2026 Hiring Outlook

CoffeeIcePapers

CoffeeIcePapers

Well-Hung Member
Obviously, this is from a biased source and can change at a moment's notice, but some good news for now:

www.flyingmag.com

ATP Flight School Predicts Big Year for Pilot Hiring

ATP Flight School expects pilot hiring to continue strong in 2026 after accelerated activity in the fourth quarter of 2025.
www.flyingmag.com www.flyingmag.com

At the most recent Rotary to Airline Group (RTAG) conference, major airlines shared bullish outlooks for 2026. American Airlines indicated hiring targets of approximately 1,500 pilots, United Airlines discussed hiring levels approaching 2,500 pilots, and Delta Air Lines cited plans to hire about 600 pilots in the first quarter alone.

Mandatory retirements continue to drive demand, with estimates from the National Air Carrier Association showing more than 16,000 retirements over the next five years and a cumulative shortage of 28,126 pilots by 2030.

The Boeing pilot and technician outlook for 2025-2044 also highlights that competition for qualified pilots will remain strong and demand is likely to soar as global air travel expands.
 
Every week I have pilots interviewing from legacies to flight schools. Here is my take on 2026:

- The pool of pilots greatly exceeds demand (NJs got 15,000 applications and hired 300 pilots last year).
- HR more than ever is influencing pilot recruiting - skills needed to get hired don’t reflect skills to fly a plane.
- The are two groups of pilots looking for work, ones who are busy finding jobs and ones who are busy complaining no one is hiring.
- The ones who are getting interviews are the ones who Network, Network, Network. This old trait skipped a generation during Covid, and then it became a lost art - now people are realizing its importance and working on it.

But over the past 25 years, hiring last year and this year would be considered great.
 
Except for Alaska. They will continue to contract and suffer. Between mass furloughs and attrition the only thing that will be left is CC and Beefy McDoom flying a pair of clapped out Cessna 206's to Eskimos to deliver stuff. I've heard this from management gossiping on a crypto forum I Poast in so super real.
 
WacoFan said:
Except for Alaska. They will continue to contract and suffer. Between mass furloughs and attrition the only thing that will be left is CC and Beefy McDoom flying a pair of clapped out Cessna 206's to Eskimos to deliver stuff. I've heard this from management gossiping on a crypto forum I Poast in so super real.
Click to expand...
I mean when it comes to hiring/progression it does sort of feel like Atmos Air over here like:
IMG_3848.jpeg
 
WacoFan said:
Except for Alaska. They will continue to contract and suffer. Between mass furloughs and attrition the only thing that will be left is CC and Beefy McDoom flying a pair of clapped out Cessna 206's to Eskimos to deliver stuff. I've heard this from management gossiping on a crypto forum I Poast in so super real.
Click to expand...

You had to bring the Alaska alternate company pilot forum clown show into here, didn’t you? :)
 
I_Money said:
Every week I have pilots interviewing from legacies to flight schools. Here is my take on 2026:

- The pool of pilots greatly exceeds demand (NJs got 15,000 applications and hired 300 pilots last year).
- HR more than ever is influencing pilot recruiting - skills needed to get hired don’t reflect skills to fly a plane.
- The are two groups of pilots looking for work, ones who are busy finding jobs and ones who are busy complaining no one is hiring.
- The ones who are getting interviews are the ones who Network, Network, Network. This old trait skipped a generation during Covid, and then it became a lost art - now people are realizing its importance and working on it.

But over the past 25 years, hiring last year and this year would be considered great.
Click to expand...
How did you get into the pilot career advice biz?
 
I_Money said:
Every week I have pilots interviewing from legacies to flight schools. Here is my take on 2026:

- The pool of pilots greatly exceeds demand (NJs got 15,000 applications and hired 300 pilots last year).
- HR more than ever is influencing pilot recruiting - skills needed to get hired don’t reflect skills to fly a plane.
- The are two groups of pilots looking for work, ones who are busy finding jobs and ones who are busy complaining no one is hiring.
- The ones who are getting interviews are the ones who Network, Network, Network. This old trait skipped a generation during Covid, and then it became a lost art - now people are realizing its importance and working on it.

But over the past 25 years, hiring last year and this year would be considered great.
Click to expand...
The most important take from all of this! 2021-2022 was great and I loved seeing candidates have leverage but the days of just filling out an app and getting an assessment email from a major the next morning is over. It’s not all doom but some effort has to be put forth. Still better than past years IMO.
 
DE727UPS said:
How did you get into the pilot career advice biz?
Click to expand...

I had a brief stint in recruiting and helped out via word of worth of mouth of the years. I put up a website a little more than a year ago to offer affordable high quality coaching. In 2025 we had 100% CJO at UA, and F9 and had all but one NetJets applicants get to Columbus so I think we are doing quite well. Overall I do enjoy it, while pilots are not natural sales people or interviewers they are very coachable.
 
I_Money said:
I had a brief stint in recruiting and helped out via word of worth of mouth of the years. I put up a website a little more than a year ago to offer affordable high quality coaching. In 2025 we had 100% CJO at UA, and F9 and had all but one NetJets applicants get to Columbus so I think we are doing quite well. Overall I do enjoy it, while pilots are not natural sales people or interviewers they are very coachable.
Click to expand...
I am an excellent salesman and a very excellent interviewer.
 
I_Money said:
I had a brief stint in recruiting and helped out via word of worth of mouth of the years. I put up a website a little more than a year ago to offer affordable high quality coaching. In 2025 we had 100% CJO at UA, and F9 and had all but one NetJets applicants get to Columbus so I think we are doing quite well. Overall I do enjoy it, while pilots are not natural sales people or interviewers they are very coachable.
Click to expand...

Because, as we know, being salespeople is the most important part of airline flying. Way more important than passion, dedication, honesty, reliability, knowledge, compassion, attitude, and aptitude.
 
🦈💜 said:
Because, as we know, being salespeople is the most important part of airline flying. Way more important than passion, dedication, honesty, reliability, knowledge, compassion, attitude, and aptitude.
Click to expand...
No, not the most important thing in flying. But that's not what we're talking about or the root of your angst. It is HIGHLY the most important part of getting HIRED, which is the subject at hand.

In a profession that strives for and in fact relies on standardization, all hired examples will (theoretically) be trained to the same standard, in the same way, so that any given airlines multi -thousands of pilots can operate as interchangeable pieces. This is for safety and efficiency. So, if the height of a career (going 30+ years and the Chief Pilot has no idea who you are) is to be a generic standard, interpersonal skills - salesmanship - can be a differentiator in an interview. Just spit balling because I honestly haven't been on a legit job interview since I was 16 and never for an airline but just guessing.

Salesmanship, like "greed", is good. Salesmanship works. Salesmanship in all its forms...for jobs, money, charitable causes, pieces of ass...salesmanship will save Teldar paper and that other malfunctioning corporation the United States of America.
 
🦈💜 said:
Because, as we know, being salespeople is the most important part of airline flying. Way more important than passion, dedication, honesty, reliability, knowledge, compassion, attitude, and aptitude.
Click to expand...

I don’t disagree with you - I don’t advise airlines how to hire the best pilots, I advise pilots how to get the best jobs and with HR steering the ship the qualities to get hired don’t align with the qualities of being a good pilot.
 
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