Originally Posted by atpcliff

These are NEW pilots required. If all the regional pilots go to the majors, there still won't be enough pilots and planes for all the passengers who want to fly.

AND, the above figures are only for the US....foreign carriers have way higher pilot needs, and they will be recruiting more and more aggressively in the US, hence worsening the shortage in the US.

I think major airlines need to get off their butts:
1- They could finance loans to new pilots
2- They could hire pilots in high school and pay for their training, just like UAL did in the 1960s.

They need to do something, and fast. It doesn't seem like the pilot shortage is that bad right now, but it's just the tsunami wave retreating from the beach...pretty soon everyone will see how bad it is, and it will be getting progressively worse, probably monthly. I don't see the end of it...