Attrition
 

Delta just lowered their standards
again. Rumor that they couldn’t fill the May classes.

Frontier has all these planes coming will they be able to staff them with pilots?

Whats the attrition there?

Speculation that AA, DAL and UAL will be hiring 1500 pilots by November.

Now that class sizes have shrunk, we are going backwards. We are probably losing 1.25 pilots for every 1 we hire at the current rate. By the this Fall we will be back to staffing levels close to last Fall. I did hear that class sizes will go back to being 50-60 by the end of the year though.

I doubt that Delta couldn't fill classes... Everyone and their mother has an app in there. We will continue this attrition probably through the summer and ramp up hiring again once our new planes start getting in or we lose enough people to make them worry.

We are apparently fat on pilots now, so we will have no issue staffing planes if they come at our current rate.

I havent really paid very close attention to our attrition numbers as i know others are tracking it.

One thing to point out though is that we are hiring and filing classes thru the cadet programs. Purdue, ERAU, ATP, etc. That is giving Frontier a stream of pilots that Delta hasn't had to look at yet. And I did hear that class sizes are going to increase again in the future.

Another thing to note is that the cadet program is open to just about everyone now. You don't need to be attending a partnered school listed above. This information has slowly started to make its way around and I read there's over 2,000 applications for the cadet program now. This and the RTP program are innovative ways to keep the pilots coming and slow attrition.

Where / how we get pilots is immaterial if those pilots leave. The bonus/loan doesn’t seem to be working as well as they might have thought…

Captains should get LCA override for every leg considering the pool we will be drawing from.

You and everyone else considering the hiring rate in ALL the majors. But ALPA has been wanting to get rid of the regionals ever since they were forced to give up scope in contracts. Looks like they are getting their wish and newbies gotta start somewhere.

Count me in :). I think I am coming back and Frontier looks like a good place to retire, if they will consider me.
Not much experience, just around 1700 hours/ 200h CRJ with an ATP, CL65 from the years when pay was 20-25 /hour.
Frontier would be a great option as Regionals don't really need FOs right now.

Nearly 4000 applicants

I'm not saying you're wrong, but a fat stack of applicants and large class sizes helps cover up the problem

How many of the loan takers have left so far?

That would be my question as well in addition to how many have actually taken it? We could just be seeing the pre bonus new hires leaving still. Only ALPA and Company are privy to that data.

If true in my best NEO voice, “Whoa.” Where would you get this info from?

How many applicants are accepted and in the process? What’s the success rate?

FYI. Most of these applicants don’t even hold a private pilot certificate.

Purely speculating based on heresay, no one with the intention of leaving is taking the offer. The union reps are telling pilots in ground school to put the money in a high yield account ASAP so that they at least break even if they decide to leave before their contract is up. Given that the payback isn’t even prorated — meaning they’re on the hook for the full amount for 3 years — no one I know has taken the money. I was a pre bonus hire and I’m not even mad about it, knowing the stipulations. I don’t currently intend to leave but I’d rather have the freedom to consider other offers if I change my mind in the next three years.

The cadets are the ones with limited options, but if this is your first 121 job you really don’t know much about the industry and 3 years is a short commitment for a college kid born in the 2000s, so it’s not a bad deal for them. Everyone with an unrestricted ATP and some regional experience ought to be savvy enough to stay out of the trap.

Wasn't the loan just an attempt by the company to keep pilots coming in and staying until we start negotiating? Since there really isn't any way to increase rates or anything without going through the legal process? Giving out loans is a lot easier.

Oh I have no doubt about that considering how many FAs I talk to that are in the application process.

Im so far removed from primary training I barely have a grasp on the “new” ATP rules regarding the sims much less RATP and what is involved with the cadet programs. I guess I could google it. Nah.