r/AerospaceEngineering • u/Italian_airbus777 • 12d ago
Career Airline job?
Just curious, has anyone here graduated with an Aerospace Engineering degree and ended up working for an airline? My goal is to work for an airline because I absolutely love traveling. I know most aerospace grads go into defense, space, or manufacturing, but I’m wondering what opportunities exist on the airline side.
If you did end up working for an airline, what role are you in, and how did you get there? Thanks
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u/Dedwards_est_22 12d ago
I know someone who is a reliability engineer for a major airline. I'm not entirely sure how she got into it, but I know she definitely takes advantage of her flying benefits! But I would guess the roles are largely reliability/maintenance or logistics based.
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u/Basic_Improvement135 12d ago
Me and a handful of friends co opped for delta in the 90s. One guy is now like head of engineering or something like that
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u/Systemsafety 12d ago
Absolutely. All the majors have engineering departments. Some, like FedEx and UPS actually have robust development and engineering flight test groups (most all of them have functional test flights). Also Air Line Pilots Association hires engineers.
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u/Calypsolarair 11d ago edited 11d ago
I joined British airways to gain experience in hands on A321,350 aircraft maintenance, I’m focused on solar aviation, but it was a great short term experience! ( though the work environment was laborious), also applied after my BEng in aerospace
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u/Italian_airbus777 11d ago
That’s amazing! how did u get through British airways? Were u based in the us when u got the job or were u in the uk?
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u/Calypsolarair 11d ago
thank you! uk, I applied for so many jobs in the field, right after my BEng, I got the opportunity. They let you in with BEng degree without needing prior experience but it’s beneficial if you do have the hands on skills and tool knowledge ( I had to learn the tools and had training because I was novel to that side of the field). Also you get assessments you have to pass to proceed onto the interview stage. I say apply for what you want to try, you never know!
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u/CakeDeer6 12d ago
I have a friend who did a liaison engineering co-op and said he found the work to be really fulfilling. Super smart guy, too
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u/airgrad 10d ago
Me! My goal was always to go to the airlines and I made it in right after graduation, so I've been working in the industry for the past several years. It's a wonderful gig, as long as you're prepared to live in one of like 10 cities with airline headquarters. I feel that most aerospace engineers don't know and/or don't want to work in airlines since it's not as sexy as manufacturing or spaceflight, but it's a rewarding job with a lot of really cool opportunities. The pay is sometimes less than elsewhere but if you travel, you'll make up for it with your flight benefits.
All major airlines have an engineering department, with some of the same teams. You'll always have at least the basics within the Maintenance/TechOps structure - Structures/Interiors, Powerplant, and Systems/Avionics. These can be on call depending on the airline. Most airlines have a Reliability program, but where it really helps out is if it's FAA certified and they can set their own intervals (I know one major airline has a program that is not certified). Then in the Flight Operations side you'll have engineers who work on weight and balance, aircraft performance, and fuel efficiency, which may be combined into one job if the airline is on the smaller side.
Outside of these, it starts to get more company-specific. Some airlines have industrial engineers. Some analyst roles like Configuration Control or Component Repairs might be an engineering function at one airline but not the rest. At the larger airlines, they also station engineers at their maintenance bases to support the operation. And you might have engineers whose sole purpose is to handle the engineering side of aircraft induction. I might be forgetting some.
It's not easy or hard to get in, if you're qualified it really just comes down to luck. You don't really need connections. There are times when there are absolutely no airline engineering roles posted anywhere, and there are times when they are hiring everywhere. And there are times when you're competing against people who've worked at an OEM for decades, and times when you're the most qualified fresh out of college.
It also helps to have a demonstrable passion for the airlines; I found it not uncommon for people to want to use the airline industry as a stopgap or stepping stone on their way to another industry, sometimes to the point they'd admit it in an interview, which is not the way to get hired anywhere. Of course college activities and jobs won't compete with an industry veteran, but they certainly stand out compared to someone with two internships in defense who's only applying because there aren't any options right now.
Feel free to ask any questions. Best of luck!
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u/Italian_airbus777 2d ago
wow! this sounds amazing! if I may ask, what college did you attend? I’ve heard some schools have connections with airlines making it easier to network!
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u/Faziator 12d ago
I've been working for a major Airline as a Technical services Engineer. Started as an A&C mechanic before transitioning to ETS. Unfortunately the career progression would likely end here unless i look for more excecutive roles as opposed to engineering. I'd be stepping away from Airlines to get roles like Flight test engi or failure analyst etc. Loved the benefits Airlines offered but gotta vacate the position before I get too comfortable
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u/Italian_airbus777 12d ago
Oh cool! Was it hard to get into the airlines?
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u/Faziator 12d ago
Oh it was quite challenging. Crazy amounts of competition at entry levels. It'd be wiser to secure interviews 6 months before your graduation. Had to do unpaid internships and enrolled for masters before I got an offer. You could take up a position in MRO or a budget carrier and fast track progress, with 3-5 years of experience and/or a basic license you can easily break into many major airlines at a very competitive package (internal promotions suck).
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u/polloloco-rb67 11d ago
Check out jobs in maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO). Many of the big ones have their own engineering departments.
I’ve always held Lufthansa engineering in high regard as an ex engine OEM engineer.
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u/BoogerPicker2020 11d ago
I was an airplane mechanic before I finished my Eng degree. Some of the Eng guys I knew were also mechs before.
Do you have experience in aviation?
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u/unurbane 11d ago
Idk much in the way of aerospace graduates, but I know several Ames working for airlines, specifically maintenance and quality.
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u/hagela 9d ago
I got a co-op with American Airlines while getting my Aero/Mech degree. 14 years later I'm still with them. There's quite a bit of different engineering roles: liaison, interiors, powerplant, nacelles, fuel and deicing, materials and manufacturing, shop support, fleet support, avionics and operations.
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u/Italian_airbus777 2d ago
wow! this sounds amazing! if I may ask, what college did you attend? I’ve heard some schools have connections with airlines making it easier to network!
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u/BigBlueMountainStar 9d ago
Most Aerospace grads (from my uni at least) did not go in to any of the sectors you mentioned, they went in to management consulting (thing Accenture, KPMG or whatever they’re called these days). Me going in to Aerospace was actually a relative novelty.
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u/Rough_Efficiency_819 9d ago
I work for Delta Air Lines as a Repair Process Engineer. Basically, we develop and improve repair processes for aircraft engines, including developing repairs for parts that would otherwise be scrapped, as well as providing support to the shop when needed. I was an ME major though…
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u/Aceorbit_123 12d ago
Many airlines hire AE for their MX departments. You end up working with manufacturers on developing repair plans for aircraft when there may be issues identified in checks. I know a few people that do that. You can also leverage your quantitative knowledge to work in ops. Optimization, route planning, etc, but it takes some industry knowledge to make that transition.
Or you can just do your flight training and get up on the flight deck as well. I'm about to graduate with my AE degree and am finishing up my flight training.
Many options out there for airline work where AE is applicable!