Raising the retirement age for U.S. airline pilots is seen as a temporary fix for the shortage airlines face. Legislation is likely to face stiff pushback from unions.
U.S. regional Southern Airways Express CEO Stan Little thinks he has the answer to the pilot shortage with the airline's cadet program. But what makes Southern's offering different?
Regional carrier Mesa Airlines CEO Jonathan Ornstein is clear who is to blame for the U.S. pilot shortage: Congress. Rules implemented to make the skies safer have created the situation, he claims, crippling most regional airlines.
In Skift's top stories this week, Airbnb makes a major modification, Tripadvisor appoints a new CEO, and the endangered status of giraffes exposes the fragility of Africa's wildlife tourism.
The federal government finally recognizes that there is a shortage of pilots in the U.S. But beyond platitudes, there are few new funds directed at easing it yet.
Recently retired Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly once predicted 20 percent of the business travel market may never come back after the pandemic. But it's sure looking like that prognostication may prove too pessimistic. The carrier is seeing a faster return of road warriors than it could have expected.
JetBlue is struggling to find positive news after operational issues forced it to cancel roughly 10 percent of its flights in April, and scale way back on summer flying. The pilot shortage has come home to roost with some asking if JetBlue is now just a stepping stone for crew members on their way to bigger airlines.
Tech companies largely stopped traveling during the pandemic, which hit Alaska Airlines, with its base in Seattle and hub in San Francisco, hard. But the airline is seeing tech's road warriors return — up 50 percent just in the last few weeks.
The U.S. pilot shortage could redound to United's benefit if other airlines are forced to cancel flights due to staffing shortages, CEO Scott Kirby said. The carrier is getting ready for a summer demand to set records.