At AA? FAPA data says 1999 - 1082, 2000 - 1171 new hires. Seems right. Recollection was it was 1000+. That was back when AA had about 9,000 - 10,000 pilots. So about 10-12% growth minus retirements (2%??). So perhaps a net increase of 8-10%?

Today's hiring of 2,200 is about 15%. Subtract 6%+ to retirements and the net gain is approx. 9%?

Mid 1980's AA was hiring 900+ and had a total pilot corps of 4,100 (?) starting 1985. I might be off by a year. Roughly a 20% *NET* increase in manning. To do that today would require hiring 3,800 to net 3,000 additional pilots. It puts the mid 1980's in perspective.

My data mining did not go back that far. I stand corrected.

Slightly less than that. The recent CBAs did more than just bring up pay rates. Most gained more soft time, vacation time, sick leave, etc., that will translate into a greater pilot requirement to fly the same number of hours. It won't be much less than you say though, because the trend is to aircraft with more seats which will largely offset that.

I have myself made a concious decision to work less going forward. Decided I'd rather work less for the same money than work the same for more money. I regularly trade down in value to work less days and/or avoid working days I'd rather not work.

But I haven't ran into anyone else doing the same. Everyone I know and everyone I fly with, to a person, talk about how they're maximizing their pay and what their pay is or some such.

I’m with you on that however I’ve found that most pilots stop helping out with staffing the longer negotiations take. Then, like you mentioned, once there’s an agreement it changes. If you look a bit closer at the new agreements a lot of the vac soft time was put off till dos +. That’s no accident. Plus the average number of accrued vac days annually is down substantially. Sick time needs to be accrued to be used and sick sell back at retirement helps in the short/medium term with staffing. It’s win win language. As others mentioned longer term staffing formulas might change a bit but right now they’re probably close to what they were before any new agreement.

I've done exactly that. New CBA and I've cut 20% of my hours out. Basically 1 fewer 3 day a month. Its been great. Still making more but not tired and dreading going to work.

it affects the number of pilot person- years available when someone medicals out or dies prematurely. It affects the rate of seniority accrual and will ultimately require more new hires SOONER to replace those people. The point being that will increase hiring at the bottom over what it would have been had those pilots not died before retirement or lost their medicals before retirement. It's a queuing theory deal not so much affecting annual retirements (you can only retire, permanently lose your medical, or die once) as it does the total number of pilots that will be required over time, which is sort of what the thread is all about.

It’s because pilots like to show off how much money we can make, or how do we play the system.

Thats why I took the upgrade. I can work 40hrs and pay my bills. I can work 65hrs and save money. Or I can work 75+ hrs and get money for other projects while still enjoying 15-17days off.

Thats without overtime and without working the system. QOL all the way!

Yes, "issues" have always been the reasons the airlines hiring and furlougihng habits have been peaks and valleys.

It’s aero crew, but the quotes voices are speaking facts.

https://aerocrewnews.com/aviation-ne...rtage-is-over/?