Shrinking Pool of Future Pilots Keeps Major Airlines on Edge: Study shows deficit of 15,000 Pilots by 2026 as fewer choose career

[SirLinksALot]

SOURCE: BLOOMBERG NEWS

URL: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-06-29/shrinking-pool-of-future-pilots-keeps-major-airlines-on-edge

by:  Mary Schlangenstein and Nichael Sasso


After coping with terrorism, bankruptcies and consolidation, the largest U.S. airlines are facing a new problem: They may start running out of pilots in as soon as three years.

That looming pilot deficit will soar to 15,000 by 2026, according to a study by the University of North Dakota’s Aviation Department, as more captains reach the mandatory retirement age of 65 and fewer young people choose commercial aviation as a profession. And that’s in an industry where captains on the biggest international jets average more than $200,000 a year -- with some pushing $300,000.

A pilot shortage is already the bane of the often low-paying regional carriers that ferry passengers from smaller airports to hubs operated by American, Delta and other major airlines. That’s worrisome for the major carriers because they typically use the smaller operators as a pipeline for hiring.

“That is one of the things in my job I get to worry about every day and when I go to bed at night,” said Greg Muccio, a senior manager at Southwest Airlines Co. “The biggest problem is a general lack of interest in folks pursuing this as a career anymore. That’s what puts us in the most jeopardy.”



Airlines are responding by changing hiring requirements, boosting signing bonuses at regional carriers they own and partnering with flight schools and university aviation programs. Muccio spends some of his time trying to interest college, high school and even elementary students in an aviation career, while he’s working to extend the biggest three-year expansion of pilot hiring in Southwest’s history.

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[ABX]

Personnel shortages don't last long as long as the market can work. The problem now is we are using antiquated training standards that make it to the point a pilot can't even break even until he is middle-aged, and even then, he is pulling in a fraction of what he would in other fields. Training and requirements need to catch up with technology.

[geronl]

Let Google Autopilot get you where you need to go!*

(*more or less)

[jmyrlefuller]

The problem here is that a few years ago, there was a plane crash up near Buffalo and ever since then, they've used that crash as a rallying cry to put even MORE regulations, demands and mandatory hours of flight in before you can become a commercial pilot.

It's the same crisis our health care system faces: there's too much red tape for job seekers to realistically get into the field.

[biff]

The first and foremost problem with the pilot shortage is cost. Just to get a private license can cost 7-8K, then comes instrument rating for another 5K, then twin rating another 10K,  commercial for 10K. At schools it costs 100+K to just get the ratings to start out in an industry making 24K/year.

Now add into the formula that kids today are not enamored with flying like we were. Flying was a love affair, not just something to do. Kids today just want to play video games and play with their smart phones, smoke dope and sleep in mom's basement, get a free college education then start out making 100K/yr. in the mating habits of the African tse-tse fly.

There will be no more Captain Sully's and future airline passengers will be at the mercy of computer flown buses carrying hundreds of people.