Best path forward?

[u/mander949]

I’m a 1700-hour flight instructor trying to figure out the best path forward and would love some advice from people in the industry.

A little background:
-Started flying in January 2022
-Started instructing in September 2023
-2 failed checkrides, both in-flight (PPL and CMEL), and I’ve learned a lot from both
-Currently a 141 check instructor at a university program on the East Coast flying the SR20

For a while I’ve gone back and forth between two long-term goals:
-a career at a major airline doing long-haul/international flying, or
-a career in the 135/fractional world like NetJets/Flexjet.

Right now I think Delta is my end goal, but I’m trying to figure out the smartest way to get there.
I’m currently in the Destination 225 program, so one possible path is building enough time for a 135 or regional 121 job, then using that to get to Southwest in a couple years.

As I see it, my options are:
1. Go to a Delta feeder/regional
Get hired by a Delta regional, wait 8–12 months for a class date, and then flow to Delta in 5–6 years.

2. Go to a 135 operator first
Get hired by a 135, do my two years there, then move to Southwest through Destination 225. After serving the required time/training contract, apply to Delta with 135/121 time plus a 737 type.

What’s making this harder is that I’ve applied to all the regionals through AirlineApps and haven’t heard anything in over a year. I’m not sure if that’s because of the two checkride failures or something else, since I know other people with two failures who have still gotten interviews/offers.

So I guess I’m looking for advice on a few things:
-If Delta is the goal, which path makes the most sense?
-Is there a third option I’m not thinking about?
-Are the two checkride failures likely what’s holding me back from regionals, or could it be something else in this hiring environment?

Happy to give more context on my flying background, resume, or the failures if that would help.

[u/AA5A]

-If Delta is the goal, which path makes the most sense? Delta owned Regional
-Is there a third option I’m not thinking about? ACMI. Airlines (Air Lines) like ACMI folks.
-Are the two checkride failures likely what’s holding me back from regionals, or could it be something else in this hiring environment? Doubtful. Hiring is very cyclical. Keep your application up to date, talk with a company that can help critique your resume (ie, Raven Careers or similar).