Many pilots thinking small
South Florida Sun-Sentinel 03/20/05
author: Ken Kaye
Small, fast-growing airlines are steadily eroding the big carriers' dominance, and nowhere is that more evident than in pilot hiring.
While the largest airlines still have about 9,100 pilots on furlough, regional and low-fare carriers hired almost 9,400 pilots last year, according to firms that track pilot jobs.
The reason: Smaller carriers, such as Spirit or ExpressJet, are buying more planes while large carriers, such as United and American, are streamlining. That has left smaller carriers, who pay less and don't offer as attractive benefits, hungry to find enough qualified pilots.
"It's been a transition of the industry that's been taking place for many years now," said Jorge Guerra, dean of Broward Community College's Aviation Institute in Pembroke Pines.
Although the Federal Aviation Administration has the same stringent operational and training requirements for both regional and major airlines, regional pilots don't make nearly as much money.
A seasoned co-pilot with five or more years on the job for a major airline, for instance, earns up to $120,000, while his counterpart at a regional makes $70,000 to $80,000.
For that reason, many of the furloughed airline pilots have declined taking jobs at their regional airline partners, even though "scope clauses" in their union contracts would give them top priority.
"You have pilots out there who don't want to take pilot jobs, and they're trying to wait it out," Guerra said, referring to major airline pilots who hope to see their carriers regain solid financial footing.
That leaves lots of opportunity for aspiring airline pilots.
About 65 regional airlines operate about 1,600 jets, with 50 to 100 seats, and have about 350 more on order, according to the Regional Airline Association. Commuter airlines fly into 654 U.S. airports, and they exclusively serve 479 of them.
More than 100 regional and smaller carriers plan to hire 8,000 to 10,000 pilots per year for the next several years, said Kit Darby, president of Air Inc., an Atlanta firm that tracks airline jobs at almost 200 carriers.
Darby said there is no shortage of pilot prospects. Tens of thousands of people are enrolled in flight schools, and thousands more are flight instructors or corporate pilots, most with an eye toward an airline career.
Yet, he added, regional and low-fare airlines are having a difficult time finding pilots -- outside of those on furlough -- who meet their stiff standards in terms of flying experience in sophisticated jets or turbine-powered planes.
Their solution has been to relax their hiring qualifications. About five years ago, most airlines required pilots to have at least 1,500 hours of flying time; today they require 1,000 hours or less.
"The bar has been set high in the past," Darby said. "By lowering the qualifications a little, they have a large pool of people."
Even with lowered requirements, in the past two decades, the average age of freshly hired airline pilots has increased from 28 to 38, and that includes both the regional and major airlines, Darby said. That is because many pilots worked in another career before switching to aviation.
It also is because of federal law that prohibits hiring or discriminating on the basis of age, which went into effect in the late 1960s, as well as the Americans with Disabilities Act, which went into effect in 1990, Darby said.
Starting out small
Pranay Desai, 22, a flight instructor under BCC's aviation program, has taken a typical route toward an airline career.
After earning his private pilot license in December 2000, he enrolled in the Delta Connection Academy in Orlando, where, by July 2002, he earned his instrument rating and flight instructor certificate under an accelerated training program.
Now he has an interview lined up with ExpressJet, a fast-growing carrier based in Houston.
"I'm more than happy to go to a regional and stay there for the rest of my life," he said. "But if opportunity knocks, and I can get a bigger paycheck at a major airline, I would definitely take that opportunity."
Because of the large number of pilots on furlough, the largest airlines don't anticipate hiring pilots for at least a few years.
Some of the so-called legacy carriers, including Northwest, US Airways and Continental, are shrinking their fleets. For instance, United Airlines has been shifting Airbus jets from its mainline fleet to Ted, its low-fare arm.
Others have delayed buying new planes. American Airlines, for instance, has deferred delivery of 54 to 56 Boeing jets to save $1.4 billion.
Only Southwest, America West, JetBlue and AirTran are recruiting, and although they are considered major airlines, they also are low-fare carriers.
Still, not all low-fare carriers are soaring. Indianapolis-based ATA Airlines, restructuring under bankruptcy, released 260 employees and scaled back flights.
Strategic alliances
To guarantee a supply of good pilots, many regional airlines have aligned with career-oriented flight schools, guaranteeing those who graduate at least an interview for a first-officer position.
For instance, Lynn University's School of Aeronautics, based at Boca Raton Airport, has an arrangement with ExpressJet, formerly Continental Express. Broward Community College has linked with Chautauqua and American Eagle.
Jeff Johnson, dean of Lynn's aeronautics school, said interest in airline careers has never been higher.
"We're getting over the real troubled time in the airline industry and students are starting to see that," he said.
Terry Fensome, a former chief pilot for Laker Airways and owner of Pelican Flight Training Center at North Perry Airport, said because of the terrorist attacks, the federal government requires background checks on students.
That has frustrated some aspiring pilots, but it hasn't stopped them from seeking airline careers, he said.
"If you really want to make that your goal, you will achieve it," Fensome tells his students. "One thing for sure: hiring will never stop."
Changing skies
Since February 2004, major airlines have hired fewer pilots than their smaller rivals:
Major airlines (more than $1 billion in yearly sales): 1,038
Nationals ($100 million to $1 billion): 4,055
Regional airlines (less than $100 million): 3,566
Carriers that are recruiting:
Major: Alaska, America West, JetBlue, Southwest and AirTran.
Regional and low-fare: Air Wisconsin, Aloha, American Eagle, Atlantic Southeast, ExpressJet, Frontier, Mesa, SkyWest, Spirit and US Airways Express.
Source: Air Inc. of Atlanta
South Florida Sun-Sentinel 03/20/05
author: Ken Kaye
Small, fast-growing airlines are steadily eroding the big carriers' dominance, and nowhere is that more evident than in pilot hiring.
While the largest airlines still have about 9,100 pilots on furlough, regional and low-fare carriers hired almost 9,400 pilots last year, according to firms that track pilot jobs.
The reason: Smaller carriers, such as Spirit or ExpressJet, are buying more planes while large carriers, such as United and American, are streamlining. That has left smaller carriers, who pay less and don't offer as attractive benefits, hungry to find enough qualified pilots.
"It's been a transition of the industry that's been taking place for many years now," said Jorge Guerra, dean of Broward Community College's Aviation Institute in Pembroke Pines.
Although the Federal Aviation Administration has the same stringent operational and training requirements for both regional and major airlines, regional pilots don't make nearly as much money.
A seasoned co-pilot with five or more years on the job for a major airline, for instance, earns up to $120,000, while his counterpart at a regional makes $70,000 to $80,000.
For that reason, many of the furloughed airline pilots have declined taking jobs at their regional airline partners, even though "scope clauses" in their union contracts would give them top priority.
"You have pilots out there who don't want to take pilot jobs, and they're trying to wait it out," Guerra said, referring to major airline pilots who hope to see their carriers regain solid financial footing.
That leaves lots of opportunity for aspiring airline pilots.
About 65 regional airlines operate about 1,600 jets, with 50 to 100 seats, and have about 350 more on order, according to the Regional Airline Association. Commuter airlines fly into 654 U.S. airports, and they exclusively serve 479 of them.
More than 100 regional and smaller carriers plan to hire 8,000 to 10,000 pilots per year for the next several years, said Kit Darby, president of Air Inc., an Atlanta firm that tracks airline jobs at almost 200 carriers.
Darby said there is no shortage of pilot prospects. Tens of thousands of people are enrolled in flight schools, and thousands more are flight instructors or corporate pilots, most with an eye toward an airline career.
Yet, he added, regional and low-fare airlines are having a difficult time finding pilots -- outside of those on furlough -- who meet their stiff standards in terms of flying experience in sophisticated jets or turbine-powered planes.
Their solution has been to relax their hiring qualifications. About five years ago, most airlines required pilots to have at least 1,500 hours of flying time; today they require 1,000 hours or less.
"The bar has been set high in the past," Darby said. "By lowering the qualifications a little, they have a large pool of people."
Even with lowered requirements, in the past two decades, the average age of freshly hired airline pilots has increased from 28 to 38, and that includes both the regional and major airlines, Darby said. That is because many pilots worked in another career before switching to aviation.
It also is because of federal law that prohibits hiring or discriminating on the basis of age, which went into effect in the late 1960s, as well as the Americans with Disabilities Act, which went into effect in 1990, Darby said.
Starting out small
Pranay Desai, 22, a flight instructor under BCC's aviation program, has taken a typical route toward an airline career.
After earning his private pilot license in December 2000, he enrolled in the Delta Connection Academy in Orlando, where, by July 2002, he earned his instrument rating and flight instructor certificate under an accelerated training program.
Now he has an interview lined up with ExpressJet, a fast-growing carrier based in Houston.
"I'm more than happy to go to a regional and stay there for the rest of my life," he said. "But if opportunity knocks, and I can get a bigger paycheck at a major airline, I would definitely take that opportunity."
Because of the large number of pilots on furlough, the largest airlines don't anticipate hiring pilots for at least a few years.
Some of the so-called legacy carriers, including Northwest, US Airways and Continental, are shrinking their fleets. For instance, United Airlines has been shifting Airbus jets from its mainline fleet to Ted, its low-fare arm.
Others have delayed buying new planes. American Airlines, for instance, has deferred delivery of 54 to 56 Boeing jets to save $1.4 billion.
Only Southwest, America West, JetBlue and AirTran are recruiting, and although they are considered major airlines, they also are low-fare carriers.
Still, not all low-fare carriers are soaring. Indianapolis-based ATA Airlines, restructuring under bankruptcy, released 260 employees and scaled back flights.
Strategic alliances
To guarantee a supply of good pilots, many regional airlines have aligned with career-oriented flight schools, guaranteeing those who graduate at least an interview for a first-officer position.
For instance, Lynn University's School of Aeronautics, based at Boca Raton Airport, has an arrangement with ExpressJet, formerly Continental Express. Broward Community College has linked with Chautauqua and American Eagle.
Jeff Johnson, dean of Lynn's aeronautics school, said interest in airline careers has never been higher.
"We're getting over the real troubled time in the airline industry and students are starting to see that," he said.
Terry Fensome, a former chief pilot for Laker Airways and owner of Pelican Flight Training Center at North Perry Airport, said because of the terrorist attacks, the federal government requires background checks on students.
That has frustrated some aspiring pilots, but it hasn't stopped them from seeking airline careers, he said.
"If you really want to make that your goal, you will achieve it," Fensome tells his students. "One thing for sure: hiring will never stop."
Changing skies
Since February 2004, major airlines have hired fewer pilots than their smaller rivals:
Major airlines (more than $1 billion in yearly sales): 1,038
Nationals ($100 million to $1 billion): 4,055
Regional airlines (less than $100 million): 3,566
Carriers that are recruiting:
Major: Alaska, America West, JetBlue, Southwest and AirTran.
Regional and low-fare: Air Wisconsin, Aloha, American Eagle, Atlantic Southeast, ExpressJet, Frontier, Mesa, SkyWest, Spirit and US Airways Express.
Source: Air Inc. of Atlanta
