Airlines face pilot shortage

The declining pool has led to canceled flights and lower requirements for hiring.

from the August 2, 2007 edition

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"Almost every regional carrier out there cannot hire enough pilots, and many of them have lowered the requirements down to the minimum FAA standards," says Capt. John Prater, president of the Air Line Pilots Association. Many regional airlines formerly required a minimum of 1,500 hours of flying experience for new pilots, according to aviation experts. The FAA minimum that some now require is 250 hours.

Northwest's pilot shortage stems from several factors. The airline has just emerged from bankruptcy, and, as a result of cost-cutting, it didn't have enough pilots on reserve to cover the overtime that typically comes with summer thunderstorm delays and peak travel-season crowds.

The pilots union contends the problem was mismanagement. The company denies that and says the problem was absenteeism – pilots calling in sick to make a point.

To respond to the shortage, Northwest has announced it will hire more pilots, cut back on the number of hours some pilots are required to fly, and reduce the number of flights scheduled for August.

"We expect our operations to improve with the steps we have put in place," says Roman Blahoski, a Northwest Airlines spokesman.

Northwest and the other major carriers have already recalled most of the 10,000 pilots they furloughed during the past five years. And in response to Northwest's current pilot crisis, the carrier also plans to hire 250 to 300 more. Mr. Darby says Northwest will have no problem finding people to fill those jobs even though major carriers are now paying pilots about 20 to 30 percent less than in 2000. Senior pilots can still eventually earn over six figures.

Some aviation analysts see this pilot shortage as just part of the aviation industry's boom and bust nature. "This is not the first time we've seen this kind of cycle," says Clint Oster, an aviation expert at Indiana University at Bloomington. "There's always been a little bit of a lag after some years of contraction."

The problem could be remedied, Professor Oster says, particularly if the regional carriers started increasing their base salaries for pilots to attract more young people. Pilot working conditions at the larger carriers may improve as major airlines rebound, says Darby. He believes that pilots will ultimately win back many of the concessions they've made.

Passengers like Ms. Montoya are counting on the industry to sort itself out. "It's getting to the point where you can't rely on the airline to get you to be where you need to be. It's really frustrating," she says. "But I've figured out how to work the system: You take the first flight out and hope you get there by the end of the day."

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