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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.
regional airlines pay very low
Airline pilot used to be a prestige job which for a system airline could be a lifetime career. Starting pilots now make $24 an hour, which is slightly higher than a Walmart greeter:
http://fortune.com/2014/03/03/...
Think about that the next time you roar down the runway on your way somewhere.
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.
So, why does the first hit on my google search for "starting pay for airline pilots" say "Starting Salaries. A regional airline pilots in the U.S. typically starts out making an hourly rate of $20 – $50 per hour, or about $20,000-$40,000 per year, depending on the airline, type of aircraft, and the pilot's experience level."
with the ability to have a contractually guaranteed minimum of 70-80 hours a month.
...and, as the very same page on my google search helpfully tells me, "The average airline pilot logs 75 hours a month in the air and sometimes up to 150 hours per month performing ground duties like simulator training, maintaining records, performing pre-flight inspections, flight planning and traveling to and from hotels and airports."
...
That is for 80 hours a month. Our normal work jobs in the us have us ordinary folks working 160 hours a month.
The hourly rate is well into the normal 6 figure if working full time.
Higher pay and benefits may help, but I expect the crazy hours, and being away for home on long day stretches factor in too. What is the point in making a lot of money if you are living like homeless bum, because you are never home.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
There is no shortage of pilots for those $300K/year jobs. Period.
There is a shortage at the 36K - $40K per year level - especially now that you need 1,500 hours which takes a fair bit of time to get (and $$). Add in quality of life issues at that pay rate - yes there is a shortage.
Put all the regional pilots on mainline contracts. Pilot shortage would go away pretty quickly.
You can't get student loans to cover it. Student loans are only for education, not experience. You need 1500 hours of experience. That cost is on you.
Something tells me that they'd never even bother to ask the passengers whether 1% would put them off flying. According to one pizza chain, paying their employees a livable minimum wage would result in pizzas costing something like $0.17 more and the CEO claimed he'd have to lay people off because a wage increase was going to do the company in. Does anyone doubt that the airlines' C-level execs knee-jerk reaction would not be anything but screaming and shouting about government regulation?
CUR ALLOC 20195.....5804M
That is for 80 hours a month. Our normal work jobs in the us have us ordinary folks working 160 hours a month....
I'm a regional airline pilot and work well over 160 hours a month for between 80 -100 hours of flight pay. I have worked many 14+ hour days where I only get 4.5 - 5 hours of pay. The rest of the time is aircraft swaps, delays, maintenance, weather, time between legs (airport appreciation), ready reserve, etc.
The only reason people work for low pay at a regional is the carrot of being able to move on to a legacy airline such as Delta, United, America, etc and being able to earn a middle-class living. But there's no clear path to a legacy carrier. Some promise flow through, but that seems to be the exception rather than the rule. You apply and hope to get invited for an interview and maybe a job. When the economy goes down the tubes, a lot of legacy pilots wind up back at the regionals and take a 70% pay cut to just keep flying. I'm considering going to Asia as a plan B.
If there really is a pilot shortage then ticket prices are going to rise anyway because there will be a limited number of flights that can be operated by all airlines combined.
True but what will really happen is airlines will shut down flying unprofitable or marginally profitable routes in order to concentrate on the profitable ones. There will be fewer planes (but they'll always be full instead of partially filled) needing fewer pilots. I'm not saying this is good for the average customer. I'm saying this is what will happen. I used to work at at airline so I know how they operate. They know exactly how profitable each flight is. Triage will mandate they cull money-losing routes first since they only exist to feed people to more profitable routes. Next will be the marginal routes for exactly the same reason.
In the end they will lay their freedom at our feet and say to us, Make us your slaves, but feed us. - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
AC versus NBC News. Fight!
"A portrait of these hourly pay scales becomes even more pathetic when you consider that regional airline pilots, who are paid only from the time the airline leaves the gate to the time it arrives at the destination, only are on the clock on average about 21.5 hours per week."
"They have a minimum pay for time on duty at some airlines, like one hour of pay minimum for every two hours on duty, and one hour of pay for every 4-5 hours away from home,' Darby says. 'These rules are often not in effect at the smaller airlines, and are always guaranteed by the larger major airlines' union contracts."
Oooo... half-time pay, if you're lucky. Color me jealous.