What do you mean by "not interviewable"? Do they not have enough Turbine time? No college degree? Criminal records? I just don't see how so many people would take the time to apply when they aren't even "interviewable." If they want pilots they either need to lower their standards or raise the pay to steal away other mainline pilots. I know plenty of good people they got turned down for whatever reason and are at other mainline carriers and some that went to Northwest and ironically are now at Delta.

 

That's easy, ACL. Fix the compensation (i.e. just restore it back to what it was for decades) and bring most of the DCI flying back in-house (i.e. Delta passengers should be flying on Delta airplanes with real Delta pilots)... and this problem goes away. It really comes down to basic supply and demand and the laws of economics. Oh... and there's also this little old saying, "you get what you pay for."

 

From the pilots I know:

Some have applications on file that have failed the HR interview

Some do not have a degree at all, and even more have a degree that is not of the correct certification.

Some have DUI's or multiple DUI's that DAL will not interview initally

Some have major violations on their FAA record.

Some do not have the correct type of time

There are a ton of pilots that place an application on file hoping that things change or DAL looks past this or that. The same is true anywhere. It is the same as pilots putting an App on file at LUV when they do not have the Turbine PIC requirement.

I am sure there are also items that DAL wants in an applicant that further weed out pilots. Those of course are closely guarded secrets, but in the end it comes down to what is competitive at that time. That of course is a moving target. As an airline hires more and more pilots they will start to look at applicants that would not have been in the "interviewable" group previously.

The same holds true for any organization.

 

Surprise, Surprise DAL88, I agree 100%.

Lending institutions do not want to underwrite civilian training these days. Why? It is a bad risk. When a civilian pilot gets done they start at 15-22K a year and there is no way they can pay that 100K plus loan back, and they default. These banks have learned that and as a result do not want to underwrite the loans. Easy fix, is make the career that these students are paying for, pay more so they can honor the loan commitment. To further add to the problem , the stagnation has been very bad. Previously pilots could move on quickly and pay the loans, The last decade that has not been the case.

The solution is simple. Make the career worth going in to, and the banks will quickly realize that. It becomes profitable for them to once again underwrite the loans. Simple economics. All of these other programs and no substitute for the carrot of good career earnings.

 

Careful screening to find potential pilots who can achieve at least a C+ in general studies and a B in aviation? Way to aim high.

Some might assert that's a polite way to say "we want them smart enough to pass carefully scripted course work, but not smart enough to realize how atrocious working conditions will be for them".

 

Fair enough. Like someone said earlier it's pure economics. If they need pilots either lower their hiring standards or pay more and get other "qualified" applicants to leave their other mainline jobs. If they didn't require a degree I think you would see their "qualified" applicant count go way up. But for some reason they still think having a degree equates to a higher caliber pilot. Maybe it does, I dunno. There isn't a shortage of pilots per say it's a shortage of pilots that fit Delta's current mold and at the same time are willing to do it for first year pay....

 

First year pay that even for most RJ Captains may be a raise. It will be at 60 an hr by 2012.

 

Several years ago, Delta HR asked us for volunteers to take the applicant-screening tests in order to establish a "pilot profile". There was a rumor that any applicant who matched the profile would be summarily rejected.

 

I think they need to steal the sign from AA's headquarters "through these doors..."

 

Derlta should call me first. I can produce a few hundred sidelined or underemployed pilots to fill the ranks. I bet there are thousands more out there too.

Skyhigh

I especially liked this part of the article in regards to the cost to complete training through commercial multi-engine CFI. "With aviation training costs running $80,000-$100,000". Add to that Costco's article about college costs reaching 200K for a four year degree and we have hit 300K to become trained and educated as a pilot to work as a CFI.