Certificated, and climbing toward the flight deck.

A regional-to-major flow-through agreement is the dominant career ladder in the US — a guaranteed path to a named major partner after meeting hour/tenure/conduct criteria. Real timelines run longer than marketed; see the Pathway page for what's realistic.

Part 121 duty and rest is governed by Part 117 — circadian-adjusted flight duty periods and mandatory fatigue self-certification. Part 135 charter/cargo work runs under different, less protective rules.

Regional airlines remain the tightest point in the current hiring pipeline, even as majors hire aggressively — worth factoring into how you time an upgrade or a move.