Originally Posted by
Nashmd11
There is and most likely will never be a Pilot Shortage. It's all Political and Marketing Bullsh*t. Now if some Pilots grew some, and said I will not work for Food Stamps, then yes, maybe there would be a shortage of Pilots. But this ain't going to happen. To much Back stabbing of young kids coming out of Riddle. The problem is, that now there is no great job in the end. It's now a career at a regional. This is what happens when you let the majors fly 100 seat feeders. Only 1-5% will ever make the big bucks at FDX or UPS. They can't see the Forest through the trees. Very Sad.
Based purely on numbers:
20,000 regional pilots
45,000 major pilots
Somewhat more than 5% should make it eventually. It is true that you are likely to spend a LOT more time at a regional than in the past.
There is some good news in that there is an undeniable lack of interest at the entry level due to the need to spend 100K to get a 20K job, with no near-term prospects of the dream job. While SJS may be alive and well, historicaly a lot of folks have pursued this career for lifestyle and income reasons. Anybody who started before 9/11 could easily justify the decision at the time...the pay was pretty good relative to the time off you would get. There are a lot of kids that aren't total dummies, and the word is getting out that law, medicine, or MBA would be a better choice. Time will tell.