Vacancy 26-07 has arrived!
02-14-2026 | 06:45 PM
#31
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Joined: Sep 2020
Posts: 1,571
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Someone should start a Polymarket on if we will break 20,000 pilots before the end of 2026. I'd put some money on that. I remember when management said when Kirby took over that we would get to 20,000 pilots by 2025 and all the guffaws about how that would not happen. Now all of a sudden we are here and if we do indeed get those 600 more deliveries that 28,000 pilot number is not out of reach, but maybe not by 2030.
02-14-2026 | 08:52 PM
#32
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Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 572
Likes: 6
This bid is 905 CA and FO positions. Between the November and December bids and this one its over 2,000 bid positions total. Many of those FO bids will be recycled for new hires. We would have to stop having vacancies completely it not have to hire 2,000+ pilots this year.
02-15-2026 | 07:14 AM
#33
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Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 740
Likes: 38
Someone should start a Polymarket on if we will break 20,000 pilots before the end of 2026. I'd put some money on that. I remember when management said when Kirby took over that we would get to 20,000 pilots by 2025 and all the guffaws about how that would not happen. Now all of a sudden we are here and if we do indeed get those 600 more deliveries that 28,000 pilot number is not out of reach, but maybe not by 2030.
02-15-2026 | 08:26 AM
#35
Line Holder
Joined: Sep 2021
Posts: 248
Likes: 67
You guys get your thongs in a bunch over every little thing. All of this is way above our pay grade. Let the people in the c suites figure all of the manpower/ staff/ vacancy/ fleet planning crap out. They know alot more about it than any of us . Fly safely from point A to B , if a vacancy opens up you like , jump on it , if not keep doing what you’re doing and enjoy life .Things could be a helluva lot worse . These are good problems to have.
02-15-2026 | 08:41 AM
#36
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 2,025
Likes: 100
02-15-2026 | 08:50 AM
#37
On Reserve
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 155
Likes: 7
FWIW I would say that no one can truly predict the number, not even the company. Last year the cut down the hiring target a lot and then went wild with it the last 3 months of the year. This year will have its ups and downs, but overall I would say they just adjust based off whats happening at Boeing and Airbus. I suspect it will be between 1,000 and 2,000 though for sure. Higher if the deliveries hit on time lower if they don't. So right now to answer your question directly, closer to 2. But really, no one can know that.
02-15-2026 | 08:55 AM
#38
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Joined: May 2017
Posts: 864
Likes: 37
From: Guppy
I talked to Rob Strickland a couple of days ago and the answer was 1500 +/- 1000. It's clearly fluid. Other LCPs I've talked to in the last week said 1700. The common denominator that they all communicated that it was all predicated on airplane deliveries. It seems to me that right now the deliveries are proceeding as scheduled, which bodes well.
Bearing in mind that, at least for the time being, the new 787 deliveries are essentially offsetting all of our 777s that are parked.
Bearing in mind that, at least for the time being, the new 787 deliveries are essentially offsetting all of our 777s that are parked.
02-15-2026 | 09:06 AM
#39
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Joined: Feb 2022
Posts: 587
Likes: 105
From: 73FO
If you want to project approximate hiring numbers look at aircraft delivered - aircraft retired, multiplied by pilots per aircraft, + retirements. Even then we can retire aircraft to shrink to an appropriate size depending on how the economy goes.
02-15-2026 | 09:33 AM
#40
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 534
Likes: 15
From: 18%er but I’ll enforce UPA23 to the last period.
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