Pilot shortage Myth. 7000 apps for 600 slots at DL

[drinksonme]

Deleted..........

 

[drinksonme]

a guy a few classes behind me at UAL left an EK captain A380 position to be an FO on the 737 in EWR. He said it was a no-brainer. That says a lot about EK and living in a sand box full of crazies.

Or a lot about that guys judgement. I have a buddy who is in Saudi Arabia, and while not bikinis and Mai Tai's.....he will be retired, as in fully done working for life, in 10 years.........at 55. Married w/ 2 kids college tuition paid, 10 acre property in northern AZ with 2300 sq ft house paid in full, and for fun... He just paid off his parents home loan as a anniversary gift. So not sure about this guy and his situation, but people like my friend think we are suckers in the USA. I hate Burqa's, love 6 inch stiletto's, alcohol, and the NFL. That's why I stay, maybe my judgement is off, or this guy feels the same. Sorry to judge initially.

 

[Dumb Pilot]

So does that mean that the guys that gave up their seniority and remained working abroad is indicative and say a lot about the US airline industry? Or it say that to each it's own...!

 

[Dan Roman]

There are always pilots that think what they are doing is what everyone should be too. My take is that it varies on an individual basis. A career full of overseas living and seeing the world is certainly more interesting than one spent flying a 737 out of EWR. That said, it's not everyone's cup of tea and nothing wrong with that. Family considerations are most important, more important than the obviously greater earning capacity of flying for many of the overseas jobs.
Bottom line is, you gotta do what you want and not what someone else thinks you should.

 

[Dan Roman]

Or a lot about that guys judgement. I have a buddy who is in Saudi Arabia, and while not bikinis and Mai Tai's.....he will be retired, as in fully done working for life, in 10 years.........at 55. Married w/ 2 kids college tuition paid, 10 acre property in northern AZ with 2300 sq ft house paid in full, and for fun... He just paid off his parents home loan as a anniversary gift. So not sure about this guy and his situation, but people like my friend think we are suckers in the USA. I hate Burqa's, love 6 inch stiletto's, alcohol, and the NFL. That's why I stay, maybe my judgement is off, or this guy feels the same. Sorry to judge initially.

Spot on take that the guy going back to UAL defines him more than the overseas flying. Your buddy from Saudi certainly hit a home run, not very many Legacy pilots will retire as well.

 

[JadedViking]

Or a lot about that guys judgement. I have a buddy who is in Saudi Arabia, and while not bikinis and Mai Tai's.....he will be retired, as in fully done working for life, in 10 years.........at 55. Married w/ 2 kids college tuition paid, 10 acre property in northern AZ with 2300 sq ft house paid in full, and for fun... He just paid off his parents home loan as a anniversary gift. So not sure about this guy and his situation, but people like my friend think we are suckers in the USA. I hate Burqa's, love 6 inch stiletto's, alcohol, and the NFL. That's why I stay, maybe my judgement is off, or this guy feels the same. Sorry to judge initially.

That does sound nice. Having paid off everything and retiring early. To each his own. My thinking, and probably the guy that happily left an EK captain A380 job, was that your life and career "is not about the destination" (you know the rest...). Nothing wrong at all with doing it in the desert, but if I wanted a job purely for the money and do anything mentally to get it, I would NOT be flying, and I would also probably be still in the states working and getting paid (and still not enjoying my job). I'd never ever want to spend my "youth" and career over in the desert. Some nice European cities, probably yes, ....the desert noooooo way. Just MHO.

 

[bafanguy]

Prove it....

FWIW, I guess to prove it, you'd have to find someone with access to the flt ops section of the DLNET who'd show you. The 7000 number can be found there in a recent hiring update. And to be correct, they said it's "over" 7000.

I'm afraid I can't be of much more help than that.

 

[Redtailer]

4 year degree, ATP, 3000TT/1500 TPIC, ex-mil, squeaky clean record, no call from Skywest or any other regional. I call shenanigans.

Either there is something in your record you are not aware of or they think you are overqualified. What that kind of experience you should be going to the majors, not a regional. So they probably think you are only going to come in for a few months and then leave.

 

[waveflyer]

Either there is something in your record you are not aware of or they think you are overqualified. What that kind of experience you should be going to the majors, not a regional. So they probably think you are only going to come in for a few months and then leave.

This^^^ most probably

Or the d^uchebag factor is high...

 

[livin'thesim]

Someone upthread brought up a great point:

How many of those apps each airline has are overlapping. If I was a regional pilot right now, I would be applying for most of the legacy carriers, and several of the nationals.

I can't think of a major that would not be on my list except maybe for Southwest, where I think advancement might be very slow for a while, although the QOL and pay might make up for the slower movement, don't know.

I'll bet (pure guess) that at least 5000 of the 7000 mentioned in the original post are applying at every legacy.