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The US is Facing a Serious Shortage of Airline Pilots (cnn.com)
An anonymous reader shares a report: The national security of the United States relies on a healthy airline industry. That requires modern reliable airplanes -- and highly skilled pilots to operate them. However, the United States has a shortage of pilots right now, particularly at the regional airline levels. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, there were about 827,000 pilots in America in 1987. Over the past three decades, that number has decreased by 30%. Meanwhile, during this period, there has been a tremendous increase in the demand for air travel. The International Air Transport Association predicts that, over the next 20 years, air travel will double.
This is a classic case of low supply and high demand. This mismatch has created a perfect storm that could wreak havoc on the US airline industry over the next decade. The somber news is this shortage is going to get much worse. I have not only studied and researched the airline industry since 1978, but I also was a pilot for 19 years, before going back to academia in 2006.
In the 1970s, when most of today's airline pilots like myself were growing up, piloting for an airline was considered a prestigious career. The job offered not only high salaries and nice schedules with many days off, but also a respected position in society. In the early 1990s, pilot salaries approached $300,000 in today's dollars for some international pilots. What's more, during this time, the military had a steady and consistent demand for pilots. A young aspiring aviator could go into the military to receive all of his or her flight training. Once these pilots had fulfilled their military commitment, they were almost guaranteed a good job flying for a major airline. Today, this is no longer the case. The career of the airline pilot has lost its luster.
This is a classic case of low supply and high demand. This mismatch has created a perfect storm that could wreak havoc on the US airline industry over the next decade. The somber news is this shortage is going to get much worse. I have not only studied and researched the airline industry since 1978, but I also was a pilot for 19 years, before going back to academia in 2006.
In the 1970s, when most of today's airline pilots like myself were growing up, piloting for an airline was considered a prestigious career. The job offered not only high salaries and nice schedules with many days off, but also a respected position in society. In the early 1990s, pilot salaries approached $300,000 in today's dollars for some international pilots. What's more, during this time, the military had a steady and consistent demand for pilots. A young aspiring aviator could go into the military to receive all of his or her flight training. Once these pilots had fulfilled their military commitment, they were almost guaranteed a good job flying for a major airline. Today, this is no longer the case. The career of the airline pilot has lost its luster.
Here's a thought: they could try paying pilots decently, and giving them reasonable work schedules.
I know, that's crazy talk.
The starting wage for a pilot at a major carrier is $70-80 an hour with the ability to have a contractually guaranteed minimum of 70-80 hours a month. Pilots with seniority can easily makes $250k in a year before bonuses or profit sharing. Regionals currently pay about $50-60k yearly plus sign-up and retention bonuses. The issue isn't the pay or the work rules. The issue is requiring 1000-1500 hours of flight time before you can get an ATP certification which is a requirement to work for a commercial passenger airline. Before the changes after the Colgan Air crash you only needed 250 hours to be an FO with a regional carrier.
The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
Given that the technology exists today to build passenger planes which require no flight crew at all, I can imagine why someone in their late teens/early twenties deciding on a career path would be hesitant to make the HUGE investment of time and money it requires to become a commercial airline pilot. My guess is within ten years, you will start to see automated commercial flights in which the "pilot" doesn't need to touch anything from pushback at the departing gate to pulling up at the arrival gate, and within twenty, you'll start to see flights with no flight crew on board at all. Why would anyone want to start a career in that field now? I think the pilot shortage problem is only going to get worse in the years to come, before automation takes over, and the shortage may accelerate the trend to automation.
If I can be modded down for being a troll, can I be modded up for being an orc, or a balrog?
We dont have enough pilots because of the russians
coming soon, we must increase rates... also more h1b pilots needed....
Nah. Better to make the pilots we have work more hours for the same pay.
Can't. The FAA put a piloting limit of 1000 flight hours per year, to limit pilot fatigue.
that meddling government, always taking profit away from businesses just because "safety". People should be allowed to fly unsafe airlines if they want to save some dollars, it's their right.
Unfortunately that is no longer a thing
Sorry, flight attendant poontang.
It is not a right to fucking crash airplanes, you moron. That right is reserved for only the US Government when we need an impetus to attack the world nonstop and coincidentally, to strip citizens of their rights.
If the power supply in a production server catches fire, best practice is to schedule a meeting to determine whether DevOps should fix it, or whether the software team can issue a software patch to correct the issue.
I'll see your senator, and I'll raise you two judges.