Hiring Outlook 2025

I mean… it sure isn’t great. Multiple airlines are going through bankruptcy proceedings. Others are loaded with debt and/or posting continuous negative quarters. UA and DL are doing fairly well, but (in terms of their dispatch hiring) there isn’t any expected openings outside of the annual ones they do to replace normal attrition.

All the while dispatch schools continue to pump out freshly minted dispatchers at the same rates they were when hiring was more frequent. I heard Skywest received 500 applicants on their last posting. I tend to skew more of an optimist in most things, but the numbers paint a bleak story for those wanting to get into this, or move up in the industry.

At this point, I see it more as a resume builder for other airline ops jobs. It’s great IF someone is able to get a job in any dispatch capacity with the current market.
 
What do you think being hired on to a shop that uses Flight Keys coming from a regional that does not use it?
 
Puckgoalie said:
What do you think being hired on to a shop that uses Flight Keys coming from a regional that does not use it?
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I can only speak from my experience at AA, where I worked in the IOC and had the opportunity to sit with multiple Dispatchers and speak with their Manager. While it's possible to get hired without FlightKeys experience, having it definitely gives you a huge advantage. This is one of the main reasons they tend to favor candidates from Envoy, which uses FK.

I ultimately made the decision to leave AA and join a Supplemental carrier that uses FK, while also gaining ETOPS and international experience. Personally, I couldn’t take the pay cut at Envoy, so I chose a different path in hopes that this experience will help set me apart in the future.
 
Bustedcropdusta said:
I mean… it sure isn’t great. Multiple airlines are going through bankruptcy proceedings. Others are loaded with debt and/or posting continuous negative quarters. UA and DL are doing fairly well, but (in terms of their dispatch hiring) there isn’t any expected openings outside of the annual ones they do to replace normal attrition.

All the while dispatch schools continue to pump out freshly minted dispatchers at the same rates they were when hiring was more frequent. I heard Skywest received 500 applicants on their last posting. I tend to skew more of an optimist in most things, but the numbers paint a bleak story for those wanting to get into this, or move up in the industry.

At this point, I see it more as a resume builder for other airline ops jobs. It’s great IF someone is able to get a job in any dispatch capacity with the current market.
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jeez 500, the one that was just posted like a week or two ago? I had referrals to Horizon and didnt get anything back. I had 2-3 referrals for SkyWest. Still in the running but its tough out there really. Also heard 9E might be posting soon-ish, unknown how many.
 
I know that the class that just finished at United (class of 7) was supposed to be a class of 14 but got cut by finance in December. Supposedly, I have heard speculation, they may try and do a late spring/summer class before the fall class as there were several people that were supposed to get hired that now have a waiver from requiring an interview but are pooled. I have heard that from a couple folks but have not heard anything else.
 
Bustedcropdusta said:
I mean… it sure isn’t great. Multiple airlines are going through bankruptcy proceedings. Others are loaded with debt and/or posting continuous negative quarters. UA and DL are doing fairly well, but (in terms of their dispatch hiring) there isn’t any expected openings outside of the annual ones they do to replace normal attrition.

All the while dispatch schools continue to pump out freshly minted dispatchers at the same rates they were when hiring was more frequent. I heard Skywest received 500 applicants on their last posting. I tend to skew more of an optimist in most things, but the numbers paint a bleak story for those wanting to get into this, or move up in the industry.

At this point, I see it more as a resume builder for other airline ops jobs. It’s great IF someone is able to get a job in any dispatch capacity with the current market.
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It is as it always was. New applicant saturation is as old as trickle down economics in this industry. I encourage applicants to not worry so much about the crowd but more how to get noticed. Networking, persistence, and flexibility are your keys to success. I would wager that 85% of those who are in the hiring pool lack one or more of these qualities.
 
I dont think we will see another major hiring push like after covid ended for a long time. The majors were already trying to play catch up with all the pre-covid retirements and growth and then several of them offered a retirement package during covid which required even more hiring. The federal government heavily funded those packages and its unlikely airlines will get that kind of deal again from either political party.

Some years will have more hiring than others but I dont think we will see multiple classes of 20-30 at each major airline for a long time. Maybe even ever again.
 
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