Originally Posted by
aussieflyboy
Over the next 10 years the number of Mainline domestic pilots will become smaller and smaller.
Not according to forecast recruitment vs retirements for the next 5 years at least. Mainline pilot establishment planned to be about 30% bigger than early 2022 levels.
The NEOs will still fly the trunk capital city routes at peak times but A220s will be a much more common sight.
The reason why they're getting a 200 seat aircraft to replace a 174 seat one is forecast passenger growth. None of the major airports in Australia, with the exception of Perth, are planning for new terminal space in the next decade or so. There won't be enough room to park a greater number of A220s in somewhere like Sydney T3. They need bigger aircraft. Added to that the A220 is being operated, for now, by a lower paid regional carrier, which will always suffer long term pilot shortage issues hampering their growth. I could foresee that in the longer term if the company did want to integrate A220 flying on existing mainline routes the option of it being integrated into mainline would have to be considered.
If your a pilot wanting to try international for a few years then settle on the domestic fleet and have a family your applying to the wrong company by applying for mainline.
Interesting point but in all my years of aviation the propensity to have a family or not has no bearing on whether you migrate to international or domestic flying. For a lot of people international rosters fit more into their chosen family lifestyle.