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WHAT’S BEHIND THE PILOT SHORTAGE?by Spartan in Jobs/Careers

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At the end of February, the Government Accountability Office published a 61-page

report,“Aviation Workforce: Current and Future Availability of Airline Pilots”. Created in

response to a request from Congress, the GAO’s report investigated claims of an airline

pilot shortage—either in-progress, or on its way. The report concluded that there is

“mixed” evidence for a shortage of pilots.

However, that’s only when looking at the overall picture. Major carriers on national routes

have no trouble finding pilots—at least for the time being. Meanwhile, at the regional

level, it’s a different story.

Regional Pilot Hiring Woes

Regional airlines fly 22% of all U.S. airline passengers, and are usually subsidiary

companies of a major airline carrier. The GAO report found that 11 of 12 regional

airlines had trouble meeting pilot needs within the previous year. Adding further weight to

the evidence of a shortage was the low unemployment rate for airline pilots compared to

the economy as a whole.

While the national unemployment rate has hovered around 8% since the 2008 recession

hit, the New York Times reports that airline pilots enjoy an unemployment rate of only

2.7%. This means that nearly all airline pilots who can be hired are being hired. So what

is behind the scrambling for pilots at regional airlines?

Contributing Factors

As with so many issues facing the aviation sector, one contributing factor to the pilot

shortage is the result of regulations. First, the 2007 Fair Treatment for Experienced

Pilots Act raised the forced retirement age from 60 to 65. This may have temporarily

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delayed a wave of retirements that would have led to more jobs opening up. (Even with

the new age limit, the major airlines still stand to lose about 18,000 pilots between now

and 2020, according to a Bloomberg Businessweek article).

Second, the 2009 Colgan Flight 3407 disaster, in which a regional jet crash killed 50

people, revealed a need for revision of training and rest requirements for pilots. This led

to the Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act of 2010, which

increased the number of flight hours needed to fly for an airline from 250 hours to 1,500

hours. As a result, it is taking longer for new pilots to reach the threshold at which they

become able to compete for jobs.

Another factor—one touched on in the GAO report—is the issue of pay. Regional

airlines share revenues with their parent companies, and as a result are not always able

to offer competitive salaries to entry-level pilots.

What Airlines Can Do

It’s inevitable that the shortage now affecting regional airlines will soon “trickle up” to the

national carriers. Meanwhile, there are steps that can be taken. Regional airlines can

work with their national partners to re-negotiate revenue sharing, freeing up more money

for signing bonuses or better salaries.

They can also work with flight schools, creating partnerships that help pay for the cost of

pilot training in exchange for a contract commitment. Spartan College of Aeronautics

and Technology in Tulsa, Oklahoma, recently announced such a partnership with

American Eagle Airlines. Known as the “Pilot Pipeline”, the program sees American

Eagle offering up to $10,000 towards the cost of training to new hires who sign a two-

year contract after graduation from Spartan. The student gains a job, and the airline

gains a well-trained, entry-level pilot.

What You Can Do

If you’re a flight student, there are steps you can take to make yourself as hireable as

possible.

Get your ratings and certificates. It goes without saying that you need to get your

commercial pilot’s license and your instrument rating. Also consider getting a Certified Flight

Instructor rating. The hours you clock as a CFI can count towards your 1,500 hours.

Get your degree. Earn your associate’s at the very least. If you know you want to work for a

major aircraft carrier, get your bachelor’s, too—the Occupational Outlook Handbook reports

that most major airline pilots have one. As an added bonus, it’s possible to earn a restricted

ATP license after 1,000 hours of flight time if you hold a bachelor’s, meaning you can get on

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the airline career ladder a little earlier.

Make the grade. Make the effort to excel in your training. Partnerships between regional

airlines and flight schools, like the Spartan College American Eagle Pilot Pipeline, only

consider students who earned a GPA above 2.5. If flying really, truly is your passion, don’t

settle for scraping by—do your best to be the best.