Your experience as a pilot is measured by how many hours you have spent flying airplanes. Every company requires a minimum amount of flight time to be considered for hire. Additionally, you must have 1,500 flight hours before you can apply for a job with an airline. You will likely finish your initial flight training with 200 – 400 hours. The best way to meet the 1,500-hour threshold will be to work as a certified flight instructor. There are other avenues, but the CFI route is the fastest, and most beneficial to your overall career.

There are several different types of companies that you could work for at this point: regional airlines, charter companies, or even cargo-carrying operators. The most popular route is through the regional airlines. These companies operate the smaller jets that fly shorter distances to and from large hub airports. They may be branded as American Airlines, Delta or United but they are separate companies operating under contract with the major airline. After a year or two as a first officer with a regional, you may be upgraded to captain, where you will accumulate experience very quickly.  

Careers at regional airlines are quickly becoming more lucrative. Pay rates and hiring bonuses have pushed 1st year pay levels over $60,000. As you continue to accrue hours and experience, more opportunities will become available to you. You’ll eventually be able to upgrade to larger airplanes, upgrade to captain, or move to a major airline or corporate flight department. These upgrades all warrant an increase in salary and many pilots are making in excess of $100,000/year within 3 years of beginning their first co-pilot job.