The United States is facing its worst pilot shortage in recent memory, forcing airlines to cut flights just as travelers are returning after two years.
The crisis has the industry scrambling.
The retirement age for airline pilots from 65 to 67 is mandated by the federal government.
A regional airline wants to reduce flight-hour requirements before joining a U.S. carrier. Delta Air Lines dropped a four-year degree from its hiring requirements.
Some pilots from Australia are being recruited by U.S. airlines. American Airlines is selling bus tickets.
The shortage could take years to solve, according to some airline executives.
The pilot shortage for the industry is real, and most airlines are not going to be able to realize their capacity plans because there aren't enough pilots.
About 150 airplanes are grounded because of the pilot shortage, according to Kirby.
Pilot hiring was halted as training and licensing slowed. Thousands of pilots and other employees were given early retirement packages by airlines to cut labor costs during the depths of the crisis.
One former captain for a major US airline took an early retirement package in 2020.
The rush to hire and train pilots may be too long to avoid flight cuts.
Major U.S. airlines are trying to hire more than 12,000 pilots combined this year, more than double the previous record, according to a pilot pay consultant and a retired United captain.
The shortage is particularly acute at regional carriers that feed major airlines. While hiring and retention bonuses have returned at those airlines, pay is lower there than at majors, and they are recruiting aggressively from smaller carriers.
Mesa Air Group lost $43 million in the last quarter as flight cuts mounted.
Mesa CEO Jonathan Ornstein said they never imagined attrition levels like this. You were able to see our quarterly numbers.
It takes Mesa 120 days to replace a pilot who gives two weeks notice to go somewhere else.
He said that they could use 200 pilots right now.
Frontier and SkyWest are recruiting pilots from Australia under a special visa, but the numbers are small compared with their overall ranks and hiring goals.
Republic Airways, which flies for American, Delta and United, petitioned the U.S. government to allow pilots to fly for the airline with 750 hours, half of the 1,500 currently required, if they go through the carrier's training program. There are exemptions to the 1,500-hour rule for military trained pilots and those who attend two- and four-year programs that include flight training.
The proposal has received opposition from family members of the victims of the Colgan Air crash. The tragedy killed all 49 people on board and one on the ground, and ushered in the 1,500-hour rule, aimed at ensuring pilot experience.
According to people familiar with Graham's plans, the senator is considering introducing legislation that would raise the mandatory airline pilot retirement age from 65 to 67. About a third of the airline-qualified pilots in the U.S. are between the ages of 51 and 59, according to the Regional Airline Association.
Requests for comment were not responded to by Graham's office.
Airlines are rethinking their growth plans because of pilot and other worker shortages. Alaska Airlines has recently trimmed capacity.
SkyWest told the transportation department that it plans to stop service to 29 smaller cities that the government subsidizes through the Essential Air Service.
Smaller U.S. cities could be isolated by service reductions, according to a pilot pay consultant.
If they don't fly it, maybe a smaller airline will.
The cost of school is one of the biggest obstacles to new pilots. It can take years to get qualified to be a widebody captain at a major airline.
It costs close to $92,000 for a full-time program to get initial licenses at the largest flight school in the country. It can take about 18 months or longer for pilots to build up enough hours to fly, often by instructing student pilots or flying banners near beaches.
It's not a car wash, and you can't just get someone to come in from the street.
In December, United started teaching the first students at its own flight school in Arizona, with a goal of training 5,000 pilots there by the year 2030. Half of that number is said to be women or people of color. The company covers the cost of pilots training up to the point of receiving their private pilots license, which it estimates to be around $17,000 per student.
Low-interest loans or other initiatives have been used by other carriers to ease the financial burden on students.
There is no quick fix.
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