current event
U.S. CARRIERS FACE SHRINKING POOL OF PILOTS
Yan Kravets
Management of Aviation Environmental Issues
February 3, 2015
A big majority of awaiting pilot retirements among major carriers over the next decade is forcing the entire pilot supply chain to unify in a search for solutions to keep the industry due to stalling to fill in the vacant cockpit seats.
There is still debate about the magnitude of the problem, but its emerging effects are already showing in the form of canceled flights, parked regional aircraft and a 10% cut in service to 86 communities. The true sign of a shortage will be when the airlines begin paying people to learn how to fly. It has not happened yet, but there is a sense that major airlines will soon spend money on advertisements for pilots, which hasn’t happened since the pilot strikes at Continental and United in the 1980s. Major airlines will have to replace more than 18,000 pilots due to a mandatory age 65 retirement over the next seven years. Traditionally, about 60% of pilots came from military backgrounds, but the ratio has now shifted to roughly 60% civilian and 40% military. While some will benefit from the shortage, given the normal career path from regional to major airlines, the pilot pipeline into the regionals from schools is not running at rates high enough to keep the seats filled, in part due to high costs of a four-year education including flight training. Experts from regional airlines such as Delta, United, U.S. Airways, and American say that hiring has become more difficult than in prior years and the airlines are using social media and other forms of communication to reach out. Some airlines are even offering sign on bonuses to help pay off student loans as well as the cost of acquiring the Airline Transport Pilot’s license, which is a requirement for first officers since last year. Calkins, the President of Southwest, says they hired close to 400 new pilots last year, but is scaling back to approximately 250 this
Yan Kravets
Management of Aviation Environmental Issues
February 3, 2015
A big majority of awaiting pilot retirements among major carriers over the next decade is forcing the entire pilot supply chain to unify in a search for solutions to keep the industry due to stalling to fill in the vacant cockpit seats.
There is still debate about the magnitude of the problem, but its emerging effects are already showing in the form of canceled flights, parked regional aircraft and a 10% cut in service to 86 communities. The true sign of a shortage will be when the airlines begin paying people to learn how to fly. It has not happened yet, but there is a sense that major airlines will soon spend money on advertisements for pilots, which hasn’t happened since the pilot strikes at Continental and United in the 1980s. Major airlines will have to replace more than 18,000 pilots due to a mandatory age 65 retirement over the next seven years. Traditionally, about 60% of pilots came from military backgrounds, but the ratio has now shifted to roughly 60% civilian and 40% military. While some will benefit from the shortage, given the normal career path from regional to major airlines, the pilot pipeline into the regionals from schools is not running at rates high enough to keep the seats filled, in part due to high costs of a four-year education including flight training. Experts from regional airlines such as Delta, United, U.S. Airways, and American say that hiring has become more difficult than in prior years and the airlines are using social media and other forms of communication to reach out. Some airlines are even offering sign on bonuses to help pay off student loans as well as the cost of acquiring the Airline Transport Pilot’s license, which is a requirement for first officers since last year. Calkins, the President of Southwest, says they hired close to 400 new pilots last year, but is scaling back to approximately 250 this
References: Croft, John (February 3, 2015) Aviation Week & Space Technology Retrieved from: http://aviationweek.com/commercial-aviation/us-carriers-face-shrinking-pool-pilots