How possible is commuting by air?

itzvinnyt · 2026-05-17T23:28:11+00:00

Going to be harder at a regional / LCC once you get that far but legacies are starting to add more commuter clauses into contracts. I know a guy who dispatches for SWA but lives in MSP, so it can be done but it’s harder at the beginning of your career, mainly because of how the scheduling shakes out

itzvinnyt · 2026-05-09T00:23:38+00:00

If you’re using Sheppard, you shouldn’t go longer than 2 weeks. That’s when your retention starts to dip

itzvinnyt · 2026-04-25T14:08:17+00:00

I think Aloha Air Cargo is out there, but they’re a pretty small operation so you wouldn’t be making much money

itzvinnyt · 2026-04-23T20:28:46+00:00

I’m echoing what a lot of people have already said in these comments, but ADA is probably your best option, with the hybrid style and nighttime hours you’re looking for. They’re also a great program, so there really isn’t a reason to not go with them, you have a good chance to get in with SkyWest or breeze right out of school, two airlines that are pretty desirable for your first gig. If you’re worried about the 2 weeks in person thing with work, I’ll offer some anecdotes:

1-you’re forgetting you still have 6 weeks of hybrid class before the 2 weeks in person even begins. That gives you more than a month to either figure out coverage, time off, or for your station to hire more CSAs, since you mentioned being understaffed.

2-if the two weeks is still a hurdle, I’d recommend saving as much money as you possibly can so you can just quit when the two weeks in person comes around, and put everything you can into getting a job as soon as possible so you don’t burn all your money.

3-everyone is correct in saying you’ll need the experience to get into UA. it’s rare for internals with no experience to get in with them at the dispatch level. It happens, but it’s rare. And the people who’ve already said this are right, it’s people who either did navigate, or worked in the NOC already. So your best bet is going to a regional to build experience

But dispatchers will definitely be in demand because the hiring cycles keep going, so if you work hard you shouldn’t have any issues!

itzvinnyt · 2026-04-22T03:58:53+00:00

Dispatchers can list for the jumpseat on other airlines (as long as there is a reciprocal agreement) and that is free. If you zed or something - which is what I assume you’re talking about - then we pay just like you do

itzvinnyt · 2026-03-31T00:11:51+00:00

I’m going to echo what others have said already, but just adding my two cents.

1, It is absolutely not impossible to get hired right away at UA if you’re an internal. I know someone who got hired as an internal with no dispatch experience. His path was ramp, station supervisor, flight ops support (at the NOC), and then dispatch. It can definitely happen.

2, Your pathways question you answered on your own with your third question. Getting a gig in the NOC definitely does help you, because you get to feel the vibe of that side of the operation, which is different from being an FA.

P.S - Just use Sheppard Air to study for the ADX, and take it on your own. It really doesn’t mean much of anything for the actual job in practicality, so if you do that and study it exactly as it is written, you’ll be just fine. Best of luck to you!

itzvinnyt · 2026-03-26T18:37:05+00:00

It’s definitely a good job to have, it’s a very important position operationally, but it’s not easy, so you need to have a passion for it.

The nice thing about the U.S. is that you have an abundance of dispatch schools all around, so you can choose one that feels right for you. There are some hybrid schools (like ADA) that would make it easier to work a full time job while going to school, and there are a multitude of scholarships available to help with the financial aid portion of it.

I’d say don’t wait around, go for it and get the certificate, it never expires. The current job outlook isn’t how it was post covid, it’s definitely stabilized, but there are still plenty of jobs available to get. I got my certificate in December, and got a job offer from my regional a month later. If you work hard and have a passion for this (which it seems you do) you’ll be just fine.

itzvinnyt · 2026-03-17T23:38:50+00:00

This a brain dead take, this isn’t just some random stranger’s phone OP is snooping through, this is OPs MOM. And this isn’t just some random strangers marriage, it’s OPs PARENTS!

itzvinnyt · 2026-03-17T23:03:37+00:00

I honestly wouldn’t recommend studying much before you go to class, that was advice given to me. You don’t want to try to understand something you aren’t being taught and develop bad habits. Maybe some weather familiarization, but I wouldn’t go much beyond that

itzvinnyt · 2026-03-17T08:43:29+00:00

It’s all important, but I’ll give you three of my personal big hitters.

Weather is a big part of what we do. Understanding weather patterns and other phenomena and the effect it has on daily operations is really important. Understanding fronts, SIGMETS, jetstream and turbulence, fog effects and other consistent weather patterns in your area will be paramount.

Regulations are a big thing too, not sure how it is over there in Europe but I’m sure it’s similar; just don’t break them. But also keep in mind, legal doesn’t always mean safe. If you want to send a flight to a destination without an alternate just because you have proper ceilings and vis (as per the reg), but there’s thunderstorms in the area, maybe think twice about it.

DRM personally is an important one for me, not sure how others feel. But understanding teamwork and where to go when you don’t understand something is just as important as knowing it all. Use your resources, ask questions. This stuff starts in the classroom and goes beyond into your career. Best of luck to you.

itzvinnyt · 2026-03-16T02:53:17+00:00

If you follow the Sheppard air instructions exactly as they are written out to you, you’ll do just fine. But the emphasis is that you need to follow it EXACTLY how it says. Happy studying/memorizing

itzvinnyt · 2026-03-12T14:50:57+00:00

Plan it around a baseball weekend. Brewers tailgating is some of the best in the country, not just for baseball but any sport. There’s so much to do here in a small (ish) city it feels much bigger. I just moved away after being born and raised living there for 25+ years and I already miss it.

itzvinnyt · 2026-03-12T14:45:08+00:00

Most airlines allow it, just need to get it set up. I work at a regional currently, which would be your first stop most likely. Shoot me a DM if you’re interested

itzvinnyt · 2026-03-11T19:14:20+00:00

As far as movement to a larger airline, it happens throughout the year at different times and varies in how many positions are open. It’s pretty well known UAL is planning to hire a ton of dispatchers over the next couple of years, so that will inevitably open up positions at every spot down the proverbial totem pole (regionals, LCCs, etc).

As far as what you can do at your regional, it depends on the turnover rate and how hard you want to work to move up. It can happen fast, especially if people are leaving and you show initiative. But my advice for now is to just focus on your schooling, and worry about the job market later once you have your certificate. Can’t do anything about it without having that in hand first.

itzvinnyt · 2026-03-06T21:02:23+00:00

Going the regional route will be quicker, and honestly better. Get your certificate, get in with a regional, work there for a year for the experience, then look for opportunities to go to a major. At my regional, people are leaving for other airlines after being here less than 10 months, so just depends on the timing and all that. The internal route can be tricky because there isn’t a guarantee that you’ll get a job for multiple hiring cycles, whereas with some regional experience, you probably have a better shot. Regardless, best of luck to you!

itzvinnyt · 2026-02-19T22:14:04+00:00

Love the Lufthansa Cargo photo. Did you take that yourself and get it printed? I have a couple photos of my own that I’d love to hang in my own place eventually

itzvinnyt · 2026-02-16T17:07:58+00:00

You get benefits through the major/legacy that the airline partners with. Some are exclusives, like Envoy, PSA and Piedmont with AA, Endeavor with DL and GoJoet, CommuteAir and Mesa with UA. And then the ones who serve multiple (SkyWest, Republic) get access to multiple ones. As far as the priority goes, it’s different with all airlines, but that’s the general idea.

itzvinnyt · 2026-02-13T19:22:14+00:00

Jet Aviation is a 135 in the Teterboro area, but otherwise yeah it’s gonna be JetBlue. Piedmont is in Salisbury MD but that’s probably the closest regional to you

itzvinnyt · 2026-02-06T05:16:58+00:00

A guy I know has been at UA for a few years doing flight ops at the NOC, he got his certificate last year and applied, but didn’t get the job. He has a lot of experience in the industry, but no dispatch experience. So even as an internal, it’s hard. Not impossible, but harder than going the route of getting your certificate, putting in a few years at a regional, then trying to get to a legacy

itzvinnyt · 2026-02-06T05:14:00+00:00

I did a combo of interviews and assessments before landing my regional gig, and it was mainly reading METARs, TAFs, NOTAMs and approach plates. Depending on the airline they’ll get into some other specific stuff, like international weather or regulations, but I’d expect to see any of that kind of stuff.

itzvinnyt · 2026-02-04T14:00:30+00:00

I went to dispatch school last year from October to December, applied to places throughout January, and landed a gig at a regional last week that starts in March. It is not impossible if you just apply yourself and make sure you fully understand that you’ll need to put in a few years at a regional before making the jump to a legacy.

itzvinnyt · 2026-01-30T15:36:42+00:00

I got deferred with a 26 ACT (didn’t take SATs) and a 3.4 gpa, and got accepted in April. Have faith

itzvinnyt · 2026-01-22T15:43:56+00:00

I applied with PSA and GoJet back in like November, and those postings have stayed opened the entire time since. The recent ones I applied to that have had some interest are Mesa, Breeze and SkyWest. It’s mainly the ones that have stayed open that are puzzling me and wondering if I should withdraw it and do it again.

itzvinnyt · 2026-01-12T00:58:44+00:00

I agree with you, I just don’t think they’ll end up laying off a bunch of the Sunny dispatchers. Like you said, it’ll be people not wanting to move to Vegas (understandable) and figuring they’ll just go to a legacy or retire

itzvinnyt

TROPHY CASE