Pilot shortage hitting Republic's bottom line

[dmcowen674]

2-12-2014

http://www.ibj.com/pilot-shortage-hitting-republics-bottom-line/PARAMS/article/46114

Pilot shortage hitting Republic's bottom line



A pilot shortage has forced smaller airlines to cancel flights and ground jets, a side effect of federal regulations that have dramatically increased the minimum number of flight hours required for new pilots


In 2010, Congress mandated that airlines’ first officers would need to hold an Airline Transport Pilot certificate–which requires at least 1,500 flight hours (PDF)–as opposed to the 250 hours and commercial pilot certificate previously required. The new rules, which took effect in August, came in response to the 2009 crash of a Continental Express regional flight, which investigators linked to shortcomings in the pilots’ training.

Hearings on the accident also exposed to many observers—including members of Congress—the surprisingly low pay at regional airlines.



The starting salary for a first officer at a regional airline is a little more than $21,000 per year


And the stingy pay, in turn, exacerbates the pilot shortage. Not only does it make pilot jobs less appealing, but the small salaries also combine with the more onerous federal training rules to put many new pilots deep in debt.



Paying for the necessary hours of training flights before getting a first job can cost more than $100,000.

 

[dmcowen674]

Just another Industry example of the race to the bottom in the U.S.

Why would anyone pay $100,00 for a $20,000 job?

 

[Skyclad1uhm1]

Just another Industry example of the race to the bottom in the U.S.

Why would anyone pay $100,00 for a $20,000 job?

Probably because they expect the 60k+ salary from Delta or United. When they then can't get that job they'll have to (temporarily) stick to jobs like this to make ends meet.

Do the (inter-)national airlines also have a shortage? Or do those still get more than enough applicants?
$21k isn't something people will want to put that much time and money into. Still, it's unclear as to how quickly that rises. If it's at $50k+ after 2 years then it will already get more interesting for people.

 

[theeedude]

“There may be a shortage of qualified pilots who are willing to fly for U.S. airlines because of the industry’s recent history of instability, poor pay, and benefits,” ALPA President Lee Moak said last week in a statement that aimed to refute the “myth” of such a shortage. The union says that Emirates Airlines pays new first officers $82,000, “plus a housing allowance and other extraordinary benefits,” and that thousands of U.S. pilots on furlough and working abroad are “eager to return to U.S. airline cockpits—under the right conditions.”

This is one problem that the free market is taking care of. If these companies want to survive, they'll have to increase wages. If consumers value those regional flights, they'll have to pay for the privilege accordingly.

 

[MagickMan]

They do need to pay more, and charge more for tickets, no major US airline has made profits of more than single digits in decades.

 

[Newell Steamer]

Thanks, Obama!

 

[rudder]

Probably because they expect the 60k+ salary from Delta or United. When they then can't get that job they'll have to (temporarily) stick to jobs like this to make ends meet.

Do the (inter-)national airlines also have a shortage? Or do those still get more than enough applicants?
$21k isn't something people will want to put that much time and money into. Still, it's unclear as to how quickly that rises. If it's at $50k+ after 2 years then it will already get more interesting for people.

21k is not a lot, but it is equivalent to the minimum wage. A place to start out and not something you plan to earn forever. Ultimately it depends on whether there is growth in the industry or how many pilots reach retirement age.

Back when I was in the industry, Fedex was hiring flight engineers for 35k/year. The 5 year pay scale had them at 70k+ and that's if they were still an engineer.

These commuter flights do not make much money. A fully loaded 747 flying from New York to Tokyo can earn a ton more revenue. 747 pilots make ten times as much money. No airline will put an inexperienced pilot in a 747. That is just the way the industry is.

There is no shortage of pilots. Go to any college that has a flight program and you will find hundreds of pilots who would fly right seat for free just to get hours to put in the log book.

Edit: and I will add when i was flying I did not need an ATP to fly a 727. Even so, obtaining an ATP is not that expensive. Logging 1,500 hours on the other hand could be difficult if there are a glut of flight instructors.

 

[Genx87]

When were you flying that an ATP wasnt required for craaying passengers?

Anyways 21K\year sounds terrible. But remember this is based on 1000 flight hours. The increasing the number of flight hours required imo seems rather lofty for a first officer. A captain has control the airplane.

A lot of these guys build hours by instructing or running in the charter business. Also the cuts in military have helped create a glut of guys with jet time.

 

[K1052]

Domestic and Foreign mainline carriers are tapping the regional airlines for pilots. The problem is worse at Republic because apparently they offer both lower pay than even the other regionals and a poor work environment...from what I hear.

I've been delayed numerous times due to crew (pilots) shortage on Republic. I mostly stopped flying them and just stick to mainline AA or an alternate carrier if they don't service the destination.

 

[rudder]

When were you flying that an ATP wasnt required for craaying passengers?

Anyways 21K\year sounds terrible. But remember this is based on 1000 flight hours. The increasing the number of flight hours required imo seems rather lofty for a first officer. A captain has control the airplane.

A lot of these guys build hours by instructing or running in the charter business. Also the cuts in military have helped create a glut of guys with jet time.

Back in the 90's. Once you had a commercial license and ~300 hours you could get a commuter job. Regardless of who is actually flying the plane, the Captain always logs his time at pilot-in-command. If a flight operation requires two pilots then the time can be logged for the non flying pilot as well.

So what we have is in experience shortage going on. Without the commuters to build time there is instruction, charter, corporate, etc. But none of those will get you 100 hours a month. So I can see how the new law is causing issues. Plenty of pilots, not enough with the needed flight time.

And frankly I do not see an issue with a first officer having only 300 hours. There are standards that must be met or you are not getting hired. Again when I flew we had strict rules about which captains I could fly with. I was never paired with an inexperienced captain. If you were a new captain you would get paired with an experienced first officer. Of course on the 727 you also had a third set of eyes. But the workload during flight is not that bad. And when flying commuter routes I can assure you that after doing it for a month or two you have the whole route memorized.

 

[rudder]

And to clarify... not all Pilots need 1500 hours for the ATP:

The new rule also establishes a new ATP certificate with restricted privileges for multiengine airplane only. The restricted ATP certificate can only be used to serve as a first officer at an air carrier. To obtain that certificate an applicant must be at least 21 years old, hold a commercial pilot certificate with an instrument rating, complete an ATP certification training program, and pass the ATP written and knowledge tests. For the restricted ATP certificate, applicants do get some relief as they are required to have at least 750 hours total time as a military pilot; at least 1,000 hours total time and a bachelor’s degree with an aviation major; at least 1,250 hours total time and an associate’s degree with an aviation major; or 1,500 hours total time as pilot.

 

[Exterous]

Domestic and Foreign mainline carriers are tapping the regional airlines for pilots. The problem is worse at Republic because apparently they offer both lower pay than even the other regionals and a poor work environment...from what I hear.

I've been delayed numerous times due to crew (pilots) shortage on Republic. I mostly stopped flying them and just stick to mainline AA or an alternate carrier if they don't service the destination.

This has likely been compounded by the new FAA regulations affecting the hours a pilot can work (and what is considered rest) that went into effect January 1 - just in time for one of the worst winters ever for cancellations\delays (which puts even more stain on pilot hours)