The aviation field provides over 87 million jobs globally with strong benefits and competitive salaries. Our aviation cover letter guide will showcase your unique background and career achievements within the aviation industry using tangible examples and appropriate metrics. It also demonstrates your knowledge of the aviation space, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations, safety protocols, customer service best practices, and airline operations. Lastly, this guide will help emphasize how your experience aligns with the airline’s reputation, culture, and values.
Whether you’re seeking a position as a professional airline pilot, flight attendant, or aircraft maintenance technician, numerous employment opportunities are available within the aviation space. Still, you’ll need to create a strong cover letter to capitalize on them.
Aviation Cover Letter Templates and Examples
- Entry-Level
- Mid-Career
- Senior-Level
How To Write an Aviation Cover Letter
A great aviation cover letter has several key elements. First, it needs to capture your flight hours and comprehensive background in aviation safety. Second, it needs to convey your exceptional leadership attributes, which are essential for any pilot position. Below, we’ll walk you through each section of your aviation cover letter to help you refine your content and land your next big job opportunity.
1. Contact information and salutation
List all essential contact information in the header of your aviation cover letter, including your name, phone number, email, and LinkedIn URL. Be sure to address the hiring manager by name — Mr. or Ms. [Last Name]. If you can’t find the hiring manager’s name, use a variation of “Dear Hiring Manager.” This adds a personal touch to your job application that can help you stand out from other candidates.
2. Introduction
Open your aviation cover letter with a strong introductory paragraph to grab the attention of the hiring manager. Highlight your years of experience and unique qualifications within the aviation space. Anchor your paragraph with an eye-catching achievement backed by a powerful number or metric. This approach is highly effective in drawing the reader in and enticing them to engage with your content.
Example
During my time as a commercial airline pilot with Spirit Airlines, I completed over 3,000 hours of cross-country flights to and from the New York area. Through these experiences, I developed expertise in the operation and maintenance of Airbus A321T and Boeing 77-300ER aircraft. My unique blend of leadership skills and aviation safety knowledge positions me as an ideal candidate for the pilot role with your organization.
3. Body paragraphs
Include two paragraphs that describe your professional experience within the aviation industry. Start by mentioning details about the airline’s reputation, culture, or values and explain how they align with your background. Focus on highlighting specific achievements you can substantiate with hard numbers, such as flight hours or customer satisfaction scores. Consider adding a list of bullet points to break up the monotony of the text on the page, which will help improve the readability of your aviation cover letter.
Example
American Airlines’ reputation for providing high-end customer service to passengers strongly aligns with my professional background. I am confident I can help your team continue to drive operational and service excellence based on the following achievements in my career:
- Provided quality customer service and ensured passenger safety and comfort on over 300 domestic flights across the U.S. while maintaining a 95% customer satisfaction rating
- Prepared and served food and beverage items to passengers throughout the duration of flights, which included managing presentations and driving upsell opportunities
- Educated passengers on proper usage of flight equipment, oxygen masks, and safety protocols
4. Aviation skills and qualifications
While it isn’t advisable to feature a bulleted list of your aviation skills, tactically incorporate key terms from the job posting into your paragraphs. For instance, if an airline is seeking a pilot who has experience operating a particular plane model, this information should be clearly highlighted in your aviation cover letter. Below, you’ll find a list of aviation skills you may encounter during the job search:
| Key Skills and Qualifications | |
|---|---|
| Aeronautical science | Aircraft technology |
| Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) | Aviation |
| Commercial aviation | Cross-country flights |
| Equipment maintenance | FAA first class medical |
| FAA regulations | Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) |
| Flight operations | Flight planning |
| Flight safety | Multi-engine |
| Navigation | PiC |
| Piloting | Preventative maintenance |
| Risk management | SiC |
| Spatial awareness | Team management |
| Turbine engine | |
5. Closing section
In the closing paragraph of your aviation cover letter, include a call to action inviting the hiring manager to interview you. Emphasize how your background as a pilot can create value for the airline you’re targeting. Be sure to thank the hiring manager for their time and consideration in the last sentence.
Example
I hope to schedule an interview with you to discuss how my leadership capabilities and safety knowledge can be an asset to your air traffic control team. You may contact me via phone or email at your earliest convenience. I appreciate your time and consideration.
Best regards,
Sarah Johnson
Aviation Cover Letter Tips
1. Highlight your customer service expertise
Hiring managers want to see specific examples and tangible insights into your customer service experience as they evaluate your application. An airline’s reputation hinges on customer satisfaction. Organizations will be much more likely to invite you to an interview if you display that you have a successful background in achieving high-performance metrics for your previous organizations. In the example below, the job seeker showcases their high customer service ranking across hundreds of flights, which effectively demonstrates their client relations and communication skills:
As a flight attendant with over six years of experience, I’ve developed an advanced understanding of client relations and airline operations. During my time with Jet Blue Airlines, I achieved customer satisfaction ratings of over 95% on 300 domestic flights. My customer service experience and communication skills will allow me to excel in the flight attendant position with your organization.
2. Quantify your achievements within the aviation field
Utilizing numbers and appropriate metrics to your advantage can provide helpful context and enhance the impact of your professional achievements. This is especially important if you’re pursuing a position as a commercial airline pilot. Most hiring managers heavily analyze your flight time, cross-country hours, and night-time hours when evaluating your application. In the example below, the job seeker utilizes bullet points within the cover letter to provide a clear overview of their aviation experience and flight hours:
Delta Airlines’ reputation for the quality of its aircraft and commitment to passenger safety draw me to apply for this position. My strong background as a commercial airline pilot would be an asset to your team based on my extensive flight hours:
- Flight Time: 3,000 hours
- Pilot in Command (PiC): 1,600 hours
- Second in Command (SiC): 1,400 hours
- Night: 800 hours
- X-Country: 1,700 hours
3. Showcase your leadership capabilities
Whether you’re managing passengers as a flight attendant or leading teams as a professional pilot, leadership skills are essential for success within the aviation industry. Your ability to interface effectively with diverse passenger populations and flight teams is extremely valuable to prospective employers. In the example below, they are seeking a position as an air traffic control specialist. This type of role requires strong leadership skills during critical safety situations, and the candidate does an effective job of demonstrating their ability to provide safety recommendations and instructions to pilots under pressure:
- Coordinated with aircraft pilots, flight teams, and ground control teams to provide instructions and recommendations to ensure the safety of flights, departures, and arrivals based on weather condition data from the National Weather Service and traffic congestion
- Provided instructions to pilots and ground control teams during takeoff and landing to ensure minimal flight delays and strict compliance with FAA regulations
- Communicated with flight teams to provide instructions for emergency safety procedures resulting from turbulence and aircraft equipment failures
Aviation Text-Only Cover Letter Templates and Examples
- Example #1
- Example #2
- Example #3
Raymond Ortiz
Airline Pilot | [email protected] | (123) 456-7890 | New York, NY, 12345 | LinkedIn
January 1, 2024
Cynthia Roberts
Hiring Manager
Delta Airlines
(987) 654-3210
[email protected]
Dear Ms. Roberts,
During my time as a commercial airline pilot with Spirit Airlines, I completed over 3,000 hours of cross-country flights to and from the New York area. Through these experiences, I developed expertise in the operation and maintenance of Airbus A321T and Boeing 77-300ER aircraft. My unique blend of leadership skills and aviation safety knowledge positions me as an ideal candidate for the pilot role with your organization.
Delta Airlines’ reputation for the quality of its aircraft and commitment to passenger safety draw me to apply for this position. My strong background as a commercial airline pilot would be an asset to your team based on my extensive flight hours:
- Flight Time: 3,000 hours
- Pilot in Command (PiC): 1,600 hours
- Second in Command (SiC): 1,400 hours
- Night: 800 hours
- X-Country: 1,700 hours
I would like to schedule an interview to provide more insights into how my background as an airline pilot can be an asset to your organization. Feel free to contact me via phone or email for additional questions about my background. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Raymond Ortiz
Aviation Cover Letter FAQs
Why should I submit an aviation cover letter?-
Although not every airline will require a cover letter for aviation jobs, building a customized document can offer some competitive advantages. Unlike your resume, your cover letter lets you speak to employers directly and convey your genuine enthusiasm for the opportunity. Adding this personal touch to your application can go a long way in generating interviews during the job search.
How do I make my cover letter stand out?-
Unlike the resume, the cover letter can be used as a vehicle to provide unique insights into your professional background and demonstrate how your experience makes you the right fit for the organization’s culture. As you identify key accomplishments to feature on your cover letter, carefully research the company you’re applying to and focus on relevant achievements that meet their needs. This is a great way to make a lasting impression on the hiring manager and differentiate yourself from the applicant pool.
How long should my cover letter be?-
While you may be tempted to build a detailed overview of your career within the aviation industry, it’s best to keep your cover letter at a reasonable length. Avoid going beyond four paragraphs, as it’s important to focus clearly on your most impressive career achievements.
Craft a new cover letter in minutes
Get the attention of hiring managers with a cover letter tailored to every job application.
