview class of 18 people had 0 TPIC. Another 1/4 of us have been captains for under a year. 4 people were unsuccessful.
Outrageous_Duck3227@reddit
fractional captain time is still good time, delta and the other legacies know what a phenom captain does, that’s not killing you man, it’s just numbers and timing… right now everyone is clawing for the same few spots, hiring feels insanely slow
rFlyingTower@reddit
This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:
I had an interview at Delta recently and was pulled aside and told it wasn’t my day. I Genuinely really enjoyed the interview process and had a blast getting to know everyone. I really thought the panel interview went quite well, and I emphasized my goals of becoming a Delta pilot. Those that weren’t successful were told 3 month wait to be eligible again for interview. We all received the same email mentioning no such timeline later that night. How long could I expect to wait for my next shot?
2800tt
220tpic
4 year degree
2 checkride fails
I’m a captain on the phenom at a large fractional. I feel as though this is keeping me from going to a legacy. Would it be shooting myself in the foot by going to a place like frontier or breeze to get better experience. Or could I actually expect more legacy interviews as a fractional captain? Would Delta still interview me again if I made a career switch?
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