tonyw
Well-Known Member
Here are some excerpts from a Wall Street Journal article.
The airline industry is showing stirrings of new life: More than 150 carriers are recruiting pilots, the largest being Southwest Airlines and America West Airlines, according to placement firm Air Inc. Cargo lines, discount carriers and regional airlines affiliated with major carriers -- from JetBlue Airways and AirTran Airways to Atlantic Coast Airlines to Mesa Airlines -- also are adding new jobs.
The big carriers have been slow to rehire their pilots, whom the airlines are obligated to hire back first. Reeling from huge losses, the major airlines have cut their capacity and handed over more of their flights to regional partners that have lower labor costs and fly smaller planes better suited to diminished demand. U.S. regional airlines last year accounted for 113 million passenger enplanements, according to consultants the Velocity Group, up from 85 million in 2000.
Meanwhile, many carriers are finding the experience level of their applicant pool is far beyond their minimum requirements, in part because of the glut of furloughed pilots and industry slowdown. Southwest, which expects to add 400 pilot jobs this year, says it has résumés from "thousands" of pilots. This month the airline started holding interviews for the first time in two years, says Amy Webb, who oversees pilot hiring at the Dallas-based carrier. A first-year captain at Southwest earns about $143,000 annually.
JetBlue Airways plans to add 220 pilots this year and 440 next year and again in 2006, says Dean Melonas, director of pilot recruitment. The discount carrier has 9,000 pilot applications that meet its minimum requirements of 1,500 flight hours. "Pilots are coming into our training classes with twice our minimums or more," he says. JetBlue pilots start at $52,000 and a first-year captain takes in $120,000
Regional SkyWest Airlines, St. George, Utah, requires a minimum of 1,000 flight hours of experience, but most of its new hires have double that amount on their log books, says Camielle Ence, manager of crew resources for SkyWest. And because SkyWest's new contract to fly for UAL Corp.'s United requires it to hire some laid-off United pilots, SkyWest has added 120 of them. "The level of experience is higher than our usual crop," says Ms. Ence. "They have 6,000 to 7,000 hours -- the senior people. The younger ones have 4,000 to 5,000 hours." Skywest starts its pilots at $19,400 a year. A 10-year captain flying a regional jet for SkyWest earns a little less than $80,000.
Airlines are Hiring -- It's Good News, Bad News for Pilots
Did I just see the Wall Street Journal actually put some research into the figures for pay? Holy cow, they didn't put anything about "overpaid" $300K pilots at the legacy carriers! And, oh, my God, did they put something in there about how little the folks at the regionals make?
What's this world coming to? Although I'll bet someday, I will turn to the editorial pages and see another editorial slamming the "dinosaurs" and their "militant unions" talking about $300K pilots.
The airline industry is showing stirrings of new life: More than 150 carriers are recruiting pilots, the largest being Southwest Airlines and America West Airlines, according to placement firm Air Inc. Cargo lines, discount carriers and regional airlines affiliated with major carriers -- from JetBlue Airways and AirTran Airways to Atlantic Coast Airlines to Mesa Airlines -- also are adding new jobs.
The big carriers have been slow to rehire their pilots, whom the airlines are obligated to hire back first. Reeling from huge losses, the major airlines have cut their capacity and handed over more of their flights to regional partners that have lower labor costs and fly smaller planes better suited to diminished demand. U.S. regional airlines last year accounted for 113 million passenger enplanements, according to consultants the Velocity Group, up from 85 million in 2000.
Meanwhile, many carriers are finding the experience level of their applicant pool is far beyond their minimum requirements, in part because of the glut of furloughed pilots and industry slowdown. Southwest, which expects to add 400 pilot jobs this year, says it has résumés from "thousands" of pilots. This month the airline started holding interviews for the first time in two years, says Amy Webb, who oversees pilot hiring at the Dallas-based carrier. A first-year captain at Southwest earns about $143,000 annually.
JetBlue Airways plans to add 220 pilots this year and 440 next year and again in 2006, says Dean Melonas, director of pilot recruitment. The discount carrier has 9,000 pilot applications that meet its minimum requirements of 1,500 flight hours. "Pilots are coming into our training classes with twice our minimums or more," he says. JetBlue pilots start at $52,000 and a first-year captain takes in $120,000
Regional SkyWest Airlines, St. George, Utah, requires a minimum of 1,000 flight hours of experience, but most of its new hires have double that amount on their log books, says Camielle Ence, manager of crew resources for SkyWest. And because SkyWest's new contract to fly for UAL Corp.'s United requires it to hire some laid-off United pilots, SkyWest has added 120 of them. "The level of experience is higher than our usual crop," says Ms. Ence. "They have 6,000 to 7,000 hours -- the senior people. The younger ones have 4,000 to 5,000 hours." Skywest starts its pilots at $19,400 a year. A 10-year captain flying a regional jet for SkyWest earns a little less than $80,000.
Airlines are Hiring -- It's Good News, Bad News for Pilots
Did I just see the Wall Street Journal actually put some research into the figures for pay? Holy cow, they didn't put anything about "overpaid" $300K pilots at the legacy carriers! And, oh, my God, did they put something in there about how little the folks at the regionals make?
What's this world coming to? Although I'll bet someday, I will turn to the editorial pages and see another editorial slamming the "dinosaurs" and their "militant unions" talking about $300K pilots.
