Originally Posted by
Flytolive
Carriers all over the world are still offering western pilots big $ to fly in both left and right seats. They cannot keep up with the projected growth. Lots of those pilots are coming back from voluntary leaves to fly back in the states. The collapse of the regionals and JetBlue's tiny level 7 program are clear evidence that the pilot/pay shortage is for real.
Actually, it is carriers all over asia and the ME alone. They grew faster than they planned, and can't get FO's experienced enough to be captains fast enough. The vast majority hire experienced captains only. As soon as they have enough of their own, they will no longer employ foreigners.
I flew at one of the few expat jobs that had expat FO's. A bunch of asian, South American, and Europeans. Trust me, they will come if offered a work visa to the US. There will be no shortage at the majors. The regionals, yes. But not UAL, DAL, AMR, etc.