The pilot shortage is back with a vengeance after a brief reprieve.
Airlines are trying to attract talent and encourage more people to become pilots. After decades of low pay, intense training, and furloughs, pilots are being given an opportunity to shape their own career path while getting paid more.
After seven months of operation, Breeze Airways has raised the pay for its pilots. First officers assigned to the A 220 aircraft will see a 24% increase to $68 per flight hour, while new hire first officers will see an 11% increase to $61 per flight hour.
Many airline pilots who are just starting out will no longer have to work for low wages as they work their way up the ladder. Regional airlines are often the first stop for pilots who want to fly for major carriers.
First officers at GoJet Airlines are being offered $20,000 in bonuses, while pilots with enough experience to become a captain are being offered $40,000. Regional carriers in the US have to fight hard to get talent.
There are fewer barriers for pilots to jump over to a major carrier. The requirement to have a four-year college degree is being eliminated by Delta Air Lines.
"While we feel as strongly as ever about the importance of education, there are highly qualified candidates who have gained more than the equivalent of a college education through years of life and leadership experience," Delta wrote in its announcement. The four-year degree requirement removes barriers to the flight decks.
American Airlines does not require a degree for pilot applicants, while United Airlines does not require a bachelor's degree for pilots. Independent flight schools allow pilots to earn their licenses and ratings without a college education.
"Ab initio" programs, where prospective pilots with no prior training can get all of their required licenses, are also growing in popularity in the US with airlines like United getting ready to open their own pilot academies in places like Arizona. The cost of training still applies to pilots, but they will have access to financial aid and loans if they choose to fly for a major airline.
The Federal Aviation Administration's mandatory retirement age of 65 is one of the requirements that are outside of an airline's control. Not all airlines are looking for pilots who want to stay for a long time.
Breeze wants to hire older pilots who retired from the airline industry during the Pandemic, even if they only have a few years before retirement.
Christopher Owens, Breeze's vice president of flight operations, told Insider that anyone who has three years left would be great.
Breeze is one of the airlines that is using the E3 visa program to hire pilots from Australia. More airlines are increasing their supply of pilots, and Breeze has seen at least 120 applicants for the program.
The pilot shortage is already having an effect on airlines and they have to address it. Regional airlines have been forced to ground hundreds of aircraft as well as cut and rearrange routes for United.
Scott Kirby, United's chief executive officer, said in a Senate hearing last month that he was less optimistic that the situation would reverse itself in the near term unless something was done to increase the supply of pilots.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
