GoJet and ATP Flight School Introduce Tuition Reimbursement Program

The program, unveiled last week, will provide up-front financial assistance to ATP pilots in exchange for a commitment to fly with the regional airliner after they acquire their requisite 1,500 flight hours. ATP pilots are eligible for a guaranteed interview with the airline once they've completed 300 flight hours, and the tuition reimbursement program will start paying dividends beginning at 500 hours by paying $5 per flight hour to cover student loans. Once pilots begin flying for GoJet, they will receive $500 per month of tuition reimbursement during their first year of service.

"The first year of flying is a little light on money," says Dan Reed, Vice President of Flight Operations at Trans States Holdings, which is comprised of GoJet Airlines, Compass Airlines and Trans States Airlines. "This gives students a way to pay their tuition, which is a huge bill to come up with."

Reed expects to sign on about 10 new pilots a month thanks to the new partnership with ATP, which is a significant amount for an airline that's losing about 20 percent of its pilots every year due to turnover.

"They are in desperate need of pilots, as all the regionals are," says Paul Templeton, Director of Airline Relations at ATP. Templeton says the program has already generated immense interest among ATP students, several of whom met with GoJet recruiters on Friday to discuss the program.

The new tuition reimbursement program comes on the heels of ATP's tuition reimbursement partnership with Mesa Airlines, announced last month, which also provides financial incentives to up and coming pilots for a commitment to fly for the airline.

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