Applicant FAQ

“Overall, my experience with American was fantastic. They made the logistics of getting to and from Dallas extremely easy and I could tell from my first interaction in their recruiting department that they wanted to hire us. Since a majority of their training is done in Dallas, there was ample opportunity to talk with current Captains and FO’s at the crew hotel and training center. Everyone I spoke with was very positive about the company and seemed excited to see new hires coming aboard”

“Very welcoming experience from the moment I checked in at the airport. The gouge on American is spot-on…there were no surprises. Success rate seems quite high once you get the face-to-face interview. Only 1 individual that I know of out of our interview group of 17 did not get the job and it sounds like that was due to not disclosing a checkride failure.”

“Video interview was straight forward.
Pilot skills test was ridiculously hard. As others say: don’t sweat it. Everyone is pushed on it until you fail.
Face to face interview was fun and straightforward.”

“Very relaxed and easy going from start to finish. First day the HR folks collect logbooks and paperwork and then you take the computer testing. It’s difficult and exhausting (but kind of fun) and the computer adapts to your ability; you’ll feel like you failed but they tell you that up front, so don’t stress about it.

Second day are the two interviews. First was with two pilots, then a very short break, then one on one with an HR rep. We were told we’d hear back in 2-4 weeks, but it only took about a week before several in my group got the CJO phone call from the chief of pilot recruitment.”

“F/A-18C retiring at 20 yrs. 3115 total time, 2700 PIC.”

“Straight out of the gouge/past trip reports. They make a noticeable effort to put you at ease. Stress free experience.”

“I went into the AA interview with another airline targeted as my preferred job. I walked away from the process with AA as my top choice. I know that is easy to say with a CJO but the experience was great. The entire staff of the recruitment team was extremely helpful and made sure you knew that they were aware you had other options besides AA and that they want you hear. First off, AA will buy you a ticket to your interview and will try their best to get your premium economy or at a minimum a window or aisle seat. They provided me with a room at the Laquinta hotel near the airport (which was the nicest Laquinta I have ever stayed at) and transportation to and from the AA campus. I arrived on Wednesday and met a few other interviewees and went to dinner. They split our group up into morning testers and afternoon testers. If you were a morning tester, you showed up early and handed them your paperwork and did the cog test and were back at the hotel in time for lunch. Afternoon testers went in prior to lunch and were done by about 4pm. If I had my choice again, I would go in the morning session. The next day we were split into several smaller groups for interviews. 2 captains showed up to pretty much just put us at ease and walk us to the museum for the interviews. These guys made sure to let you know that they weren’t interviewing you and they just wanted to get you talking and shake out some of the nerves. We all sat around at the entrance to the museum where they called us 1 by 1 to go to the initial interview with the 2 captains. They offered me water, made a bit of small talk, and then introduced themselves. After the pilot interview, which took about 50 minutes, you return to the waiting area of the museum for about 15 minutes. The HR rep will then come grab each person 1 by 1 and go into the HR interview which lasts about 20 minutes. I returned to the recruitment office, grabbed my stuff and then went to the airport. I’m told that it is different for each interview group but my group started receiving phone calls around 5pm that Friday. I knew before I left Dallas that I had the CJO which made my weekend way better.”

“Overall a fantastic interview experience. I had interviewed at other major legacy airlines and by far American was the most relaxed atmosphere. The pilot recruitment department at American Airlines want you to succeed and they went out of their way to make you feel welcome.”

“Fantastic interview team at AA.”

“Very fast from first email to interview complete (< 2 weeks). Staff seems very interested in hiring. None of the questions seemed targeted at creating unique decisions. Pilot skills test was pretty rough on one’s patience.”

“Very good and welcoming throughout. The HR and interview team seemed genuinely happy to be interviewing and excited to be doing a lot of hiring. They tried to relax us as much as possible, and the process was efficient and clearly explained throughout.”

“Both days were extremely smooth and painless. All Capt/FOs and the Recruiting Team were extremely nice and helpful. No surprises.”

“All Military; Heavies”

“Very relaxing process. Felt like it was your job to lose”

“F-16 IP, SEFE, SQ/CC, Ops O, FCF pilot, Squadron Safety Officer, Wing Chief of Safety”

“Only military flying experience. 1700 total time, all turbine. 1100 turbine PIC. 376 MEL. 1324 SEL. 1064 hours in the AV-8B.”

“I used Judy Tarver with pilot counseling. She did a great job preparing me. The video interview was on par with expectations. The cognative testing on day one is rough. Just have to knock it out and forget how stupid you feel afterwards. The day 2 interview is a great experience. Everybody is so welcoming and happy to have you there. I received a CJO from director of recruiting 3 days later on a Sunday afternoon.”

“I used Judy Tarver with pilot counseling. She did a great job preparing me. The video interview was on par with expectations. The cognative testing on day one is rough. Just have to knock it out and forget how stupid you feel afterwards. The day 2 interview is a great experience. Everybody is so welcoming and happy to have you there. I received a CJO from director of recruiting 3 days later on a Sunday afternoon.”

“American Airlines is a wonderful place to interview. From start to finish, the pilot recruitment team was professional, welcoming, and incredibly friendly. They really have their process down pat. They know the COG test is painful, and do their best to reduce the stress and make it a relaxing experience. The pilot panel and HR interviews were extremely informal and casual. It really just felt like some pilots hanging out swapping stories.”

“Both companies professional and courteous. Delta interview was more intense. American was extremely laid back. Felt like I was interviewing with old friends. Delta knowledge test was harder than expected. Some guys said majority of questions came from RST. I had maybe 5 out of 60. Their question bank is huge. Luck of the draw. Again positive experience from both. They want to hire you I believe.”

“Nothing specific, just updated my application every few weeks.”

“No, just kept updating my apps every 2 weeks or so.”

“Internal rec most likely triggered the invite”

“Changed my availability, moved from 2 months to 2 weeks.”

“I had recommendations from American pilots but they were all through PilotCredentials and not internal.”

“I had three(3) internal letters of recommendations from current AA Pilots.”

“Regular updates for over 5 years before receiving interview.”

“Unknown. I was just updating 2-3 times per month.”

“I wasn’t able to determine why I got the email over a lot of my peers with comparable or better education/GPAs, flight hours, and leadership positions besides the possibility that having >350 hours in the last 365 days had something to do with it. Two internal recommendations and updating my app constantly (daily) probably helped as well!”

“Went to the Skyball Career Expo”

“Updated App with most recent A320 type”

“With Delta I had a guaranteed app review due to my attendance at Delta ATP-CTP. With American, I attended the SkyBall career fair in Dallas and received an invite for the video interview the next week.”

“AMR college intern. Internal recs helped get me in.”

“Nothing that I am aware of. I had heard that AA waits until you are within 30 days of availability, and that would certainly be true in my case. AA interviews to fill classes, not to fill a pool like some other airlines.”

“Delta ATP/CTP plus internal recs”

“Brought paperwork showing my ADSC date and/or requested separation date with Palace Chase.”

“No. I felt well prepared especially when I showed up and interacted with the other interviewees and we compared notes. As long as you prep and feel comfortable you’ll do great.”

“Start RST JKT prep sooner. I only gave myself 15 days and I would hav been more comfortable if I had started sooner.”

“Studied concepts more than questions for Delta knowledge test.”

“Thanks to RST for building such a great network and resources for us wannabe airline pilots. I don’t think I would have been nearly as prepared going in if I didn’t have access to all the gouge and trip reports.”

“Flight time is with no military conversion.”

“The video interview seems to be a high threat part. Take it seriously and you’ll be fine.”

“Some people thought the DC-3 was a distraction. I used it as a talking point to explain why I wanted to become a pilot and how I thought it was great people could come to see AA’s legacy.”

“Have sealed transcripts ordered once you publish your app. They are tricky to rush order.”

“It was a pleasure to go through the whole experience! Everything is smooth, seamless, and no-nonsense. Everyone is warm, professional, and welcoming.”

“American Airlines is truly an outstanding experience. There is not one person who isn’t happy to see you there. You can see how they all are excited about the changes and the future of the company.”

“Great experience. From when we all arrived, it was very apparent they were excited to have us there. The face to face was very relaxed, just a conversation about flying with two captains. A few WWYD scenarios. The one on one HR portion was also very short and relaxed. The biggest stand-out portion for me was when the chief in charge of recruitment came out to talk to the group I was in, he had a lot of great stuff to say, and was very supportive of us.”

“The American interview is a great process. Everyone in the office is super nice helpful and genuinely happy you’re there. It’s really yours to screw up once you get to DFW.”

“Classes being offered are 6-8 weeks out.”

“I found much of the stress to be self-induced. If you got the interview they want to hire you. Show that you cared enough to be there and prepare but interview them as much as they are interviewing you. It’s a buyer’s market.”

Honestly they want ya if you got the invite. Try to relax and be yourself, that’s what they really want to see. American has really done an outstanding job making the interview process painless and relaxing. Enjoy it

My pilot interview was rough. They asked me some basic WWYD questions that were not difficult in themselves, and I believed it was more important that they saw my decision making abilities more than the decisions themselves, however they beat me up pretty bad afterwards telling me how wrong I was with my answers and went on to tell me why. This happened with 2-3 different WWYD scenario based questions. At the end, I left with the standard “we will let you know” statement and I beleived I would not get the job. To my surprise, I got a call later with a job offer.”

“Everything other than the pilot interview went as advertised. All other portions made me feel comfortable and welcome and put me at ease. But during my pilot interview, the pilot board showed no emtion, cracked no smile and it was very tense. I dont beleive this is the norm or what anyone should expect going into their AA interview. Everyone else who interviewed that day said their panels went great and it was like talking with old friends. I think those reading this should expect that and not my experience.”

“American Airlines is preparing to hire 1300 pilots in 2020. I was one of the lucky few to get hired off the street, no military, no flow from their wholly owned regionals and without a college degree. I did have some technical/vocational schooling but no official degree. I believe this is very rare, but it shows AA is expanding their search for qualified applicants based first and foremost on the quality of their flying experience.”

“A lot of previous trip reports talk about how you should act. “Once you leave your house for the interview you’re on the interview”. I believe that you should be yourself and do what you think is right. I started this trip stressed and paranoid about everything, once I got to the hotel I was like forget it, you’re here cause they want to meet you and they like what they have seen on paper and whatever else they can find on the internet. Be the professional pilot that you are and enjoy the fact you’re there for an interview.”

“veryone from the hotel staff to the HR reps were extremely pleasant and engaging. It was a great experience. It felt as though American was making a solid effort to change their image.”

“Sounded like a dumb thing to hear prior but all are rooting for you to succeed. A very non threatening encounter overall.”

Day 2 Interview: After hanging out for a little while a CA who was not part of the formal interview team takes you back to the museum and explains a little about the facility and the DC-3. He asked us where we were from and where we thought we wanted to be based. Seemed like an intentional icebreaker. Then the panels started coming out and collecting us. I had a 30 yr CA and a 3 yr FO who had also been a check airman with Piedmont. The CA explained the process and also explained that the questions were intended to generate a conversation instead of the hot seat mentality of the FAA oral exam. They began asking questions.

Tell us about a time you witnessed safety being compromised or overlooked.
Scenario 1: Airport you’ve never been with mountainous terrain and weather from mins to FL 230. Follow up- what is the single greatest threat.
Scenario 2: You are flying to an airport where the weather is 200 and 1/2 mile. It is a 7000′ runway with standing puddles of water. If you have to divert you will have less than 45 minutes of hold fuel at the alternate.
Situation: you are at the gate waiting with all the other passengers and the crew when you hear two flight attendants loudly making fun of a weird looking man.
Tell us about a time you had to convince people about a change and influence them.
Tell us about a time when you were given negative feedback from a peer pressure or supervisor that you disagreed with. What did you do?
Tell us about a time you had to communicate with someone you didn’t like that made a difference Who in your life stands out as someone who’s had a profound impact on your life.

“They really just want you to be relaxed and sell yourself. Overwhelmingly high pass rates once you make it to the interview.
You will most likely be staying at the same hotel as all of your interviewers–exhibit high SA!! Don’t let something you do at the hotel affect your job. You are at the interview the moment you get to the airport till you get to your car in two days.”

“I know most people preach maximum contact during the interview process. For example take the crew bus, talk to flight attendants and pilots, socialize with fellow interviewees. Just keep in mind that every contact is a chance to step on your schwartz. You will have to figure out for yourself if the possible negatives out way possible positives.”

Pilot Interview Questions:

– TMAAT there was an improvement you made and needed to be done, what you did?
(might have been a safety-related improvement)
– TMAAT you had to influence someone outside of your chain of command/organization.
– TMAAT you had a disagreement with a superior/supervisor or a colleague. How was it resolved? What did you learn? What would you do differently next time?

Scenario #1
You are about to start your decent to a fictional metropolitan airport in mountainous terrain you have never been to. The field is going to minimums and ATC is conducting simultaneous approaches down to mins. IMC up to FL230, visibility decreasing, and the airport is surrounded by mountainous terrain. What are your thoughts? You have the aircraft. How would you brief the approach?

Scenario #2
3rd flight on the line off of IOE and 1st day of a 4-day trip in the middle of the night and Captain is unresponsive. You are at cruising altitude about half way into a transcontinental flight from the northeast to the Pacific Northwest. It’s 0130 and the Captain says he isn’t feeling well. A few minutes later he is unresponsive. You have the aircraft.

Scenario #3
You’re a Captain, you just show up at the gate, and discover that MX has just towed away the jet for a hydraulic issue, and that it’ll take 3 ½ hours to fix. The passengers were expecting to start boarding in 30 minutes. You have the situation.

“None. The other trip reports cover the items you need to bring, so as long as you have everything in order there shouldn’t be a problem. For military folks, if you do not have a DD-214 yet, they accepted a signed letter from my CO that indicated my separation date and confirmed my availability. My logbooks were all in order and I did not include a summary sheet of my flight time. Several other candidates made a summary sheet, and if I could do it again I would probably have generated one to bring.”

“None. Just bring what they ask. Didn’t do a fancy logbook summary or anything and I don’t believe it’s necessary.”

“No. I just gave them my paper logbooks. I have them a summary sheet, but it disappeared. I think it was discarded. I didn’t waste any time preparing my logbooks or going electronic”

“No, just brought what they asked for and I didn’t need anything else.”

“None whatsoever. Not one question was asked about my logbooks or my documents. Just bring everything HR asks for at the time of your interview. All the documents that you give to HR (Start of Day one) goes in a clear plastic folder with your name on it. On day one you leave your logbooks with the HR folks in the pilot recruitment office. Day two at your panel interview your interviewers will give your logbooks back to you. Just have your logbooks neat and organized with no American Airlines logs imprinted anywhere. Copy write infringement.”

“None. I took my green flight records folder and part 91 logbook to the interview and had no issues or questions.”

“I am still working my Palace Chase package to get released 6 months early. Therefore, I did not have a DD214 or other paperwork on hand showing my separation/termination date. I had my leadership email me a simple signed MFR stating my Active Duty Service Commitment (ADSC) date and the date I was trying to get for early release from active duty. This worked great. Also, another person in my group emailed the recruiters his college transcripts before flying to DFW, but they didn’t get them. He had to track them down the first day of interviews (Lesson: bring your official transcripts in hand!). Note: The Laquinta has a computer and printer if needed!”

“None – I had printed out a digital copy of my entire logbook (Civ and Mil) from ZuluLog. I brought my written civ log books as well, and they did in-fact want those as well.”

“No. I used Logbook Pro printed at kinkos. No issues with application.”

“I built my log book “package” to be SWA-proof, and it was more than enough for AA. Some folks brought only their military records, and it also seemed to be enough. However, I believe at least 1 individual in our interview group had a logbook discrepancy issue, and did not receive a same day CJO.”

“No knowledge test”

“Staring at a blank screen with a few moving parts for 25 minutes straight.”

“None. I felt well prepared with RST and ECIC. There were no strictly technical questions, although some technical issues came up in discussion during the TMAATs and scenarios.”

“No job knowledge test”

“Math part”

“None were tough. Had one that I hadn’t prepped for but all the TMAAT and scenario gouge I studied/prepped for gave me the tools to answer confidently.”

“Jepp plate interpretation.”

“The pilot skills test, aka COG test, is designed to be a brain buster. The math portion was especially challenging. We discussed after and our opinion was that the math test is not designed to measure math skills, but persistence in the face of certain failure.”

“They were all hard. But probably directly related to how I prepared. Again study the concepts not the questions.”