Press Release

5/02/04
Now Is The Time To Prepare For An Airline Job.

We invited leading industry representatives to our offices in Los Angeles for a conversation about the future of cockpit careers. here’s what they had to say.

After September 11, pilot careers in 2001 looked bleak. Newspaper articles confirmed the airlines were hemorrhaging red ink, thousands of pilots had been furloughed and new hires appeared to be a thing of the past. While the media continues to talk about the tough times in the commercial air-travel industry, many insiders think the tide has turned.

According to Kit Darby, president of airline career specialists AIR, Inc., “The media keep saying there are no jobs in the industry, and meanwhile, there were 5,000 new pilot jobs last year. This is the time to train, stay current and build quality time, so as hiring heats up, you’re qualified to apply for the airline job you’ve always dreamed of.”

Hiring among the national airlines is already starting to boom. According to AIR Inc., American Eagle is expecting to hire 400; JetBlue, 200; and SkyWest, 150 pilots in 2004; and many other companies are planning to hire around 100 pilots this year.

The major airlines have been a little slower to recover, but the trend is changing for them as well. "We're accepting people right now" says Tracy Takara, manager of recruitment, selection and staffing for America West Airlines. "The range of our successful applicants go from pilots with 2,500 hours with the ink literally still wet on their temporary ATP certificates, to pilots with 15,000 hours who have been at the nationals for years, to pilots who have been furloughed. And the age range goes from the mid-20s to the mid-50s." These numbers are very encouraging for people who think they’re too old to change careers.

Currently, America West and Southwest are the only two major passenger airlines that are hiring pilots. Alaska is accepting resumes, but Delta, American, Continental, Northwest and United still have thousands of pilots on furlough. A number of companies have been forced to cut pilot pay, some by as many as 30%. But it isn’t as bad as it sounds.

Existing airline pilots are crying poor, but it’s only because they went from making $200,000 a year to $150,000 a year, and there are so many other benefits to the job. There’s no other place that offers such benefits as plenty of time off, flexibility, income and retirement.

Major cargo carriers also are declaring an end to the embargo. ASTAR Air Cargo is already hiring, and FedEx, ABX, UPS and Air (formerly Airborne Express) have all reported positive hiring possibilities for 2004, and some of them are already accepting resumes.

Despite the difficulties over the last several years and the varieties of their experiences, our group of experts was in agreement that now is a perfect time to be preparing for a cockpit career. AIR, Inc. reported that 585 pilots were hired in January and 782 pilots were hired in February this year. The company is forecasting 6,000 to 7,000 new hires for 2004. As the major airlines beging to hire, many more jobs will develop and one thing is certain: Only those people who are ready when the call comes will get the jobs.

- Reprinted from Plane & Pilot Magazine with permission from the May 2004 issue.