It use to be a common saying in the industry that a pilot should expect to get furloughed at least three times over a career. Every time you change companies and surrender the safety of seniority you are exposed to the risk of furlough. As we climb the ladder we are continually exposed to the risk. The alternative is to stick with the first regional that you can get a job at and hope that they never go out of business.

Especially in the current business environment as companies merge, go out of business shrink and otherwise change it is likely to expect that occasional furloughs or layoffs will be a recurring event. In 20 years most airlines that are in operation today will be gone or significantly changed. Most pilots have at least a 40 year career and that is a lot of time to be exposed to the forces of change that effect the industry.

Though not all of them were airline jobs by the time I was 36 I had been laid off or furloughed three times as a pilot and nearly laid off a few other times. Had I been able to get hired by after I got laid off the last time then most likely I would be laid off again now since three of the four companies I had tried to get on with have now gone under.

Skyhigh