Originally Posted by
Erjpilot90
So my company came out with an article saying the majors will be hiring 10k pilots next year. 8k will come from regionals.
by my napkin math there’s about 16k regional pilots out there. Could this 2022 hiring spree by majors wipe out half of the regionals?
seems pretty crazy to me. How will this look? My regional is expected to lose about half our pilots next year (300/800). And we can only hire and train 5% of our group per month (40/800).
what will this look like in a year?
I work at the same regional as Erjpilot90. Our company has cut the schedule by 15-20% to accommodate more hiring and training. The result? Crappy, low-credit trips with lots of long airport sits and time-wasting deadheads. At least I'm in the turboprop, which has a minimum guarantee of 4.2 credit hours a day.
I am very optimistic about the future for those that are just starting their flying careers. My own 37-year career has been full of both triumphs and disappointments. I've seen numerous recessions, several pandemics (not just Covid), furloughs, airline consolidation, 9/11, and the change in the retirement age from 60 to 65 - all of which impacted my job. People starting their airline careers now should be prepared for the occasional career setback and have a positive attitude about it. No matter how bad things get, there's always something you can be doing to improve your qualifications and position yourself for a better job.
The most important advice I can give a newbie? No matter how much you like flying, it's still a JOB - a way to pay the rent and put food on the table.