Career Path Question

[METARd]

If your ultimate goal is to work for a major one day, are you better off working and staying at a regional for a few years, or a 121 supplemental with heavy jet and international experience? The reason I ask is because I've been at a regional, but am intrigued by a job opportunity dispatching heavy jets internationally. From everything I've ever read it seems staying the regional route is the way to go.

 

[Heliman81]

My two cents... No matter what your goal is, it's never bad to get "new" experience at a different airline. You'll only see so much working the same aircraft day in and day out. Also don't be the person that gets stuck working at a regional. International is a whole other beast and IMO its a lot of fun.

 

[Flagship_dxer]

If you have a few years experience at a regional and get an offer from a Supplemental, I would take it. It shows you are trying to move up if the Supplemental company has ETOPS flying. All the majors do or are about to do ETOPS flying so that kind of experience helps but this big thing is that you are showing that you are trying to move up. Even better if you can get a management job in the Supplemental. Many are small and have steady attrition so getting management job is not impossible and can easily lead to interviews.

The biggest thing is putting yourself in position to get interviews with the majors. The interview is down to you to show them that you would be good fit for that company. Timing has a lot to do with getting hired but even more so is taking advantage of the interviews that you get. Apply to every major opening once you have 6 months to a years experience at a regional. If that doesnt seem to work, try becoming an equipment mover or dispatch supervisor at your current shop. If you get an offer at a Supplemental seriously consider taking that as well. All in time lead to interviews. HR and the hiring people like to see these on resumes.

 

[Flagship_dxer]

Remember, there are hundreds of people with friends, family, and internal experience at each major. Hundreds of people at the regionals, Supplementals, et all without those things as well that want a job at a major. People from all backgrounds can get interviews but the hiring managers cant hire everyone and make everyone happy who has friends, lovers, family that want a job. So when you get an interview, that is your big chance to make a good impression. Study your ass off and be like a check airman with knowledge and if you have a unique personality make sure you show the good side of whatever personality you have until you get off probation.

 

[mrezee]

I think a supplemental would be good experience. I just passed 1.5 years at my regional and in that time, I've only seen 3 people go to majors (from a regional with roughly 55 non-management dispatchers). Based on what I've heard from other dispatchers and read on here, major hiring is very sluggish at the moment compared to a few years ago. My fear stemming from that is that the regionals are becoming "saturated", i.e. many regional dispatchers are gaining a lot of experience and qualifications, leading to incredibly fierce competition for spots at the majors. I think supplemental dispatch, especially a position where you deal with international, ETOPS, drift-down, etc. would be valuable just to help you differentiate yourself from the large number of dispatchers applying to majors.

 

[DispatcherSam]

I think a supplemental would be good experience. I just passed 1.5 years at my regional and in that time, I've only seen 3 people go to majors (from a regional with roughly 55 non-management dispatchers). Based on what I've heard from other dispatchers and read on here, major hiring is very sluggish at the moment compared to a few years ago. My fear stemming from that is that the regionals are becoming "saturated", i.e. many regional dispatchers are gaining a lot of experience and qualifications, leading to incredibly fierce competition for spots at the majors. I think supplemental dispatch, especially a position where you deal with international, ETOPS, drift-down, etc. would be valuable just to help you differentiate yourself from the large number of dispatchers applying to majors.

Now having made the jump, I’ll tell you that your personality and a strong interview preparation is what is going to get you the job. You have to dig deep and find a way to stand out amongst hundreds of others who all have mostly the same qualifications you do. Make a great impression that you’ll be remembered by.

 

[thegriffinpages]

What does the dispatch career ladder look like within a company?

Everyone starts as a regular Dispatcher. Then what?

Supervisor? Managers?

What about other positions in the Operations Center? Don’t they have dedicated WX, ATC, MX, etc?

 

[who'swho]

What does the dispatch career ladder look like within a company?

Everyone starts as a regular Dispatcher. Then what?

Supervisor? Managers?

What about other positions in the Operations Center? Don’t they have dedicated WX, ATC, MX, etc?

The natural progression would be to a coordinator role then duty manager. You don't usually see dispatchers go to mx and vice versa. At the majors it's hardly worth it (IMO) to go beyond coordinator since those roles are encompassed in the union contract with great pay but none of the headaches after your shift is done. Quite a few dispatchers are content to remain dispatchers tho.

 

[who'swho]

If your ultimate goal is to work for a major one day, are you better off working and staying at a regional for a few years, or a 121 supplemental with heavy jet and international experience? The reason I ask is because I've been at a regional, but am intrigued by a job opportunity dispatching heavy jets internationally. From everything I've ever read it seems staying the regional route is the way to go.

Regional experience should almost be a requirement as your 1st dispatch gig. If you have an itch to dispatch international while waiting for a chance at a major then go the supplemental route after a couple years at a regional. Just don't get comfortable at the regional and don't start changing jobs every 18 months. 10 airlines in 15 years is not a good look on your resume.

 

[LastMinuteAirline]

If you decide to go the supplemental route, I advise really doing your research on the company. A lot of those airlines are barely hanging on. Job security may not be high. Some of them are also very disorganized which can make a dispatcher wearing many hats very busy/stressed. Also check out their online reviews. If a company treats their customers poorly, they will likely treat their employees poorly too. There are some great supplementals out there but there are also a whole lot of bad ones.

 

[nyk]

If you decide to go the supplemental route, I advise really doing your research on the company. A lot of those airlines are barely hanging on. Job security may not be high. Some of them are also very disorganized which can make a dispatcher wearing many hats very busy/stressed. Also check out their online reviews. If a company treats their customers poorly, they will likely treat their employees poorly too. There are some great supplementals out there but there are also a whole lot of bad ones.

I would like to add to this. Do your research on the supplemental company you want join. That burned me once as I was new and didn't know much.

 

[Flagship_dxer]

One thing to keep in mind is the hiring preferences of the majors. DL is almost entirely internal. AA and WN hire a majority of new hires internally. I dont know the percentage but UA also does at least some internal hiring. Fedex is mostly internal when they hire as well.

This hasnt always been the case. The recent pay raises at the majors have made this job attractive to people that in the past maybe wouldnt have been that interested in dispatch. Everyone wants in on the dispatch gravy train. If you are at a regional, you need to keep this in mind. Also know that heavy internal hiring without prior experience often eventually leads to a class or two with a high failure rate. This can easily lead to a switch the AA/WN preference to majority external from the regionals. But until that happens, I would focus on the majors that have a preference for majority hiring from external sources. Thus UPS and UA and apply and hope for the best with AA/WN.

You could apply for a crew scheduling or load planning/ops agent job at AA or WN but this is no guarantee for an interview and can take a long time to get an interview. If you have started down the regional path, you might want to stay on that path. Envoy is a great regional to go to if you want to get an interview or hired by AA or WN. Skywest is great to go to if you want to have all your bases covered as every major sans Fedex/DL like to hire a lot from Skywest.

Look at who is getting hired and from where and chase that source. A Supplemental can be a big help in getting an interview and showing you have international experience but you might want to consider applying to Envoy or Skywest as those places tend to have a higher number that make it to a major.

 

[thegriffinpages]

One thing to keep in mind is the hiring preferences of the majors. DL is almost entirely internal. AA and WN hire a majority of new hires internally. I dont know the percentage but UA also does at least some internal hiring. Fedex is mostly internal when they hire as well.

This hasnt always been the case. The recent pay raises at the majors have made this job attractive to people that in the past maybe wouldnt have been that interested in dispatch. Everyone wants in on the dispatch gravy train. If you are at a regional, you need to keep this in mind. Also know that heavy internal hiring without prior experience often eventually leads to a class or two with a high failure rate. This can easily lead to a switch the AA/WN preference to majority external from the regionals. But until that happens, I would focus on the majors that have a preference for majority hiring from external sources. Thus UPS and UA and apply and hope for the best with AA/WN.

You could apply for a crew scheduling or load planning/ops agent job at AA or WN but this is no guarantee for an interview and can take a long time to get an interview. If you have started down the regional path, you might want to stay on that path. Envoy is a great regional to go to if you want to get an interview or hired by AA or WN. Skywest is great to go to if you want to have all your bases covered as every major sans Fedex/DL like to hire a lot from Skywest.

Look at who is getting hired and from where and chase that source. A Supplemental can be a big help in getting an interview and showing you have international experience but you might want to consider applying to Envoy or Skywest as those places tend to have a higher number that make it to a major.

Thank you. This is extremely helpful! I've been told that both SkyWest and Envoy should have openings coming up in the next couple months. I'd like to get on at either of those. I'd also look at Republic when they hire again. Those are probably my top three, but not to say I won't apply to others that open.

We'll see what shakes out and I'll keep researching the Supplemental companies.

 

[Flying Saluki]

If your ultimate goal is to work for a major one day, are you better off working and staying at a regional for a few years, or a 121 supplemental with heavy jet and international experience? The reason I ask is because I've been at a regional, but am intrigued by a job opportunity dispatching heavy jets internationally. From everything I've ever read it seems staying the regional route is the way to go.

Forget about what it takes to get to the majors, and think about what it takes to grow as a professional. Don't go into a job with your eye on the door. Go into the job with the attitude that your are going to retire there, and make the most of it. You should be always seeking new challenges and new opportunities to learn. Grow in your job. If you're offered an opportunity to do something amazing (besides simply releasing flights), TAKE IT. Be an instructor, Be a check airman, or supervisor, Volunteer for extra projects around the office that will improve how the airline improves it's dispatch work. Join the professional associations. Work within them to improve the profession and your skills within in.

Doing these things will be the best way to improve your chances at getting hired with a major.

 

[MT]

Don't go into a job with your eye on the door. Go into the job with the attitude that your are going to retire there, and make the most of it. You should be always seeking new challenges and new opportunities to learn. Grow in your job. If you're offered an opportunity to do something amazing (besides simply releasing flights), TAKE IT. Be an instructor, Be a check airman, or supervisor, Volunteer for extra projects around the office that will improve how the airline improves it's dispatch work. Join the professional associations. Work within them to improve the profession and your skills within in..

Some very good points here, but be careful with this line of thinking. Promotability, experience with other parts of the SOC environment, and management experience are all great things and something that could give you a leg up at a major airline.

But going in with the attitude that you’re gonna retire from your regional may be slightly misguided. If you want to get on at a major, the worst thing you can do is get comfortable at a regional. With the turnover at regionals it’s easy to find yourself promoted and making more money, not a bad thing, but it does make it harder when you might be looking at a $10-$15,000 pay cut to start over again at a major at the bottom of the scale. Regional managers aren’t stupid and they know that they’re a stepping stone for 90% of dispatchers on the way to majors. It’s ok to have those aspirations, just don’t throw them in your mangers face every day.

 

[thegriffinpages]

Some very good points here, but be careful with this line of thinking. Promotability, experience with other parts of the SOC environment, and management experience are all great things and something that could give you a leg up at a major airline.

But going in with the attitude that you’re gonna retire from your regional may be slightly misguided. If you want to get on at a major, the worst thing you can do is get comfortable at a regional. With the turnover at regionals it’s easy to find yourself promoted and making more money, not a bad thing, but it does make it harder when you might be looking at a $10-$15,000 pay cut to start over again at a major at the bottom of the scale. Regional managers aren’t stupid and they know that they’re a stepping stone for 90% of dispatchers on the way to majors. It’s ok to have those aspirations, just don’t throw them in your mangers face every day.

Have any idea what the top of the payscale looks like at the regionals (let's use Envoy as an example) assuming you get promoted and take on other responsibilities in the SOC?

I've been told that top out for regular dispatchers is about 50k or so...

 

[MT]

$50-$75 depending on what position

 

[thegriffinpages]

$50-$75 depending on what position

Still respectable in my book for sure.

Majors seem to start around 55k or so. I'd guess when 50k - 60k rolls in that would be decision making time for a move to the majors depending on who becomes available.

 

[MT]

Still respectable in my book for sure.

Majors seem to start around 55k or so. I'd guess when 50k - 60k rolls in that would be decision making time for a move to the majors depending on who becomes available.

It sounds like a tough decision and not to minimize anyone’s personal situations, but it shouldn’t be. The earning potential at a major far exceeds that of a career in the regionals. So a $10-25k pay cut today results in a job paying $120kish minimum top out after about 10 years. You are back at your old pay rate within 1-3 years and then have other benefits on top of it.

Not to mention higher priority on your airline when traveling.

Of course, if money isn’t your driving factor then my whole point is moot.

 

[thegriffinpages]

It sounds like a tough decision and not to minimize anyone’s personal situations, but it shouldn’t be. The earning potential at a major far exceeds that of a career in the regionals. So a $10-25k pay cut today results in a job paying $120kish minimum top out after about 10 years. You are back at your old pay rate within 1-3 years and then have other benefits on top of it.

Not to mention higher priority on your airline when traveling.

Of course, if money isn’t your driving factor then my whole point is moot.

Yeah, I agree with that. It just makes sense to go that direction and 55k is definitely a livable wage (for me at least) so its not like I'd be broke at the bottom of the major's pay scale.