The fact that these programs still exist is a fairly strong indication that the shortage is far from over.

i do not work for them but from what i have heard i would add horizon to that list if you live on the west coast.

I would say 9E is highest hourly pay and some very nice things like pos space to work on 2nd attempt and higher priority on DL, RAH has good pay ( ca pay matches 9e in 2020, fo pay stays lower) but amazing work rules and pays for things like luggage, uniforms, and medicals. skywest has 2nd best fo pay and 3rd best ca pay based on hourly rates as well as a large ammount from bonus structure. they also have some descent work rules.

only thing AA wholly owned have is a direct path to AA. just about everything else about them would make them a bottom feeder but since they have a flow people put up with it.

just my 2 cents

That is a good point. I have just been reading about things slowing and also one of my top choices Republic seems to have full classes and are pushing class dates back due to bottle neck at the sims. Just didn’t know if that was a sign that they are starting to get more pilots than they have places for. Another one of my top choices is SkyWest and if you follow their social media you see all the big classes of new hires and it makes me wonder just how long that kind of hiring can last.

I don’t think the shortage is over I think this wave has passed , the cadet programs still exist because another wave is coming when the majors ramp up on hiring . Don’t know when that other wave will be but I hope it’s soon

I hope it doesn’t last very long it’ll create a bottle neck when it comes to pay and benefits. Why raise the pay if everyone is getting people to show up to class

Thanks for the educated and mature responses guys normally these threads turn into a **** show .

I think the cadet programs exist because they cost the airlines nearly nothing.

Restarting them would cost far more than letting them coast out.

That is true
Never thought about it like that 🤔

Another factor that is creating this current lull in hiring is the fact that Republic and Endeavor hired more FOs this year then they really needed in anticipation of more aircraft/flying in 2019 through acquisitions and possible scope relief. That either didn't pan out (scope relief) or now looks like to be in later 2019 and into 2020 (increased flying/aircraft). Because of that they are overloaded with FOs right now, and FOs in classes now will see reserve times increased to what Regional FOs haven't seen in years.

Glad I got in right before this wave ended. It is all dumb luck, nothing you, I , or anybody can control. It will come again, probably sooner then we all think.

The cadet programs along with the RTP and flow programs are another method regionals like the wholly owned's use to keep hourly wages low, and sign on bonus in place rather than contractual pay rates. At my WO we still have full classes, and for the amount of equipment we have on line, we may even be fat on pilots. They say we are short captains yet we have guys on reserve that haven't touched a plane in over a month, and as soon as an FO hits his 1000, he is forced to upgrade. We are fat captains, but this is by design as management know's that those coffers are going to deplete fast when the mainline carriers hit peak retirements in addition to the attrition caused by our flow.

One wave has crashed on the beach, but another one is looming on the horizon. The retirement numbers are a reality, how big that next wave will be is dependent on the economy and airline growth plans.