Across the world, airlines are grappling with the daunting task of filling cockpits with pilots. The reason for this is primarily due to the strong demand for air travel by consumers, high barriers of entry into the profession, and the strict age restrictions governed by the FAA. In order to fill open pilot jobs, airlines have begun to offer incentives to prospective candidates. These include offering higher-than-average salaries and recruiting prospective pilots directly from aviation schools.
According to Eric Popper, an airline pilot of 28 years, “Wages have gone up substantially.” Because of the high salaries, you would think that there would be the opposite of a shortage and that many people would pursue this career, however, this is not the case. Becoming a pilot is an expensive and time-consuming endeavor. Not only does the process require a substantial investment in education, it also requires a significant investment in the time it takes to log the necessary hours required to achieve a commercial pilot's license. Forbes author Brian Foley mentions “upwards of 50% wage gains extracted from U.S. airlines” (Foley, 2024). This represents how the pilot shortage has taken its toll on the aviation industry, leading to airlines making drastic changes to their pilots salaries.
Gray Healan, a student at Whitney M. Young, who has aspirations of becoming a pilot, spoke of the pilot shortage, noting that “becoming a pilot is a challenging and expensive career and that's why airlines can't get pilots…(however) I feel comfortable knowing high wages and better job security are present for my future career.” Backing up Gray’s thoughts and opinions, The Seattle Times reports that, “Alaska Airlines pilots on Sept. 1 will get an 11.2% pay jump to keep up with wages at rival airlines.” (Gates, 2023).
In summary, the pilot shortage is a real and necessary concern that needs to be resolved. Airlines must find a way to attract new pilots by increasing wages while also making entry into the profession a more accessible path.
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Name of 2 people you interviewed, title/position, email if possible
Eric Popper
Gray Healan
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