Pilot Shortage affecting the Majors

[atpcliff]

Just talked to a regional pilot. A friend of his is a MlEC officer at a very large US carrier.

The MEC guy was talking to his airline's CEO. He asked what was the #1 problem that the CEO had to deal with at their airline. The CEO said the upcoming pilot shortage. The CEO did not see how they could realistically avoid parking mainline aircraft due to a shortage of pilots to fly those aircraft.

 

[Morettis]

Lol, good one! Majors have a never ending supply of applicants, they're called regionals. The regionals are the ones that will struggle.

 

[N1atEcon]

SWA widow was open for what, two days? They had over 5000 qualified applicants.

 

[motojet]

So a friend talked to a friend who talked to the CEO... Must be accurate.

 

[Dan Roman]

Agree with the shortage perception. No shortage of pilots with 1000's of hours of RJ or heavy turboprop time. Personally I think all the upcoming retirements at the legacies and the new 1500 hr rule is going to put a lot of pressure on the regional airlines. The only defense they would have is to create better working conditions and pay to prevent a mass exodus.
Use to be airlines like Piedmont, Allegheny, Ozark, PSA, North Central etc all provided careers as good as UAL, Pan Am, Eastern, Delta etc.
There is no reason for the huge pay/work rule disparity between the larger carriers and the smaller ones.

 

[ImbracableCrunk]

You mean the Stepping Stone line we always hear us a lie???

 

[flyboyike]

So a friend talked to a friend who talked to the CEO... Must be accurate.

He also had so-and-so in his jumpseat last week, and....

 

[BILL LUMBERG]

No no people....

The CEO faces a shortage of Pilots who will do this job for NOTHING.

Time to step up the pay rates people, stop taking concessions and crap deals.....you don't have to goto Hah-Vahd to know what supply and demand means...

 

[jmreii]

Just talked to a regional pilot. A friend of his is a MlEC officer at a very large US carrier.

The MEC guy was talking to his airline's CEO. He asked what was the #1 problem that the CEO had to deal with at their airline. The CEO said the upcoming pilot shortage. The CEO did not see how they could realistically avoid parking mainline aircraft due to a shortage of pilots to fly those aircraft.

This friend should have ask the CEO are your company dependent on regional airline feed for its life's blood. If not he shouldn't worry about it. Those companies in which are dependent may need to worry!!!!!

 

[pilotyip]

Use to be airlines like Piedmont, Allegheny, Ozark, PSA, North Central etc all provided careers as good as UAL, Pan Am, Eastern, Delta etc.
There is no reason for the huge pay/work rule disparity between the larger carriers and the smaller ones.

Yes there is, it is called scope and it is imposed by unions to ensure that those to have continue to have by ensuring those who do not have continue to not have. If the unions had said to the management, sure bring on the little airplanes, pay them crap, but give them a seniority number we would not have this problem.

 

[GhettoBeechjet]

This time we do have the perfect storm to start to deal with the outsourcing problem. The regionals are going to struggle to find people which will start to cut off mainlines cheap feed. This started to happen in 2007 before the economy went of the cliff and that was when they could hire 200 hour pilots. The question is will we as mainline pilots seize the opportunity to put the small jet pilots on our MSLs and recapture that flying?

 

[BILL LUMBERG]

And about that time (2008)they kicked the can down the curb to Age 65.....

No more relief....

Like Ray Liotta said in Goodfellas...... So you had a fire? F U pay ME!! Business tough? F U Pay ME!

Bottom line.....time to get what we are owed.

 

[Tripower455]

If the unions had said to the management, sure bring on the little airplanes, pay them crap, but give them a seniority number we would not have this problem.

Yup... This is the crux of the issue, but back in the day, the mainline guys couldn't fathom a turboprop guy flying their jets.

 

[imacdog]

LOL, you'll believe anything, won't you Cliff?

 

[OCP]

There are far fewer pilots total at all the Regionals than there are age 65 retirements coming. That is with zero growth at the majors. Couple that with not all regional pilots are going to leave their jobs and the fact that there are very few people getting into the job behind the regional guys who are leaving that creates a large shortage at the regional level and eventually at the major level. Why is this hard to understand?