Originally Posted by
Sliceback
Inflation dropping, unemployment low, stock market rebounding. Talks of the Fed cutting interest rates 3-5x next year. Economy doing well....and airlines announcing reductions in pilot hiring. Hiring 2,000 pilots a year was unsustainable. That's approx. a 6% annual growth rate at the Big 3. That's not happening long term.
Good luck with the crystal ball predictions.
Yes, the one on the back side of their retirement bell curve has announced a reduction in hiring. Even if things were to continue unabated for 10 years (it won't, but for sake of argument) both AA and UA would eventually slow hiring. Delta's retirements en masse just started earlier and therefore ends earlier. Doesn't portend anything for other specific airlines or the industry in general.
If, and this is a big if, we're able to come through this next 6-9 months with a growing economy, what will have happened is an absolute masterclass in how to handle looming recessions. For all the criticism Powell gets (not all of it unjustified), he deserves an immense amount of credit for threading this needle.
Call it naivte if you wish, but I'm optimistic about next year.