poydras
7th Sep 2015, 20:31
Airlines Complain About Pilot Shortage They Created
September 4, 2015 • 22,950 Views
( for an update on this post click here.)
Republic Airways Holdings, an airline holding company, told Wall Street investors in July that it was cutting the number of flights on its schedule by four percent. Not because of a lack of demand. But because the airline couldn't find enough qualified pilots to fly the planes. Its share price fell by half that month.
Trans States Airlines, with starting pilot salaries of $15 dollars an hour, now finds itself offering $10,000 signing bonuses and promises of captain upgrades in just a year. (ED Note: Several comments have noted that this is no longer the wage and put the current hourly rate at between $24-35 hours) The regionals are so desperate to find pilots that some are now touting electronic flight bag approval as a way to attract technology-minded, young pilots (unfortunately, many have chosen the Microsoft Surface tablet, which is about as exciting to young pilots as a night out at a Neil Young concert).
The pilot shortage in the U.S. is real. And the fault lies squarely with the airlines. Here's why you should care. A scarcity of labor always leads to higher wages which, in turn, leads to higher prices for the product (higher fares in this case). And I say: good.
After thirty years of driving down pilot salaries, the airlines are reaping what they sowed. The average age of a pilot today is 50. Since 1980, the U.S. pilot population has dropped 200,000.
As the CEO of a company feeling the sting of the pilot shortage, I can honestly say the airlines have screwed us all. Not just because there is a pilot shortage now, but because unless we improve the salaries and working conditions at commercial airlines, the shortage will only get worse.
On the career pages of the regional airlines, there are pictures of happy pilots. Here's the photo from Trans State Airlines:
So why don't people want to grow up and be pilots, anymore? Pilot salary and career path is the major reason. It takes years of training (like being a doctor or lawyer) and tens of thousands of dollars of schooling, but unlike becoming a doctor or lawyer, your first job is slogging away at a flight school and then joining a regional airline where you earn less than you would at many fast food restaurants. That would be tolerable if there was a clear path to a better-paying job. But the airlines have been quick to lay-off pilots when times get a bit bumpy. And management-labor peace has been elusive at almost all the major carriers.
The airlines aren't alone in causing the pilot shortage. The industry has done a terrible job in convincing teenagers that flying is still adventurous. FAA has burdened us with more and more regulations. And Congress decided to hike the minimum number of hours required to be an airline pilot by six fold (from 250 hours to 1500).
But the airlines, which drive the industry in every aspect, must assume the bulk of the responsibility. They need to build a culture where their most important employees (pilots, mechanics, flight attendants) feel that they are heeding a higher calling and not just being treated like a well-educated bus driver.
September 4, 2015 • 22,950 Views
( for an update on this post click here.)
Republic Airways Holdings, an airline holding company, told Wall Street investors in July that it was cutting the number of flights on its schedule by four percent. Not because of a lack of demand. But because the airline couldn't find enough qualified pilots to fly the planes. Its share price fell by half that month.
Trans States Airlines, with starting pilot salaries of $15 dollars an hour, now finds itself offering $10,000 signing bonuses and promises of captain upgrades in just a year. (ED Note: Several comments have noted that this is no longer the wage and put the current hourly rate at between $24-35 hours) The regionals are so desperate to find pilots that some are now touting electronic flight bag approval as a way to attract technology-minded, young pilots (unfortunately, many have chosen the Microsoft Surface tablet, which is about as exciting to young pilots as a night out at a Neil Young concert).
The pilot shortage in the U.S. is real. And the fault lies squarely with the airlines. Here's why you should care. A scarcity of labor always leads to higher wages which, in turn, leads to higher prices for the product (higher fares in this case). And I say: good.
After thirty years of driving down pilot salaries, the airlines are reaping what they sowed. The average age of a pilot today is 50. Since 1980, the U.S. pilot population has dropped 200,000.
As the CEO of a company feeling the sting of the pilot shortage, I can honestly say the airlines have screwed us all. Not just because there is a pilot shortage now, but because unless we improve the salaries and working conditions at commercial airlines, the shortage will only get worse.
On the career pages of the regional airlines, there are pictures of happy pilots. Here's the photo from Trans State Airlines:
So why don't people want to grow up and be pilots, anymore? Pilot salary and career path is the major reason. It takes years of training (like being a doctor or lawyer) and tens of thousands of dollars of schooling, but unlike becoming a doctor or lawyer, your first job is slogging away at a flight school and then joining a regional airline where you earn less than you would at many fast food restaurants. That would be tolerable if there was a clear path to a better-paying job. But the airlines have been quick to lay-off pilots when times get a bit bumpy. And management-labor peace has been elusive at almost all the major carriers.
The airlines aren't alone in causing the pilot shortage. The industry has done a terrible job in convincing teenagers that flying is still adventurous. FAA has burdened us with more and more regulations. And Congress decided to hike the minimum number of hours required to be an airline pilot by six fold (from 250 hours to 1500).
But the airlines, which drive the industry in every aspect, must assume the bulk of the responsibility. They need to build a culture where their most important employees (pilots, mechanics, flight attendants) feel that they are heeding a higher calling and not just being treated like a well-educated bus driver.