The Pilot Shortage Is Real and Regional Airlines Are Feeling It
Photo Credit: A SkyWest pilot and airport mascot at San Diego International Airport. Flickr / San Diego International Airport
Skift Take
Call it a pilot shortage, attrition, a wage-rate problem, or a structural defect -- it all amounts to basically the same thing. Pilot recruitment is under stress, and will remain so until there are reforms.
The pilot shortage, exacerbated by mainline airlines hiring for the first time in years, increased requirements for pilot training, the implementation of new pilot rest rules, and wage scales at the lowest rungs at regional airlines that challenge minimum-wage levels, is real and regional airlines such as Republic Airways Holdings and SkyWest are feeling the strain.
There isn't a danger that cockpits will be empty at SkyWest, sister airline ExpressJet, or Republic Airways Holdings' Chautauqua Airlines, Republic Airlines, and Shuttle America, but these airlines are being forced to cope with the attrition of their pilots, and the regional airiness' expenses are going up in an effort to retain their pilots and to recruit new ones with bonuses and other enticements.
These regionals partner with mainline carriers, including US Airways, American, United, Delta and Alaska.
This is a problem that revolves around pilot pay, and more pilots would be flocking to jobs at regional airlines
