Pilot shortage nonsense
I’m sorry but I don’t see a pilot shortage. I see a ‘pay & benefits’ shortage.
Post 9/11 most, if not all airlines cut the pay and benefits for their pilots. Regional pilots were told the ability to log their flight time was a benefit in itself, basically we often had pilots working for free or maybe even paying a fee to work just for the chance of a better future one day when/if a major airline would call...
Now that pendulum has swung the other way everyone is panicking. Management reps at all airlines keep feeding us the pilot-shortage lie, and yes that’s what it is, a lie. They want the government to raise the retirement age and/or allow for experimenting with single pilot operations. Eventually management/government WILL get their way, they always do.
In the meantime however I say we stick to what we know - the realities of supply and demand.
- Pay accordingly and pilots WILL come.
- Build schedules which allow them to see their families more than ~5 days a month and they WILL come.
- Give them health care and retirement benefits which are appealing and yes, they WILL come.
- The same applies to students/future pilots - when they see improving working conditions at all airlines they’ll start taking flight lessons all over again. ..and then they WILL come.
Supply and demand works! There is NO pilot shortage. There is a Pay & Benefits shortage.