Originally Posted by atpcliff

There ARE tonnes of pilots with their ATP, both flying now and in training...they are flying for Lufthansa, Chinese airlines, and other Asian airlines. The numbers the FAA puts out include all foreign pilots.

Atlas hired quite a few last year, and their net gain was less than five. They tried to expand, but could not.

Salaries? I'd call going from $12K/month to $25K/month a big pay increase...it is happening in various parts of Asia, starting with China. They aren't paying more because of a surplus of pilots.

Guys leaving UAL during class, turning down class dates at the majors....that is a sign of the pilot shortage.