Don't hold your breath for a pilot shortage

[xjlifer]

I make over $100,000 at a regional. However I am also a "lifer". I really like my job. I don't complain (to much) on the line and get 18 days off a month. Student loans are long ago paid off. For me life is great.

However I would not want my son to follow in my footsteps. The uncertainty and low initial wages are a show stopper today. If I average my earnings since I first started to get paid to fly.....well it is not a pretty picture.

There are not enough people willing to make the pathetic wages offered to replace the idiots like me that did.

 

[Krapflier]

Flying in the US is dead. That is if you want a livable wage and a half way descent schedule. There may be a few jobs that are true gems but I assure you they are the exception not the rule. The majority of the majors don't start hitting big retirement numbers till 2020.

OCONUS is where the money is at. Name a place in the US where you can get a FO job starting at 80K - 100K flying a 777. Korea, China, UAE, Japan is where its at gentlemen. Its all contracts, if after three years I want to try my luck at another airline I don't start at $42 an hour till I hit my second year I start a new contract.

Don't want to live overseas fine, most of the contract in Asia give you 12-15 days off a month, a ticket, and 1 travel day on either side to commute to and from the States.

Get a clue. The US is played out as far as flying goes.

 

[OPECJet]

NJA has already dumped 495 pilots into the market. Maybe 150 - 200 are still looking for or would consider another flying job. AA / Eagle is going to dump another buttload but with a low net loss of job as scope erodes and bigger RJ's suck up those put on the street. Citationair is dumping another 100 or so in the next few months. Add in some ACMI bankruptcies and I think that long awaited pilot shortage will prove little more than a minor inconvenience to airline HR depts.

 

[BrickTop]

There's no polite way to say. The pilot shortage is the biggest brainwash tactic that lured the dumbest of this industry's workers. Krapflier is correct. This Profession is FINISHED in the US. Get out.

 

[CaribPilot]

Some of you clearly have not seen the sheer amount of retirements that are coming up.

This is just for Delta, Unical, & AMR...add on everyone else...and you have a sh*t storm brewing.

2013- 695
2014- 892
2015- 939
2016- 964
2017- 1110
2018- 1258
2019- 1449
2020- 1653
2021- 1957
2022- 2016
2023- 2108
2024- 2047
2025- 2081
2026- 2011
2027- 1780
2028- 1767
2029- 1654
2030- 1240
2031- 975

 

[reepicheep]

Consolidation
Outsourcing
Downsizing
Cabotage
Another hike in the retirement age

If that don't do it I'm confident they'll come up with something else...

 

[Flyer1015]

Consolidation
Outsourcing
Downsizing
Cabotage
Another hike in the retirement age

If that don't do it I'm confident they'll come up with something else...

Another terrorist attack
War with Iran
Oil shooting back to $150/barrel (or even higher)
Parking of fleets outright without replacement

There will be NO shortage of pilots any time soon!

 

[rod farva]

Another terrorist attack
War with Iran
Oil shooting back to $150/barrel (or even higher)
Parking of fleets outright without replacement

There will be NO shortage of pilots any time soon!

Don't forget flowthroughs, military guys, etc

 

[RJLoser]

Question: those of you who bad mouth the profession and say there is no future...why does your dumba$$ stick around? Anyone?

 

[Flyer1015]

I haven't badmouthed this profession, I do love what I do. But I'm still not buying into this whole "Pilot shortageeee!" that people think is coming. The reasons against it have already been mentioned above.