A severe pilot shortage in the U.S. leaves airlines running for solutions
Key takeaways:
- The outbreak worsened a pilot shortage by slowing down training and hiring and creating a wave of early retirements.
- Airlines proposed pilots' early retirements to shorten labor bills during the depths of the pandemic.
- The procedure to become airline-qualified in the U.S. is lengthy and costly, making entry railings high.
The United States is meeting its most destructive pilot shortage in recent memory, pushing airlines to trim flights just as travelers return after almost two years of the Covid-19 outbreak.
The problem has the industry scrambling for solutions.
At most unreasonable, one lawmaker regards legislation that could raise the federally-mandated retirement criteria for airline pilots from 65 to 67 or higher to advance aviators' time in the skies.
A provincial airline offered to ease flight-hour needs before joining a U.S. carrier, and airlines are rethinking training schedules to lower entry walls.
This year, Delta Air Lines joined other big pages in dropping a four-year degree from its pilot hiring conditions.
Some U.S. airlines, including Frontier, are recruiting some flyers from Australia. American Airlines is vending bus tickets for some short routes.
But some airline executives caution the shortage could take years to crack.
"The pilot shortage for the industry is natural, and most airlines are just not going to be able to recognize their capacity goals because there just aren't enough pilots, at least not for the following five-plus years," United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said on quarterly profits call in April.