"Why are you leaving?" How experienced pilots can answer it well

"So why do you want to leave your current airline?"

If you're an experienced pilot changing airline, region or seat, you will almost certainly hear some version of this question. It sounds simple. It's also one of the easiest places to talk yourself into trouble, because the honest answer often includes frustration.

I've been flying since 2003, and I've changed airline more than once. Here is how I'd approach this question, from the candidate's side. I've never sat on an interview panel, so this is my reading, not inside knowledge.

Why the question comes up

Changing airline is a big decision, and the new airline is about to invest in you: training, possibly a type rating, a move, a seniority number. It's reasonable for them to want to understand why you're moving and whether you'll stay. Many interview guides list this as one of the most common motivational questions.

The shape of a good answer

A strong answer usually has three short parts:

1. What you've gained. Credit your current airline: the type experience, the operation, the people you've learned from.
2. What you want next. Something specific and professional: command, a long-haul or narrowbody operation, a particular region, a stable base, development as a trainer.
3. Why this airline. Connect your goal to facts about them: their fleet, their network, their published plans, their direct-entry route.

Thirty to sixty seconds is usually enough. Then stop and let them ask more.

An example from my own career

Years into my career at my first airline, my command upgrade was due. Then upgrades were frozen after events no one there could control. I moved to a new airline in a new region and later joined my current airline as a direct-entry captain. (I wrote about that decision in wait for command or move airlines?.)

A complaining version of that story would be: "My airline froze upgrades, so I'm leaving." True, but it's all about the past.

A better version: "I'm grateful for the years I had there. I learned the operation, built my hours and I was ready for command. When upgrades were frozen, I decided to look for an airline where I could take that next step and keep growing. Your direct-entry captain programme is exactly that, and your fleet plans mean I can see myself staying for the long term."

Same facts. Different direction.

What to avoid

• Criticising your airline, managers or colleagues. Even if it's justified, it invites questions about how you'll talk about your next employer.
• Leading with money. Conditions matter to everyone, and it's fine to be honest that they're part of the picture. Just don't make them the whole answer.
• A generic answer. "Your airline has a great reputation" fits any airline. Use specifics you've checked yourself from public sources.
• Anything that contradicts your CV. Dates, reasons and hours need to match. See how airlines count your hours.
• Over-sharing. If the reason is personal, such as family or wanting to live closer to home, say it in a sentence. You don't have to explain everything.

Variations you should prepare

• "Why did you leave your previous airline?" (if you've moved before)
• "Why now?"
• "What would make you stay with your current airline?"
• "Where do you see yourself in five years?"
• "Why direct-entry captain here rather than waiting for command at home?"

The same three-part structure works for each. Write a draft answer to every one, then say them out loud until they sound like you and not like a script.

Practise it like any other part of the interview

This question often comes early, which means it sets the tone. Prepare it the way you'd prepare your command story: real, specific, short. If you're applying as a direct-entry captain, read what a direct-entry captain interview is really testing and the direct-entry captain application checklist. If the process includes online tests or a recorded video stage, see aptitude and psychometric tests for experienced pilots.

Next steps

• Take the free Airline Move Readiness Self-Check to see where your preparation is strongest and weakest.
• The Airline Move Playbook includes interview preparation alongside the technical and move-planning sections.

Captain Adi
Current A320 captain with 20+ years on the F50, 737, 777 and A320, and three airline selections across Asia and the Middle East. More about me.

Independent general guidance from a candidate's perspective. Not affiliated with any airline or authority, and based on no confidential material. Always follow your own airline's approved documents.