Originally Posted by
Rottweiler22
FlyBe going bust (which seems to be looking increasingly likely) would put another 600 pilots just on the UK market. The coffin would be nailed shut in the UK for finding an airline job, probably for the next couple of years.
If this Coronavirus gets much worse, it comes with it a downturn in air travel, and then the possibility of airlines closing recruitment, redundancies, or even the weaker airlines being unable to keep heads above water and going under. That’s another few hundred experienced guys on the EU market.
This is worse case scenario, and if it were to happen I imagine the effect would be much more mild. Still, I reckon the flyBe issue will the biggest factor in determining the amount of jobs going. Especially how it could be another 600 pilots on the market just months after Thomas Cook’s 600.
I wouldn’t put anyone off beginning their training at the moment (although it’s a bit dodgy now, the market can be a different kettle of fish in 2 years). But, as mentioned by someone else, a plan B is vital. A job you can pay your way with in the event of not finding an airline job, or whilst looking for one. Simply going straight from school into fight training is a big risk, with no skills to fall back on. Definitely not worth the risk remortgaging your parent’s house over.
Good advice. Worth noting that these collapses (Thomas Cook, maybe Flybe) are not as much as a threat to new cadets as they first seem. Reason being is that firstly cadets are cheaper than employing experienced pilots. More importantly though is that a lot of these collapses result in other airlines getting hold of new routes and so their capacity will increase albeit not immediately.
Short term it's testing times in the industry - medium to long term - who knows - proceed with caution i suppose.