CommutAir Jetting into Growth in 2018

February 5, 2018

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On January 7, CommutAir said farewell to its turboprops as they flew their last revenue flights, and hello to a new era. For the first time in history, CommutAir is an all-jet carrier, operating ERJ-145s and completing a year two fleet-transition project.

However, CommutAir’s growth is just beginning. 2018 is planned to be a big year for the Cleveland-based carrier, with fleet growth and pilot hiring as top priorities.

After United’s 40% investment, CommutAir will be tripling the size of their all-jet fleet to 61 aircraft. To staff their growth, CommutAir is aggressively hiring pilots who will upgrade within 13-18 months. In the rare case a pilot does not, CommutAir is guaranteeing Captain pay which boosts Year 2 rates to $55.50/hour. CommutAir will experience explosive growth for the upcoming years, and its demand for captains offers pilots rapid upgrades and fastest path to United Airlines.

To sustain its large new-hire classes and a tripling pilot roster, CommutAir has expanded its training center in Washington Dulles. The new facility doubles the size of the previous training center and can house up to 100+ pilots. The expanded facility also offers the latest flight training technology and is staffed with industry veteran instructors providing new-hires a seamless training footprint.

“With our new facilities and resources, we were able to cut the new-hire training footprint to ~90 days, which allows our pilots to hit the line, start accumulating hours and flow to United Airlines via our United Career Path Program (CPP), faster than any other program. Pilots simply want to build time the moment they are line-qualified, and our efficient training footprint allows for just that,” said Jeff Harris, Director of Flight Training.

While other airlines are dormant on fleet-growth and challenged to fill pilot classes, CommutAir’s ignited growth makes it a pilot’s ideal destination. This former turboprop airline is increasing its footprint in United’s route structure and serves as a springboard for pilots who wish to fly for United Airlines.

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